Final Take: Nebraska had no answer for Illinois's second half game plan
Give credit to Illinois. The Fighting Illini came into Lincoln wanting to make it a four-quarter football game with Nebraska, and that’s precisely what they did.
The Huskers appeared to be in a position to close out the game a couple of times in the second half but couldn’t make the plays they needed. Meanwhile, the Illini’s plan was to keep chopping at the Husker defense, eventually wearing them down.
The strategy worked, as Illinois held the ball for 18:11 of the second half, converting 5-of-9 third-downs and both of its fourth-down attempts. They outgained the Big Red 221 to 110 in the second half and outscored them 21-7. They rushed for 129 yards on 26 carries (4.96 ypc) in the second half. On 19 first down rushing attempts, Illinois averaged 5.5 yards per carry (104 yards).
The Husker defense had difficulty stopping run plays when Illinois was operating out of spread sets. Head coach Matt Rhule said it was the same thing Colorado tried to do, but CU had no success running the ball.
“We didn’t seem to be the more physical team,” Rhule said after his team’s loss.
This is the Big Ten. It’s a different type of football. Friday night’s game featured five lead changes. Possessions were precious.
It was also a night when we saw just how special Dylan Raiola’s arm talent can be, but we also saw some of the question marks this team still has.
“It’s our job to score regardless of circumstances,” Raiola said. “They had a fine-oiled machine on offense. Their quarterback played his butt off. Hats off to them. Had a great game plan. There’s really no added pressure. It just comes down to execution. I think our defense played very well. There’s little things that we want to obviously get back and change from this game.”
Nebraska has depth issues on the defensive front seven, and the injuries to left tackle Turner Corcoran and Tommi Hill are very concerning. Then you add the injury to kicker Tristan Alvano, who was a late scratch on Friday.
We left Friday night with a lot to consider as the Huskers prepare to take on the remainder of their Big Ten schedule.
“I’m sure our guys will bounce back,” Rhule said. “It was a costly night. We had some big injuries. We’ll have to regroup.”
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What I saw on Friday
***Nebraska kicker Tristan Alvano was a late scratch on Saturday, as he did not go through warm-ups, and John Hohl kicked in his place. Hohl connected on his first kick, from 21 yards, but missed a critical 39-yard kick.
****NU lost starting left tackle Turner Corcoran to an apparent foot injury. Redshirt freshman Gunnar Gottula stepped at left tackle in his place during the second quarter. Rhule called the injury to Corcoran significant after the game.
***Defensive back Tommi Hill left Friday’s game with a foot injury, and Ceyair Wright took over his place. He was a real bright spot for the Huskers, forcing one of NU’s two turnovers.
***Linebacker John Bullock was outstanding. His early fumble strip set the tone early for the Huskers, but they just weren’t able to finish.
***We saw several big moments with the officials. In two different Isaiah Neyor plays, there was no-call pass interference, and then he had a touchdown ruled off after they determined that the defender had taken the ball from him on the way to the ground. It was the second week we’ve seen this happen to the Huskers. The result was 3 points instead of possibly 14—game changer.
***Nebraska was penalized nine times for 89 yards, including four personal foul penalties for 59 yards. Yuck.
***Hats off again to the event management staff of Nebraska. The atmosphere and the stage were electric as NU celebrated sellout No. 400.
The final grade out
| Grade | HOL Take | |
| Rushing offense | C- | Nebraska’s backs had 24 carries for 89 yards. They needed to have a bigger night in order to have the balance the offense needed at times. |
| Passing offense | A- | QB Dylan Raiola was 24-of-35 for 297 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Illinois didn’t have an answer for him most of the night until things unraveled in overtime. The cross field deep out on third down was a high-level NFL throw. |
| Rushing defense | D | Nebraska was gashed for 129 yards on 26 carries in the second half by Illinois, which helped them control the tempo of the game. |
| Passing defense | C- | Nebraska forced two turnovers on passing defense but still allowed Illinois to complete 21-of-27 passes for 215 yards. NU finished the game with just two sacks. |
| Special teams | D | Illinois had 119 return yards, Brian Buschini had two low hang time punts that allowed returns and John Hohl missed a 39-yard field goal that would’ve given NU a 27-24 lead. |
Sean Callahan can be reached at [email protected] and is heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week, he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm.
