Illinois vs. Nebraska: Keys to victory, HuskerOnline score predictions for Friday

Friday night football is here. No. 22 ranked Nebraska (3-0) will take on No. 24 ranked Illinois (3-0) tonight in Lincoln as Memorial Stadium celebrates sellout No. 400.

As things get closer to kickoff, here are today’s keys to victory for the Huskers over the Illini. NU enters tonight’s game as a 7.5-point favorite over the Illinois.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be aired nationally on FOX.

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KEYS TO VICTORY: Illinois vs. Nebraska

KEY 1: Find a physical running game

Going into this game, the Huskers will have a chance to attack Illinois’s defense with a downhill running game. Ideally, this should be a game where Dante Dowdell and the Husker offense can find physical runs between the tackles. On the season, Dowdell rushed for 10 or more yards on seven of his 31 carries.

KEY 2: Containment on QB Luke Altmyer

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer came to Champaign via Ole Miss. With his mobility, he can hurt the Huskers and keep play alive. However, he has been sacked five times already, which is tied for third-most amongst Big Ten quarterbacks, and 39 times since the 2023 season.

KEY 3: Don’t force anything into Illinois’s secondary

Illinois comes into tonight averaging two interceptions per game. They have forced six picks on 93 pass attempts, which currently ranks second in the Big Ten. It will be very important for QB Dylan Raiola not to fall into this trap, which is a strength of the Illini defense.

KEY 4: Win defensively on early running downs

A week ago, Northern Iowa had some success with early running downs. It will be important for the Huskers to come out with more aggression and not give up 4 to 6-yard gains, as we saw on first down against UNI a week ago.

KEY 5: Make the crowd a factor

This will be Illinois’s first road game of the season. They’ll play at NU and Penn State in back-to-back weeks. Memorial Stadium needs to be a factor early and get the Illini out of rhythm.

EXPERT TAKE

Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Pubisher

This game is a great match-up for Nebraska in many respects. The Huskers should be able to run the ball effectively, which will open up more downfield in the passing game for Dylan Raiola. The Illini offense also appears to be a good match-up for the Huskers. NU will pull ahead early, but Illinois will score late to make it look close.

Nebraska 23, Illinois 17

Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline columnist

Big Ten play is here. Embrace the tension, Nebraska fans. The Husker program appears to be on the rise under second-year head coach Matt Rhule. But it hasn’t reached a point where it can race away from a Top 25 team. That’s my read for now, anyway. Perhaps Rhule’s crew can convince me otherwise.

Nebraska 27, Illinois 21

Robin Washut – HuskerOnline senior writer

The spread on this one might have caught some people by surprise, but to me, it makes total sense. Nebraska enters Big Ten play with momentum it hasn’t had in nearly a decade, and it’s learned and adjusted while getting off to a 3-0 start. More importantly, NU is at home, at night, on national TV, while Illinois travels on a short week. Oh, and it’s the 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. The stars are all aligning in the Huskers’ favor. 

Nebraska 27, Illinois 14

Andy Kendeigh – KETV ABC-Omaha

The Huskers figured out how to win a high-profile home game against Colorado, but now Nebraska needs to win a close game. The Big Red is 3-18 since 2021 in one-score games, and Friday has the feel of another close contest. In a growth game for Dylan Raiola, Nebraska as a program takes another step forward.

Nebraska 27, Illinois 20

Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha

The Huskers have had three appetizers getting ready for the main course—-The Big Ten season.  Illinois will be the most physical team on the Husker schedule to date so this win will come with pain.  I don’t see a lot of points on the board from the U of I offense but I do see a lot of Hutmacher, Butler, Lenhardt and Robinson in their backfield.  If NU can run with ANY consistency, this one won’t be close.  Too many athletes on one sideline. 

Nebraska 31, Illinois 17

Mike’l Severe – Big Red Wrap-Up

It looks like the chances of rain have decreased. Rain would have changed the dynamic of the game in terms of turnovers and big plays, two of the Illini’s strengths. Illinois is tied for second in the country in turnover margin, taking away nine and only giving away one. But based on watching Illinois, especially the lines of scrimmage, I think Nebraska can have success getting to the Illini’s quarterback and running the ball inside. I do worry about leaky yardage against a giant back like Faegan, a sudden back like Valentine and Altmyer escaping the pocket like Mordecai did last year with Wisconsin. I hope it doesn’t come down to special teams because Illinois has a true weapon at kicker.

Nebraska 30, Illinois 17

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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.

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