Instant Takes: No. 24 Illinois 31, No. 22 Nebraska 24 in OT
No. 22 Nebraska football implodes in a 31-24 overtime loss to No. 24 Illinois.
With several opportunities to win the game, all three phases failed.
Husker Nation left the 400-sellout celebration game in Memorial Stadium disappointed. NU had not lost a sellout milestone until Saturday.
Nebraska has not defeated a ranked team since taking down No. 22 Oregon 35-32 in 2016.
Raiola’s first Big Ten test
Quarterback Dylan Raiola faced the best defense he has seen this season. Illinois disguises its defense incredibly well.
Raiola does a wonderful job of fitting the ball in between tight windows. In the first half, NU went 7-for-10 on third down. The quarterback made great throw after great throw. His receivers held up their end of the deal with several great catches.
To end the first half, Raiola threw the ball to the near corner of the end zone, nearly out of bounds. Isaiah Neyor snatched the ball and drug his foot for the catch. Banks had a great catch down the sideline. Raiola found Jacory Barney Jr. and Thomas Fidone in the middle through tight windows.
After Illinois tied it up 17-17, Nebraska and Raiola stormed down the field for a touchdown. Neyor had a 44-yard catch, and then Raiola connected with Fidone for a 28-yard gain. Janiran Bonner caught a one-yard TD pass to go up 24-17.
With 24-24 on the scoreboard, Raiola had his worst drive as a Husker. He fumbled twice in three plays. NU recovered both. After a forced fumble by Ceyair Wright, Raiola missed a wide-open Luke Lindenmeyer in the endzone. John Hohl missed the 39-yard field goal attempt.
With the weight of the game and the hopes of the state on his shoulders, Raiola struggled. His line did not hold up.
Raiola is still the right guy for the job. He knows he missed a HUGE opportunity with Lindenmeyer. But he also needs help from his defense and special teams.
The freshman went 24-for-35 for 297 passing yards. He had three touchdowns and one interception.
Line of scrimmage
Illinois started the game controlling the line of scrimmage. Their offense marched 78 yards down the field for an opening drive touchdown. QB Luke Altmyer had 73 passing yards.
On defense, the Fighting Illini sacked Raiola, the first allowed sack by NU’s offensive line this season. They had one official quarterback hurry but put a lot of pressure on Raiola. As the first drive went on, Nebraska’s O-line improved.
Starting left tackle Turner Corcoran was helped off the field after Nebraska’s first extra point attempt. Redshirt freshman Gunnar Gottula played for the rest of the game. He held up well for his first real playing time.
The Husker offensive line settled in and allowed one more sack or no QB pressures for the rest of regulation. They gave up three TFLs in overtime. However, Nebraska had only 48 rushing yards. 72 of which were from Dante Dowdell but Raiola had -52 to cancel out.
The line played awful when it mattered the most – overtime. Gottula started the drive with a false start, and things went downhill fast. Raiola had no time in the pocket and was sacked for a loss of nine, 18 and 11 yards. The Huskers faced a third-and-42 and a fourth-and-29 with the game on the line.
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That’s not championship football.
Illinois’ offense got the best of Nebraska’s D-line. The Huskers’ pass rush only had one sack. Their leaders – Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson – didn’t have great games.
The Fighting Illinois had 175 rushing yards. They had limited struggles moving the ball. Altmyer scorched the Husker secondary with great passes. His receivers often found themselves wide open. He finished going 21-for-27 for 215 passing yards.
Wright was the unsung hero of the defense. He forced a fumble in the fourth quarter and stepped up big-time after Tommi Hill went down.
John Bullock led the team with nine tackles, one sack, one TFL, one pass breakup and a forced fumble. He is quickly becoming one of the best players on this defense.
Turnover battle
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Illinois was plus-eight on turnovers. Nebraska had three more turnovers than its opponents in the first three games.
Nebraska struck first by forcing a fumble on Illinois’s second drive. Bullock ripped the ball out of a receiver’s arms. DeShon Singleton recovered the fumble. The Husker offense capitalized with their first touchdown, going up 10-7.
Illinois evened it up with an interception in the end zone. WR Jahmal Banks caught the ball for a touchdown. But upon review, the ball was loose on the way down. Torrie Cox Jr. came up with the ball in the end zone for his second pick of the season.
When NU needed a possession, Wright and Mikai Gbayor stole one. Nebraska’s offense couldn’t capitalize on the forced fumble in the fourth quarter.
The pressure moved back to the Blackshirts. Illinois had no issues scoring and winning in two quick plays.
