On Friday night in an exciting Big Ten football fixture, Illinois managed to beat Nebraska 31-24, in overtime. This was sweet for Illinois because it is the first time since 2007 that Illinois showed they could beat 2 ranked teams in a season. The Illini are now 4-0, a start to the season that hasn’t been seen by this team since 2011.
Illinois’ Impressive Start
As for Illinois, they have been doing great this season, and this game putting down Nebraska (3-1) is a perfect example. Illinois coach Bret Bielema informed his players that the production of the game was in their hands and boy did they ever take that to heart. It was tied at the end of regulation, but Illinois did not get caught up in overtime and emerged the winner. Reading what Coach Bielema said, “We did think if we could turn this into a four-quarter game it would play to our advantage.”
Key Moments in the Game
The one noticeable Illinois player on the field was quarterback Luke Altmyer. In the game, he completed 215 yards and 4 touchdowns, one of which was a game clinching pass to Pat Bryant in the ot. Altmyer threw for 271 yards and was 21 of 27 in passing. It is actually owed to his performance that Illinois was able to further stick around the game but then won the game. The most thrilling play in this match occurred in the fourth quarter when Illinois was trailing by 7 points. During a fourth and two, Altmyer threw a pass to, Brandon Henderson a 335 pound tackle, who caught the ball and scored a touchdown making the score 24 – 24. This play put the game into overtime. Less than a minute later, Illinois got on the board with Altmyer throwing a 4-yard touchdown to Pat Bryant. Nebraska got an opportunity to do this but they could not make it work the right way, their quarterback was taken down 3x and the game ended.
Nebraska’s Struggles
The Huskers have struggled against ranked teams recently and it showed in the past weeks game. That has failed to win a single match against Top 25 team since 2016, being on a worse record of 25 consecutive loses. Nebraska quarterback Raiola passed for 297 yards and three TDs but the victory was not to be. Moreover, Nebraska committed a mistake when they fail to convert a field goal just before the final buzzer. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule agreed that his team committed too many errors. “Honestly, we really beat ourselves,” added Nebraska’s Ty Robinson after the match.
What’s Next?
That is good for Illinois as they carry on with their season after this win. Since Altmyer was so great, the team seems poised for their next matches. As Coach Bielema stated it best, there is still more to be expected from [Altmyer] this season. On the other hand, Nebraska will have to dig deeper in order to correct their mistakes in their next games. This defeat was close, and their next game will hopefully help them gain their revenge.
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