No. 24 Illinois knocks off No. 22 Nebraska in overtime, 31-24
Altmyer, Illini spoil 400th sellout party in Lincoln as Huskers are handed their first loss of the season
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) - In the first ranked matchup at Memorial Stadium in over a decade, No. 24 Illinois (4-0, 1-0) stormed from behind on three separate occasions to squeak out a 31-24 overtime win over No. 22 Nebraska (3-1, 0-1) on Friday night.
It was the 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium, but the Illini spoiled the party, largely behind the arm of junior QB Luke Altmyer, who completed 21-of-27 passes for 215 and four touchdowns against a Nebraska defense that seemed unshakeable in its first three outings.
The Illini attacked by air and by land, though, as they had three different ball carriers record more than 30 yards on the ground, led by Kaden Feagin with 12 carries for 69 yards.
On the flip side, Nebraska struggled to run the ball all night against a stout Illinois defensive front, totaling just 77 yards on 31 rush attempts. What the Huskers lacked in the rush game was made up for by the play of their freshman QB, Dylan Raiola, who turned in his best performance of his young career in the loss.
Raiola completed 23-of-35 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite targets, Isaiah Neyor and Jahmal Banks, shined again. Neyor caught four passes for 90 yards and two scores while Banks hauled in seven for 81 yards.
Read a full drive-by-drive game recap below.
GAME RECAP
PREGAME COVERAGE
Nebraska’s 2024 campaign seems to have that theme to it, though: The first time since, “insert year here,” that the Huskers have done, “insert stat here.”
It’s a sign that head coach Matt Rhule is turning the program around — something that has essentially become his signature undertaking throughout his career. He did it at Temple, he did it at Baylor, and now the Huskers seem to be on the same trajectory. Some would argue they’re even ahead of schedule.
Fittingly, this game will also mark Nebraska’s 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium — a milestone the university plans to celebrate throughout the night Friday.
“It’s passion and loyalty,” Rhule said. “And it’s not just the sellouts, it’s coming out early and staying late. That loyalty, that passion, as I’ve said since day one, is something that we feel humbled by, and we have to make sure we do our job. I feel it all the time. Not as a burden or in a bad way, but a sense of responsibility to make sure that we’re doing our part.”
GAME INFO
- WHEN: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20
- WHERE: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.
- WATCH: FOX
- LISTEN: Huskers Radio Network
- VEGAS ODDS: Illinois +9, O/U 43.5
The optimism amongst the Big Red faithful is at a level unseen in decades and, so far, the product on the field is living up to the excitement. A 3-0 record and a Top 25 appearance is certainly a good start, but now is when the tests get tougher.
“It’s time that the season starts,” said Husker QB Dylan Raiola after Nebraska’s 34-3 win over Northern Iowa last week. “It’s time for the games to begin. You treat those three [non-conference] games like real games, but you really find out your identity before you get into these conference games that mean everything. I know our team’s been excited and it’s finally here.”
2024 NEBRASKA FOOTBALL
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Conference action has arrived, and what better way to get things rolling than against a team that epitomizes the Big Ten’s smash-mouth, “line-it-up-and-show-me-what-you-got” style of football. In other words, “Bielema Ball.”
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema has constructed what is, at this point, his patented model of football team. A hard-nosed physical roster that will wear down opponents as the game progresses. Bielema showcased it for a decade as head coach of Wisconsin and Arkansas before ending up at Illinois in 2021 after a short stint as an assistant for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
“I have a lot of respect for [Bielema],” Rhule said. “His teams, they’re gonna play great defense, they’re gonna run the football, they’re gonna play great special teams. Obviously after an illustrious career as a head coach, he went and worked with Coach Belichick, so I know he understands that way of thinking and he’s doing a great job at Illinois. I have a lot of respect for him.”
Running back Kaden Faegin is Bielema’s workhorse this year, having carried the ball 42 times through three games. But Illinois is more versatile this year than in season’s pass thanks to the elevated play of quarterback Luke Altmeyer, who’s been about as good as anyone in the country thus far, completing 70 percent of his passes for 647 yards and 6 touchdowns without a single turnover.
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