Nebraska football expects ‘an absolute battle’ vs. Illinois

Dating back to the 1962 season, every single Nebraska football home game has been played in front of a sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium. On a typical fall Saturday, the sign that chronicles the progress of Nebraska’s sellout streak is updated ahead of time with another game added to its total.

However, Nebraska’s upcoming matchup is hardly typical — and it won’t be played on a Saturday either.

When the No. 22 Huskers host No. 24 Illinois on Friday night, they’ll do so in front of a Memorial Stadium crowd that will celebrate the program’s historic 400th consecutive sellout.

Head coach Matt Rhule and his players are aware of the special occasion and want to make sure their performance on the field does it justice.

“We do what we do for the players first and for the fans and people second; I want them to be proud of what they see,” Rhule said. “We might not win every game, but we can certainly play in a way that respects and honors the work ethic of the people that came before us and the people that are in the stadium.”

After a 3-0 start to its season, the program’s first since 2016, Nebraska will move into Big Ten play with the final of its four consecutive home games to begin the season. Friday’s game will also mark the third consecutive night game for the Huskers, who fed off the energy from their home crowd in big wins over Colorado and Northern Iowa.

“Feeling the electricity from the fans when we take the ball away and now you got the crowd doing the dance, it is something that is truly special,” defensive coordinator Tony White said.

Nebraska may need its home crowd to impact a game that will be played with tight margins. Just as in last year’s matchup, where an early goal-line stand contributed to a 20-7 Nebraska win over Illinois, the Husker defense will be in the spotlight.

The Blackshirts have started the year strong, with an average of 6.7 points allowed per game standing as a top-10 mark nationally. There have been moments of stress — a rapid-fire UTEP touchdown drive, tests from the Colorado passing offense and Northern Iowa’s rushing attack stand out — but the Husker defense has always come out on top.

A new challenge awaits Nebraska this week against an Illinois offense which has made significant improvements from a year ago. Quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has thrown six touchdowns and zero interceptions this season, is playing with confidence and “operating at a high level” according to White.

Altmyer is helped out by a power run game led by 6-foot-3, 250-pound running back Kaden Feagin, and equally important are wide receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin.

There’s no secret about where the Illini will be looking to throw the ball — Bryant and Franklin both have 15 or more catches this season; no other Illinois player has more than three.

“One of the main matchup issues in this game is how well we do versus those two receivers,” Rhule said. “And when we choose to play a run front can we win the one-on-ones?”

Just as the Nebraska defense will be tested, so will an Illinois unit that has allowed just 8.7 points per game over a 3-0 start which includes wins over Eastern Illinois, Kansas and Central Michigan.

Quarterback Dylan Raiola has hit the ground running in the first three starts of his Nebraska career but has yet to play a Big Ten defense like Illinois which disguises its coverages and takes the ball away at a high rate. Having already forced nine turnovers, Illinois is tied for second nationally in that area of the game.

Raiola will need to do his part, but it should be a night where Nebraska’s ground game can propel the Huskers down the field. Sophomore Dante Dowdell, who’s averaged 5.9 yards per carry this season, could turn in a big performance after NU coaches limited his workload last week.

But standing in his way will be a tough Illinois defensive front offensive lineman Ben Scott said will force the Huskers to win their one-on-one blocks.

“It’s going to be tough to move the line of scrimmage, so we’ve got to be ready for a fistfight on Friday night when it comes to running the football,” offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said.

As such, bringing a renewed level of physicality into the game has been on the minds of Nebraska players and coaches all week. The Huskers have looked good in that area so far, with Rhule saying he feels Nebraska is a “pretty physical team” — but that judgment is different when playing a Big Ten foe.

“We don’t know anything about those guys until we play in the Big Ten,” Rhule said of the NU offensive line.

It’s also been a shortened week of preparation for Nebraska to get ready for its ranked matchup against Illinois. The Huskers kept much of their weekly schedule the same and will treat their Thursday as if it were a Friday the day before a game.

In-person classes have been canceled on Friday for all students, leaving the Huskers to their normal gameday routine. Hours spent together at the team hotel, downtime in the afternoon and walkthroughs prior to the game are how the players can expect to pass the time.

In spite of the differences that’ll make Friday night’s game a one-of-a-kind matchup, keeping the same routine, rhythm and approach is what the Husker coaching staff has emphasized throughout the week.

Once again, there should be a buzz in the air as an energized Memorial Stadium crowd celebrates the historic milestone of 400 consecutive sellouts.

It’s a big game for the history of the Nebraska football team, and for Rhule, that just means making sure it goes down in the record books as a Husker win.

“Are we going to be ready to play on Friday night, or is it going to be about all this other stuff?” Rhule said. “This is going to be an absolute battle.”