Rough night for officiating crew, Isaiah Neyor powers Husker offense

Play of the game: Wide receiver Isaiah Neyor’s touchdown catch just before halftime. In the same corner of the end zone where he’d had a touchdown ripped away from him earlier, Neyor made a stunning diving catch which required dragging his toes across the turf in order to come down in bounds.

Turning point: Linebacker John Bullock’s first-quarter forced fumble. After allowing Illinois to march down the field for a touchdown on its opening possession and only coming away with a field goal of its own, Nebraska at the very least needed a stop. Instead, it got a takeaway that set up the Husker offense in plus territory for a quick touchdown drive.

Game ball: Neyor. Quarterback Dylan Raiola completed passes to several different receivers during the game, but the Husker offense truly ticked when Raiola got the ball into the senior’s hands. Two touchdown grabs and a crucial 44-yard catch near the end of the third quarter contributed to a standout game for Neyor.

Game ball: Illinois head coach Bret Bielema. There were question marks about the Illini heading into the season, but Bielema is a coach who gets his teams ready to play. Illinois was steady in the big moments and went step-for-step with Nebraska the entire way, dominating the overtime period.

Hat tip: To Nebraska cornerback Marques Buford Jr., who helped hold Illinois’ talented receiving corps in check. Buford wasn’t targeted often due to his lockdown coverage, and his evening became even more difficult when Tommi Hill was knocked out of the game due to injury. Ceyair Wright helped fill the void, but it was Buford who stood at cornerback.

Questionable: It was not the smoothest first half for the game’s officiating crew, a stretch that included a phantom touchdown catch for Nebraska midway through the second quarter. A deep ball from Raiola toward Isaiah Neyor was ruled as a touchdown on the field as the Husker wideout hauled in a 36-yard grab in the corner of the end zone.

When an Illinois defender came away with the football, though, officials sent the play to a video review. Would it stand with Neyor in possession of the ball as he crossed the goal line, or could it be ruled incomplete instead if the ball grazed the turf?

Instead, the video replay indicated that Illinois’ Torrie Cox had controlled the ball while in the end zone, resulting in an interception and touchback for the Illini.

Later in the quarter when Illinois was whistled for a false start, the officiating crew instead deemed that the Illini had called a timeout prior to the play. Then with both teams on the field ready for the next snap, the officiating crew clarified a minute late that the game had gone into a television timeout.

If not for an intervention from the sideline, the game could’ve very well resumed without its television audience.

Tone-setter: A false start to open the overtime period for Nebraska. Center Ben Scott didn’t snap the ball as Raiola called for it, resulting in a disjointed first play of overtime for the Huskers. Going backward 5 yards wasn’t a back-breaker alone, but it backed the Huskers up at the worst possible moment.

24: Consecutive games Nebraska had lost to ranked opponents since the 2016 season, including its defeat to Illinois.

10: Straight games for Nebraska without allowing an opening-drive touchdown, a streak snapped by Illinois.

Minus-30: Yards totaled by Nebraska during the overtime period.