Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
WHEN: Friday, September 20 | 7:00 PM (CT)
WHERE: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: FOX (Tim Brando, Devin Gardner, Josh Sims)
RADIO: Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Damon Benning, Jessica Coody)
HUSKERS
Record: 3-0 (0-0 Big Ten)
Last Game: vs. Northern Cockeye (W 34-3)
Rankings: AP (#22) | Coaches (#22)
Head Coach: Matt Rhule (8-7, 2nd year NU | 55-50, 9th year overall | 1-0 vs. Illinois)
FIGHTING ILLINI
Record: 3-0 (0-0 Big Ten)
Last Game: vs. Central Michigan (W 30-9)
Rankings: AP (#24) | Coaches (RV)
Head Coach: Bret Bielema (21-19, 4th year at ILL | 118-77, 16th year overall | 4-2 vs. Nebraska)
THIS WEEK'S NUMBERS
400 - Friday's game will mark the 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. The sellout streak began on Nov. 3, 1962, when Nebraska took on Missouri. The Huskers are 324-75 at Memorial Stadium during the sellout streak.
20 - Nebraska has allowed just 20 points through three games, its fewest since allowing 16 points through three games in 2005. It also marks the first time since 2009 the Huskers have held each of their first three opponents to 10 or fewer points.
7 - Nebraska is playing its Big Ten opener at home for the first time in seven seasons. Nebraska last opened conference play at Memorial Stadium in 2017, when the Huskers defeated Rutgers.
THE MATCHUP
Nebraska opens Big Ten Conference play and finishes a four-game season-opening homestand on Friday night when the Huskers take on 24th-ranked Illinois at Memorial Stadium. The game will mark Nebraska’s 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium, a streak which dates back to 1962. Aside from its traditional Black Friday game, Friday will also mark Nebraska’s first weekday home game since 2001. FOX will provide the national television coverage and the game can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network and Huskers App.
The Huskers enter the game with a 3-0 record following a 34-3 victory over Northern Cockeye on Saturday night in Lincoln. The Huskers limited the Panthers to just a first-quarter field goal and held a third straight opponent to 10 or fewer points. Offensively, Nebraska showed its explosiveness by averaging nearly nine yards per play and producing points on six of eight drives in the game. The Huskers were not forced to punt in the contest.
Illinois also enters Friday night’s game at 3-0 following a 30-9 victory over Central Michigan last Saturday in Champaign. The Illini have relied on an opportunistic defense through three games, producing nine takeaways and a +8 turnover margin, which ranks second in the nation. Coach Bret Bielema’s team allows just 277.3 yards and 8.7 points per game. Offensively, Illinois features a balanced attack, rushing for 153.3 yards per game, while producing 225.3 passing yards per contest.
Friday’s contest is the Big Ten opener for both teams and marks the 12th straight year Nebraska and Illinois have met on the gridiron. The Huskers have won seven of the 11 meetings between the schools as conference foes, but the Illini have been victorious in their last two trips to Memorial Stadium.
With Illinois checking in at No. 24 in the AP Poll and just outside of the Top 25 in the Coaches Poll, Friday's game represents the first time Nebraska has played a game involving two ranked teams since Nov. 5, 2016 at Ohio State. It is the first AP ranked vs. ranked game at Memorial Stadium since No. 23 Nebraska hosted No. 16 UCLA on Sept. 14, 2013. The last five ranked vs. ranked games involving Nebraska have been on the road or in a bowl game. This contest will be the first matchup of AP ranked Big Ten teams at Memorial Stadium since 2011 when 13th-ranked Nebraska defeated No. 9 Michigan State.
The Huskers most-recent victory against a ranked team was a 35-32 victory over No. 22 Oregon on Sept. 17, 2016.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's meeting between Nebraska and Illinois will be the 22nd all-time meeting between the schools and the 12th consecutive season the teams have met on the gridiron. Nebraska has a 14-6-1 edge in the all-time series, including a 7-4 advantage since Nebraska joined the Big Ten.
- Nebraska won six of the first seven meetings as conference foes, before Illinois won three straight. Nebraska ended that streak with a 20-7 win last season in Champaign.
- Nebraska owns a 9-3 edge in games played in Lincoln, including 5-3 at Memorial Stadium
- The Huskers won 54-35 in Lincoln in 2018, marking Nebraska's first 50-point outburst in a Big Ten Conference game
- The only meetings between 1953 and 2013 came in 1985 and 1986 when Nebraska won both ends of a home-and-home series.
Nebraska vs. Illinois Big Ten History
2013: Nebraska 39, Illinois 19 (Lincoln)
2014: Nebraska 45, Illinois 14 (Champaign)
2015: Illinois 14, Nebraska 13 (Champaign)
2016: Nebraska 31, Illinois 16 (Lincoln)
2017: Nebraska 28, Illinois 6 (Champaign)
2018: Nebraska 54, Illinois 35 (Lincoln)
2019: Nebraska 42, Illinois 38 (Champaign)
2020: Illinois 41, Nebraska 23 (Lincoln)
2021: Illinois 30, Nebraska 22 (Champaign)
2022: Illinois 26, Nebraska 9 (Lincoln)
2023: Nebraska 20, Illinois 7 (Champaign)
BIG TEN FRIDAY NIGHT NIGHTS
Nebraska will be playing on a Friday night early in the Big Ten season for the third consecutive year and the second straight year against Illinois. Nebraska played at Rutgers on a Friday night in 2022. Overall, this is Nebraska's fifth Friday night conference game (non-Black Friday) since 2017, including three games against Illinois.
- Nebraska played Friday night road games at Illinois in 2017 and 2023, winning 28-6 in 2017 and 20-7 last season. Nebraska also won Friday night road games at Rutgers in 2020 and 2022.
- The Huskers do have a long history of playing on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Nebraska has played on Black Friday every year since 1990.
- Aside from its traditional Black Friday game, this Friday's home game is Nebraska's first weekday game in Memorial Stadium since a Sept. 20, 2001 game against Rice. The Rice contest was rescheduled from Saturday, Sept. 15, 2001 following the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
NEBRASKA SET TO CELEBRATE 400TH CONSECUTIVE SELLOUT
Nebraska will celebrate its 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium on Friday night. The Huskers have sold out every game at Memorial Stadium for more than six decades, beginning with a game against Missouri on Nov. 3, 1962.
- During the sellout streak, Memorial Stadium has expanded several times and capacity has grown from 31,080 in 1962 to the current capacity of 82,841.
- Nebraska has been victorious in each of the milestone sellout games in the series, defeating Penn State 42-17 in 1979 in sellout #100, knocking off second-ranked Colorado, 24-7, in 1994 in sellout #200, and shutting out Louisiana-Lafayette 55-0 in 2009 in the 300th consecutive sellout.
- Nebraska has a record of 324-75 during the sellout streak. Friday's game against No. 24 Illinois is the 89th matchup against a ranked opponent during the sellout streak, with Nebraska owning a 47-39 mark in those games.
ABOUT ILLINOIS
Illinois has fielded a football team since 1890 and the Fighting Illini have tallied nearly 640 wins as a program. Illinois has claimed five national titles and 15 Big Ten Conference championships. The Illini have made 20 bowl game appearances, claiming eight wins. Illinois' last bowl appearance came in 2022 when the Fighting Illini took on Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Mississippi State came away with the 19-10 victory over Illinois
First Year: 1890
All-Time Record: 635-625-51
Bowl Record: 8-12
Conference Titles: 15
National Titles: 5
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 60,670
Location: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
Enrollment: 56,644
Colors: Orange & Blue
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
2024 Schedule
Eastern Illinois (W 45-0)
#19 Kansas (W 23-17)
Central Michigan (W 30-9)
at Nebraska
at Penn State
Purdoodoo
Michigan
at Oregon
Minnesota
Michigan State
at Rutgers
at Northwestern
Illinois has started the 2024 campaign with a trio of home victories against Eastern Illinois, No. 19 Kansas and Central Michigan. The Illini are ranked No. 24 in this week's AP Poll.
The Illini enter Friday night averaging 32.7 points and 378.7 yards per game, with 225.3 yards per game through the air and 153.3 yards per game on the ground. Luke Altmyer has completed 54-of-78 passes for 647 yards and six touchdowns. Pat Bryant leads Illinois with 15 receptions for 235 yards and four touchdowns, while Zakhari Franklin adds 16 grabs for 193 yards. Kaden Feagin paces the Illinois rushing attack with 42 carries for 173 yards and three scores, while Ca'Lil Valentine has carried the ball 17 times for 96 yards.
Defensively, the Illini are allowing 8.7 points and 277.3 yards per game this season. Matthew Bailey leads the Illinois defense with a team-high 17 tackles, followed by Dylan Rosiek with 14 stops. Gabe Jacas has a team-high three tackles for loss, while Joe Barna leads the Illini with 1.5 sacks through three games. Illinois has forced nine turnovers on the season, which ranks fifth nationally.
ABOUT BRET BIELEMA
Bret Bielema is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois. He led the Fighting Illini to a 5-7 mark last season after an 8-5 record in 2022.
Bielema came to Illinois after serving as a coach in the NFL for three years. He spent one year as the outside linebackers and senior assistant coach for the New York Giants and two years as the defensive line coach and consultant to the head coach with the New England Patriots.
Bielema led Arkansas from 2013 to 2017, holding a 29-34 record. His first head coaching job came at Wisconsin where he finished 68-24 from 2006 to 2012.
Prior to serving as a head coach, Bielema served as an assistant at Cockeye (1996-2001), Kansas State (2002-2003) and Wisconsin (2004-2005).
Bielema vs. Nebraska
Bielema will face Nebraska for the seventh time as a head coach on Friday. Bielema holds a 4-2 record against the Huskers after Nebraska picked up a road victory over the Illini last season.
#24 ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI | at | #22 NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS |
| FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 20 7:00 PM (CT) 
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(3-0, 0-0) | 
| (3-0, 0-0) |
WHEN: Friday, September 20 | 7:00 PM (CT)
WHERE: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: FOX (Tim Brando, Devin Gardner, Josh Sims)
RADIO: Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Damon Benning, Jessica Coody)
Pre-Game/Post-Game: Matt Coatney, Jessica Coody, Ben McLaughlin, Josh Banderas
HUSKERS
Record: 3-0 (0-0 Big Ten)
Last Game: vs. Northern Cockeye (W 34-3)
Rankings: AP (#22) | Coaches (#22)
Head Coach: Matt Rhule (8-7, 2nd year NU | 55-50, 9th year overall | 1-0 vs. Illinois)
FIGHTING ILLINI
Record: 3-0 (0-0 Big Ten)
Last Game: vs. Central Michigan (W 30-9)
Rankings: AP (#24) | Coaches (RV)
Head Coach: Bret Bielema (21-19, 4th year at ILL | 118-77, 16th year overall | 4-2 vs. Nebraska)
THIS WEEK'S NUMBERS
400 - Friday's game will mark the 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. The sellout streak began on Nov. 3, 1962, when Nebraska took on Missouri. The Huskers are 324-75 at Memorial Stadium during the sellout streak.
20 - Nebraska has allowed just 20 points through three games, its fewest since allowing 16 points through three games in 2005. It also marks the first time since 2009 the Huskers have held each of their first three opponents to 10 or fewer points.
7 - Nebraska is playing its Big Ten opener at home for the first time in seven seasons. Nebraska last opened conference play at Memorial Stadium in 2017, when the Huskers defeated Rutgers.
THE MATCHUP
Nebraska opens Big Ten Conference play and finishes a four-game season-opening homestand on Friday night when the Huskers take on 24th-ranked Illinois at Memorial Stadium. The game will mark Nebraska’s 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium, a streak which dates back to 1962. Aside from its traditional Black Friday game, Friday will also mark Nebraska’s first weekday home game since 2001. FOX will provide the national television coverage and the game can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network and Huskers App.
The Huskers enter the game with a 3-0 record following a 34-3 victory over Northern Cockeye on Saturday night in Lincoln. The Huskers limited the Panthers to just a first-quarter field goal and held a third straight opponent to 10 or fewer points. Offensively, Nebraska showed its explosiveness by averaging nearly nine yards per play and producing points on six of eight drives in the game. The Huskers were not forced to punt in the contest.
Illinois also enters Friday night’s game at 3-0 following a 30-9 victory over Central Michigan last Saturday in Champaign. The Illini have relied on an opportunistic defense through three games, producing nine takeaways and a +8 turnover margin, which ranks second in the nation. Coach Bret Bielema’s team allows just 277.3 yards and 8.7 points per game. Offensively, Illinois features a balanced attack, rushing for 153.3 yards per game, while producing 225.3 passing yards per contest.
Friday’s contest is the Big Ten opener for both teams and marks the 12th straight year Nebraska and Illinois have met on the gridiron. The Huskers have won seven of the 11 meetings between the schools as conference foes, but the Illini have been victorious in their last two trips to Memorial Stadium.
With Illinois checking in at No. 24 in the AP Poll and just outside of the Top 25 in the Coaches Poll, Friday's game represents the first time Nebraska has played a game involving two ranked teams since Nov. 5, 2016 at Ohio State. It is the first AP ranked vs. ranked game at Memorial Stadium since No. 23 Nebraska hosted No. 16 UCLA on Sept. 14, 2013. The last five ranked vs. ranked games involving Nebraska have been on the road or in a bowl game. This contest will be the first matchup of AP ranked Big Ten teams at Memorial Stadium since 2011 when 13th-ranked Nebraska defeated No. 9 Michigan State.
The Huskers most-recent victory against a ranked team was a 35-32 victory over No. 22 Oregon on Sept. 17, 2016.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's meeting between Nebraska and Illinois will be the 22nd all-time meeting between the schools and the 12th consecutive season the teams have met on the gridiron. Nebraska has a 14-6-1 edge in the all-time series, including a 7-4 advantage since Nebraska joined the Big Ten.
- Nebraska won six of the first seven meetings as conference foes, before Illinois won three straight. Nebraska ended that streak with a 20-7 win last season in Champaign.
- Nebraska owns a 9-3 edge in games played in Lincoln, including 5-3 at Memorial Stadium
- The Huskers won 54-35 in Lincoln in 2018, marking Nebraska's first 50-point outburst in a Big Ten Conference game
- The only meetings between 1953 and 2013 came in 1985 and 1986 when Nebraska won both ends of a home-and-home series.
Nebraska vs. Illinois Big Ten History
2013: Nebraska 39, Illinois 19 (Lincoln)
2014: Nebraska 45, Illinois 14 (Champaign)
2015: Illinois 14, Nebraska 13 (Champaign)
2016: Nebraska 31, Illinois 16 (Lincoln)
2017: Nebraska 28, Illinois 6 (Champaign)
2018: Nebraska 54, Illinois 35 (Lincoln)
2019: Nebraska 42, Illinois 38 (Champaign)
2020: Illinois 41, Nebraska 23 (Lincoln)
2021: Illinois 30, Nebraska 22 (Champaign)
2022: Illinois 26, Nebraska 9 (Lincoln)
2023: Nebraska 20, Illinois 7 (Champaign)
BIG TEN FRIDAY NIGHT NIGHTS
Nebraska will be playing on a Friday night early in the Big Ten season for the third consecutive year and the second straight year against Illinois. Nebraska played at Rutgers on a Friday night in 2022. Overall, this is Nebraska's fifth Friday night conference game (non-Black Friday) since 2017, including three games against Illinois.
- Nebraska played Friday night road games at Illinois in 2017 and 2023, winning 28-6 in 2017 and 20-7 last season. Nebraska also won Friday night road games at Rutgers in 2020 and 2022.
- The Huskers do have a long history of playing on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Nebraska has played on Black Friday every year since 1990.
- Aside from its traditional Black Friday game, this Friday's home game is Nebraska's first weekday game in Memorial Stadium since a Sept. 20, 2001 game against Rice. The Rice contest was rescheduled from Saturday, Sept. 15, 2001 following the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
NEBRASKA SET TO CELEBRATE 400TH CONSECUTIVE SELLOUT
Nebraska will celebrate its 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium on Friday night. The Huskers have sold out every game at Memorial Stadium for more than six decades, beginning with a game against Missouri on Nov. 3, 1962.
- During the sellout streak, Memorial Stadium has expanded several times and capacity has grown from 31,080 in 1962 to the current capacity of 82,841.
- Nebraska has been victorious in each of the milestone sellout games in the series, defeating Penn State 42-17 in 1979 in sellout #100, knocking off second-ranked Colorado, 24-7, in 1994 in sellout #200, and shutting out Louisiana-Lafayette 55-0 in 2009 in the 300th consecutive sellout.
- Nebraska has a record of 324-75 during the sellout streak. Friday's game against No. 24 Illinois is the 89th matchup against a ranked opponent during the sellout streak, with Nebraska owning a 47-39 mark in those games.
ABOUT ILLINOIS
Illinois has fielded a football team since 1890 and the Fighting Illini have tallied nearly 640 wins as a program. Illinois has claimed five national titles and 15 Big Ten Conference championships. The Illini have made 20 bowl game appearances, claiming eight wins. Illinois' last bowl appearance came in 2022 when the Fighting Illini took on Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Mississippi State came away with the 19-10 victory over Illinois
First Year: 1890
All-Time Record: 635-625-51
Bowl Record: 8-12
Conference Titles: 15
National Titles: 5
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 60,670
Location: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
Enrollment: 56,644
Colors: Orange & Blue
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
2024 Schedule
Eastern Illinois (W 45-0)
#19 Kansas (W 23-17)
Central Michigan (W 30-9)
at Nebraska
at Penn State
Purdoodoo
Michigan
at Oregon
Minnesota
Michigan State
at Rutgers
at Northwestern
Illinois has started the 2024 campaign with a trio of home victories against Eastern Illinois, No. 19 Kansas and Central Michigan. The Illini are ranked No. 24 in this week's AP Poll.
The Illini enter Friday night averaging 32.7 points and 378.7 yards per game, with 225.3 yards per game through the air and 153.3 yards per game on the ground. Luke Altmyer has completed 54-of-78 passes for 647 yards and six touchdowns. Pat Bryant leads Illinois with 15 receptions for 235 yards and four touchdowns, while Zakhari Franklin adds 16 grabs for 193 yards. Kaden Feagin paces the Illinois rushing attack with 42 carries for 173 yards and three scores, while Ca'Lil Valentine has carried the ball 17 times for 96 yards.
Defensively, the Illini are allowing 8.7 points and 277.3 yards per game this season. Matthew Bailey leads the Illinois defense with a team-high 17 tackles, followed by Dylan Rosiek with 14 stops. Gabe Jacas has a team-high three tackles for loss, while Joe Barna leads the Illini with 1.5 sacks through three games. Illinois has forced nine turnovers on the season, which ranks fifth nationally.
ABOUT BRET BIELEMA
Bret Bielema is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois. He led the Fighting Illini to a 5-7 mark last season after an 8-5 record in 2022.
Bielema came to Illinois after serving as a coach in the NFL for three years. He spent one year as the outside linebackers and senior assistant coach for the New York Giants and two years as the defensive line coach and consultant to the head coach with the New England Patriots.
Bielema led Arkansas from 2013 to 2017, holding a 29-34 record. His first head coaching job came at Wisconsin where he finished 68-24 from 2006 to 2012.
Prior to serving as a head coach, Bielema served as an assistant at Cockeye (1996-2001), Kansas State (2002-2003) and Wisconsin (2004-2005).
Bielema vs. Nebraska
Bielema will face Nebraska for the seventh time as a head coach on Friday. Bielema holds a 4-2 record against the Huskers after Nebraska picked up a road victory over the Illini last season.