Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
ILLINOIS (1-3) at NEBRASKA (1-2)
When: Saturday, November 21 | 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Where: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: FS1 (Brian Custer, Robert Smith)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: XM (Ch. 195) | Sirius (Ch. 133)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com | TuneIn.com
App Audio: Official Huskers App | TuneIn App
HUSKERS
Record: 1-2
Last Game: Penn State (W 30-23)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Scott Frost (29-24, 5th year) | (10-17, 3rd year NU)
vs. Illinois: (2-0)
FIGHTING ILLINI
Record: 1-3
Last Game: at Rutgers (W 23-20)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Lovie Smith (16-37, 5th year overall and at ILL)
vs. Nebraska: (0-4)
This Week's Numbers
6 - Nebraska's offense featured six freshmen or sophomore starters in last week's victory over Penn State. The Huskers started a true freshman, three redshirt freshmen, and a pair of sophomores on offense
10 - Seniors Marquel Dismuke (15), Will Honas (13), JoJo Domann (12) and Colin Miller (10) each had at least 10 tackles vs. Penn State. That marked the first time four Huskers recorded double-figure tackles in the same game since Oct. 20, 2007 vs. Texas A&M
640 - Nebraska has averaged 640.0 yards of total offense in two victories over Illinois under Coach Scott Frost. The Huskers generated 674 yards of offense last season and 606 yards in a 2018 win in Lincoln. The Huskers averaged 48.0 points per game in the two games.
The Matchup
Nebraska plays the second of three 2020 home games on Saturday, as the Huskers remain home to take on Big Ten West Division foe Illinois at Memorial Stadium. Saturday's game will kick off shortly after 11 a.m. with the game televised nationally on FS1.
Nebraska comes into the game with a 1-2 record following a hard-fought 30-23 victory over Penn State on Saturday in Lincoln. The Huskers took a 27-6 lead into halftime after an inspired effort in the first 30 minutes, including two defensive takeaways. Nebraska then held on with two defensive stops inside the 15 in the final five minutes to secure its first victory of the 2020 season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey made his first career start in the win and accounted for 219 yards of total offense.
Illinois comes to Lincoln with a 1-3 record, following a 23-20 win at Rutgers on Saturday afternoon. The Illini rolled up 341 rushing yards in the victory and dominated the second half, posting better than 300 yards of total offense after intermission. The Fighting Illini victory came after they had previously dropped games against Big Ten West teams Wisconsin, Purdue and Minnesota to open the season.
The Fighting Illini are guided by Lovie Smith, who is in his fifth season as the head coach. Smith previously spent 11 seasons as a head coach in the National Football League.
Series History
Nebraska carries a four-game win streak in the series going into Saturday's matchup. The last two meetings have been high-scoring affairs with the teams combining for 89 points in a 2018 matchup in Lincoln and 80 points in a Husker come-from-behind win a year ago in Champaign.
Nebraska leads the all-time series 13-3-1, and the Huskers are 6-1 against the Illini since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011.
Nebraska has won the past four meetings, including 2016 and 2018 victories at Memorial Stadium. The four-game win streak is the longest for Nebraska against any Big Ten opponent.
- Nebraska posted a 54-35 victory over Illinois in 2018. The 54 points ties for the most Nebraska has scored in a conference game in its 10 years in the Big Ten.
- Nebraska and Illinois are scheduled to open the season against each other in both 2021 and 2025. The schools are set to meet in Dublin, Ireland, in Week Zero in 2021, and open the 2025 campaign with a matchup in Champaign.
- Before joining the Big Ten, Nebraska and Illinois last met in a home-and-home series in 1985 and 1986, with the Huskers winning both of those matchups.
Nebraska vs. Illinois History
1892 - Nebraska 6, Illinois 0 (Lincoln)
1903 - Nebraska 16, Illinois 0 (Lincoln)
1904 - Nebraska 16, Illinois 10 (Lincoln)
1905 - Nebraska 24, Illinois 6 (Lincoln)
1923 - Illinois 24, Nebraska 7 (Champaign)
1924 - Illinois 9, Nebraska 6 (Lincoln)
1925 - Nebraska 14, Illinois 0 (Champaign)
1953 - Nebraska 21, Illinois 21
1985 - #18 Nebraska 52, Illinois 25 (Lincoln)
1986 - #6 Nebraska 59, Illinois 14 (Champaign)
------------Big Ten--------------
2013 - Nebraska 39, Illinois 19 (Lincoln)
2014 - #21 Nebraska 45, Illinois 14 (Lincoln)
2015 - Illinois 14, Nebraska 13 (Champaign)
2016 - #15 Nebraska 31, Illinois 16 (Lincoln)
2017 - Nebraska 28, Illinois 6 (Champaign)
2018 - Nebraska 54, Illinois 35 (Lincoln)
2019 - Nebraska 42, Illinois 38 (Champaign)
Big Red Offense Has Put Up Big Numbers vs. Illinois
Nebraska and Illinois are meeting for the eighth consecutive season and for the eighth time overall as Big Ten Conference opponents. During the first seven meetings, the Husker offense has found success against the Illini, especially the past two seasons under Scott Frost
- Last season, Nebraska totaled 674 yards against Illinois, which is the Huskers' highest offensive output ever in a Big Ten Conference game. NU threw for 327 yards and rushed for 362 in last year's meeting, which marked only the second time in program history -- and the only time in a conference game -- that Nebraska has totaled 300 yards passing and rushing in the same game.
- In Frost's first meeting against the Illini in 2018, Nebraska scored 54 points, to match the Huskers' highest point total in a Big Ten Conference game. Nebraska accumulated 606 yards of total offense in the 2018 meeting
- Nebraska has played 79 Big Ten Conference games. The Huskers have amassed 600 yards of offense four times in those 79, with three of those efforts coming against Illinois (2014, 2018, 2019)
- The Huskers have been particularly strong in the running game against Illinois. In the seven meetings between the programs as conference foes, Nebraska has averaged 287 rushing yards per game. Nebraska has produced seven 100-yard rushing performances in the seven Big Ten games with Illinois, including a pair of 200-yard efforts in back-to-back seasons by Ameer Abdullah in 2013 and 2014.
- The offense has been even stronger at Memorial Stadium. The teams have played four games in Lincoln since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, and the Huskers have averaged 42 points, 328 rushing yards and 544 yards of offense in those four contests.
- Individually, Adrian Martinez has put up gaudy statistics against Illinois. In two career starts, Martinez has completed 46-of-68 (.676) passes for 618 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing 31 times for 173 yards and one score. In the past two seasons, Martinez has accounted for 791 yards of total offense himself, nearly matching Illinois' team output (808 yards). Martinez had a career-high 445 yards of total offense in the 2019 matchup, the third-highest single-game total in Husker history. Martinez threw for 327 yards and rushed for 118 yards to post just the second 300-yard passing, 100-yard rushing game in program history.
- The offensive success against Illinois goes back even further, as Nebraska put up 111 points, 1,099 total yards and 926 rushing yards in the last two non-conference matchups between the two programs in 1985 and 1986. The Huskers had more than 450 yards rushing, 540 total yards and scored over 50 points in each of those two meetings.
Nebraska Big Ten School Records vs. Illinois
- Points: 54 (2018)
- Total Yards: 674 (2019)
- Rushing Yards: 458 (2014)
- Individual Rushing Yards: 225 (Ameer Abdullah, 2013)
- Individual Total Offense: 445 (Adrian Martinez, 2019)
About Illinois
Illinois owns a winning all-time record and the Fighting Illini were one of the nation's top programs in the early 1900s. Illinois has won 15 Big Ten Conference titles and claims five national championships. Four of the Illini's five national championships came before the Great Depression (1914, 1919, 1923, 1927). The most recent title came in 1951 and is the only outright national title in program history.
The Fighting Illini have gone undefeated seven times and have won 10 games in a season three times (1902, 1983, and 2001). Illinois has not had a winning record since the 2011 season. The Illini have played in 18 bowl games in their history, including five Rose Bowls. After laying the foundation for a program rebuild, Lovie Smith guided Illinois to its first bowl game in five seasons in 2019, when Illinois also had its best Big Ten West finish (fourth) since the division was created in 2014.
First Year: 1890
All-Time Record: 613-603-51
Bowl Games Record: 8-11
Conference Titles: 15
National Titles: 5 (1914, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1951)
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 60,670
Location: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
Enrollment: 49,339
Scouting 2020 Illinois
Illinois picked up its first win of the season last week with a 23-20 win over Rutgers. James McCourt made a game-winning field goal to defeat the Scarlet Knights. The Illini rushed for 342 yards and forced three interceptions in the victory. Redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams got his first start for the Illini and set the Illinois single-game rushing record with 192 yards, passing AJ Bush Jr. (187 at Nebraska).
Chase Brown and Mike Epstein lead the Illinois rushing efforts. Brown has 35 carries for a team-high 247 yards. Epstein has a team-best 42 carries for 225 yards and leads the team with three rushing touchdowns. Josh Imatorbhebhe is the Illini's leading receiver with 144 yards and one touchdown.
On defense, Jake Hansen has a team-high 26 tackles which included four tackles for a loss. Hansen also has one sack on the season. Owen Carney Jr. has a team-high 3.0 sacks and two quarterback hurries, while Devon Witherspoon leads the team with two interceptions. The Illini defense has 12 turnovers on the season to lead the Big Ten.
2020 Illinois Schedule (1-3)
at Wisconsin (L 7-45)
Purdue (L 24-31)
Minnesota (L 14-41)
at Rutgers (W 23-20)
at Nebraska
Ohio State
Cockeye
at Northwestern
About Lovie Smith
A long-time NFL coach, Lovie Smith is the 25th head football coach at Illinois, and the second to move directly from an NFL head coach position to the same in Champaign. With Smith's appointment to lead the Illini football team, he became the Illini's first African-American head football coach. Smith took Illinois to the Redbox Bowl in 2019, the Illini's first bowl game in five years, after clinching a berth with a 37-34 victory at Michigan State. Illinois trailed 28-3 in the second quarter and 31-10 entering the fourth quarter before completing the biggest comeback in school history. The Fighting Illini tied for the largest fourth quarter comeback in a Big Ten game in the last 40 seasons by outscoring Michigan State 27-3 in the fourth quarter.
Smith returned to college football for the first time since 1996 after spending 19 years in the NFL, including 11 years as a head coach. He owns a 89-87 (.506) career record as an NFL head coach and went 3-3 in playoff games, including one trip to the Super Bowl. He also has a Super Bowl appearance as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams.
Smith is 0-4 all-time in his college coaching career against Nebraska
2016: Nebraska 31, Illinois 16
2017: Nebraska 28, Illinois 6
2018 :Nebraska 35, Illinois 34
2019: Nebraska 42, Illinois 38
Smith is 16-37 overall at Illinois in his fifth season and sports a Big Ten record of 9-31. Smith is a graduate of Tulsa, where he played linebacker and defensive back from 1976 through 1979.
Smith began his college coaching career at Tulsa as a LB coach (1983-86). He also spent time as a defensive assistant at Wisconsin (1987), Arizona State (1988-91), Kentucky (1992), Tennessee (1993-94) and Ohio State in 1995. Smith then moved on to the NFL, serving as linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2000, then served as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams from 2001 to 2003. In 2004, Lovie Smith became a head coach for the first time, taking the position with the Chicago Bears, which he held from 2004 to 2012, where he had an 81-63 record and led the Bears to an appearance in Super Bowl XLI against the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. Smith also served as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons (2014-15) and had an 8-24 record there.
Last Meeting: September 21, 2019
Nebraska 42, Illinois 38
CHAMPAIGIN, IL - Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez took the blame for his team's poor first half performance against Illinois on Saturday night.
"I didn't play as well tonight as I should have," he said. "I'll take the blame for that."
He was serious, too.
In reality, Martinez passed for 327 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cornhuskers over Illinois 42-38 in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Martinez also rushed 18 times for 188 yards.
The Cornhuskers (3-1, 1-0) put up 690 yards of total offense compared to 299 by Illinois (2-2, 0-1).
Wan'Dale Robinson carried the ball 19 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. Dedrick Mills rushed 12 times for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Brandon Peters was 9-of-22 for 78 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception for Illinois. Reggie Corbin carried the ball 20 times for 134 yards and a touchdown. Ra'Von Bonner and Peters also had rushing touchdowns for the Illini.
Illinois took advantage of several Nebraska miscues early and led 21-14 at the half. Perhaps the biggest Cornhusker mistake was a fumble by Mills early in the second quarter at his own 2-yard line after being pinned there by a 53-yard punt by the Illini's Blake Hayes. Corbin carried the ball in on the next play, giving Illinois a 21-7 lead at that point. Corbin carried the ball 10 times for 91 yards in the first half.
Nebraska came back and tied the game at 35-35 on the first series in the fourth quarter on a Mills touchdown run and a two-point conversion run by Martinez.
The win made Nebraska the sixth program in NCAA history to win 900 games, joining Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama and Notre Dame. The win also gave Scott Frost his first road victory as Husker head coach, who had been 0-7 on the road since taking over the program in 2018.
Nebraska totaled 674 yards on the day (346 rush, 328 pass) but had four turnovers in the game. Illinois had just 299 total yards (221 rush, 78 pass) and only one turnover. Nebraska was penalized 10 times for 70 yards while Illinois drew just four flags for 30 yards.
Martinez was 22-of-34 for 328 yards with 3 TD and no INT in the win and also had 18 carries for 118 yards. Wan'Dale Robinson had 19 carries for 89 yards and a TD, and Maurice Washington also rushed for 89 yards on 10 carries. Dedrick Mills added 12 carries for 45 yards and two scores on the ground.
JD Spielman was the top Husker receiver with seven receptions for 160 yards. Robinson added eight catches for 79 yards and 2 TDs and tight end Jack Stoll had three catches for 45 yards and a TD.
Marquel Dismuke was the leading Husker tackler with seven.
Brandon Peters was 9-of-22 for 78 yards with a TD and an INT in the loss. Reggie Corbin rushed 20 times for 134 yards and a TD and Ricky Smalling was the top Illini receiver with five catches for 41 yards.
ILLINOIS (1-3) at NEBRASKA (1-2)
When: Saturday, November 21 | 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Where: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: FS1 (Brian Custer, Robert Smith)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: XM (Ch. 195) | Sirius (Ch. 133)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com | TuneIn.com
App Audio: Official Huskers App | TuneIn App
HUSKERS
Record: 1-2
Last Game: Penn State (W 30-23)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Scott Frost (29-24, 5th year) | (10-17, 3rd year NU)
vs. Illinois: (2-0)
FIGHTING ILLINI
Record: 1-3
Last Game: at Rutgers (W 23-20)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Lovie Smith (16-37, 5th year overall and at ILL)
vs. Nebraska: (0-4)
This Week's Numbers
6 - Nebraska's offense featured six freshmen or sophomore starters in last week's victory over Penn State. The Huskers started a true freshman, three redshirt freshmen, and a pair of sophomores on offense
10 - Seniors Marquel Dismuke (15), Will Honas (13), JoJo Domann (12) and Colin Miller (10) each had at least 10 tackles vs. Penn State. That marked the first time four Huskers recorded double-figure tackles in the same game since Oct. 20, 2007 vs. Texas A&M
640 - Nebraska has averaged 640.0 yards of total offense in two victories over Illinois under Coach Scott Frost. The Huskers generated 674 yards of offense last season and 606 yards in a 2018 win in Lincoln. The Huskers averaged 48.0 points per game in the two games.
The Matchup
Nebraska plays the second of three 2020 home games on Saturday, as the Huskers remain home to take on Big Ten West Division foe Illinois at Memorial Stadium. Saturday's game will kick off shortly after 11 a.m. with the game televised nationally on FS1.
Nebraska comes into the game with a 1-2 record following a hard-fought 30-23 victory over Penn State on Saturday in Lincoln. The Huskers took a 27-6 lead into halftime after an inspired effort in the first 30 minutes, including two defensive takeaways. Nebraska then held on with two defensive stops inside the 15 in the final five minutes to secure its first victory of the 2020 season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey made his first career start in the win and accounted for 219 yards of total offense.
Illinois comes to Lincoln with a 1-3 record, following a 23-20 win at Rutgers on Saturday afternoon. The Illini rolled up 341 rushing yards in the victory and dominated the second half, posting better than 300 yards of total offense after intermission. The Fighting Illini victory came after they had previously dropped games against Big Ten West teams Wisconsin, Purdue and Minnesota to open the season.
The Fighting Illini are guided by Lovie Smith, who is in his fifth season as the head coach. Smith previously spent 11 seasons as a head coach in the National Football League.
Series History
Nebraska carries a four-game win streak in the series going into Saturday's matchup. The last two meetings have been high-scoring affairs with the teams combining for 89 points in a 2018 matchup in Lincoln and 80 points in a Husker come-from-behind win a year ago in Champaign.
Nebraska leads the all-time series 13-3-1, and the Huskers are 6-1 against the Illini since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011.
Nebraska has won the past four meetings, including 2016 and 2018 victories at Memorial Stadium. The four-game win streak is the longest for Nebraska against any Big Ten opponent.
- Nebraska posted a 54-35 victory over Illinois in 2018. The 54 points ties for the most Nebraska has scored in a conference game in its 10 years in the Big Ten.
- Nebraska and Illinois are scheduled to open the season against each other in both 2021 and 2025. The schools are set to meet in Dublin, Ireland, in Week Zero in 2021, and open the 2025 campaign with a matchup in Champaign.
- Before joining the Big Ten, Nebraska and Illinois last met in a home-and-home series in 1985 and 1986, with the Huskers winning both of those matchups.
Nebraska vs. Illinois History
1892 - Nebraska 6, Illinois 0 (Lincoln)
1903 - Nebraska 16, Illinois 0 (Lincoln)
1904 - Nebraska 16, Illinois 10 (Lincoln)
1905 - Nebraska 24, Illinois 6 (Lincoln)
1923 - Illinois 24, Nebraska 7 (Champaign)
1924 - Illinois 9, Nebraska 6 (Lincoln)
1925 - Nebraska 14, Illinois 0 (Champaign)
1953 - Nebraska 21, Illinois 21
1985 - #18 Nebraska 52, Illinois 25 (Lincoln)
1986 - #6 Nebraska 59, Illinois 14 (Champaign)
------------Big Ten--------------
2013 - Nebraska 39, Illinois 19 (Lincoln)
2014 - #21 Nebraska 45, Illinois 14 (Lincoln)
2015 - Illinois 14, Nebraska 13 (Champaign)
2016 - #15 Nebraska 31, Illinois 16 (Lincoln)
2017 - Nebraska 28, Illinois 6 (Champaign)
2018 - Nebraska 54, Illinois 35 (Lincoln)
2019 - Nebraska 42, Illinois 38 (Champaign)
Big Red Offense Has Put Up Big Numbers vs. Illinois
Nebraska and Illinois are meeting for the eighth consecutive season and for the eighth time overall as Big Ten Conference opponents. During the first seven meetings, the Husker offense has found success against the Illini, especially the past two seasons under Scott Frost
- Last season, Nebraska totaled 674 yards against Illinois, which is the Huskers' highest offensive output ever in a Big Ten Conference game. NU threw for 327 yards and rushed for 362 in last year's meeting, which marked only the second time in program history -- and the only time in a conference game -- that Nebraska has totaled 300 yards passing and rushing in the same game.
- In Frost's first meeting against the Illini in 2018, Nebraska scored 54 points, to match the Huskers' highest point total in a Big Ten Conference game. Nebraska accumulated 606 yards of total offense in the 2018 meeting
- Nebraska has played 79 Big Ten Conference games. The Huskers have amassed 600 yards of offense four times in those 79, with three of those efforts coming against Illinois (2014, 2018, 2019)
- The Huskers have been particularly strong in the running game against Illinois. In the seven meetings between the programs as conference foes, Nebraska has averaged 287 rushing yards per game. Nebraska has produced seven 100-yard rushing performances in the seven Big Ten games with Illinois, including a pair of 200-yard efforts in back-to-back seasons by Ameer Abdullah in 2013 and 2014.
- The offense has been even stronger at Memorial Stadium. The teams have played four games in Lincoln since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, and the Huskers have averaged 42 points, 328 rushing yards and 544 yards of offense in those four contests.
- Individually, Adrian Martinez has put up gaudy statistics against Illinois. In two career starts, Martinez has completed 46-of-68 (.676) passes for 618 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing 31 times for 173 yards and one score. In the past two seasons, Martinez has accounted for 791 yards of total offense himself, nearly matching Illinois' team output (808 yards). Martinez had a career-high 445 yards of total offense in the 2019 matchup, the third-highest single-game total in Husker history. Martinez threw for 327 yards and rushed for 118 yards to post just the second 300-yard passing, 100-yard rushing game in program history.
- The offensive success against Illinois goes back even further, as Nebraska put up 111 points, 1,099 total yards and 926 rushing yards in the last two non-conference matchups between the two programs in 1985 and 1986. The Huskers had more than 450 yards rushing, 540 total yards and scored over 50 points in each of those two meetings.
Nebraska Big Ten School Records vs. Illinois
- Points: 54 (2018)
- Total Yards: 674 (2019)
- Rushing Yards: 458 (2014)
- Individual Rushing Yards: 225 (Ameer Abdullah, 2013)
- Individual Total Offense: 445 (Adrian Martinez, 2019)
About Illinois
Illinois owns a winning all-time record and the Fighting Illini were one of the nation's top programs in the early 1900s. Illinois has won 15 Big Ten Conference titles and claims five national championships. Four of the Illini's five national championships came before the Great Depression (1914, 1919, 1923, 1927). The most recent title came in 1951 and is the only outright national title in program history.
The Fighting Illini have gone undefeated seven times and have won 10 games in a season three times (1902, 1983, and 2001). Illinois has not had a winning record since the 2011 season. The Illini have played in 18 bowl games in their history, including five Rose Bowls. After laying the foundation for a program rebuild, Lovie Smith guided Illinois to its first bowl game in five seasons in 2019, when Illinois also had its best Big Ten West finish (fourth) since the division was created in 2014.
First Year: 1890
All-Time Record: 613-603-51
Bowl Games Record: 8-11
Conference Titles: 15
National Titles: 5 (1914, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1951)
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 60,670
Location: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
Enrollment: 49,339
Scouting 2020 Illinois
Illinois picked up its first win of the season last week with a 23-20 win over Rutgers. James McCourt made a game-winning field goal to defeat the Scarlet Knights. The Illini rushed for 342 yards and forced three interceptions in the victory. Redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams got his first start for the Illini and set the Illinois single-game rushing record with 192 yards, passing AJ Bush Jr. (187 at Nebraska).
Chase Brown and Mike Epstein lead the Illinois rushing efforts. Brown has 35 carries for a team-high 247 yards. Epstein has a team-best 42 carries for 225 yards and leads the team with three rushing touchdowns. Josh Imatorbhebhe is the Illini's leading receiver with 144 yards and one touchdown.
On defense, Jake Hansen has a team-high 26 tackles which included four tackles for a loss. Hansen also has one sack on the season. Owen Carney Jr. has a team-high 3.0 sacks and two quarterback hurries, while Devon Witherspoon leads the team with two interceptions. The Illini defense has 12 turnovers on the season to lead the Big Ten.
2020 Illinois Schedule (1-3)
at Wisconsin (L 7-45)
Purdue (L 24-31)
Minnesota (L 14-41)
at Rutgers (W 23-20)
at Nebraska
Ohio State
Cockeye
at Northwestern
About Lovie Smith
A long-time NFL coach, Lovie Smith is the 25th head football coach at Illinois, and the second to move directly from an NFL head coach position to the same in Champaign. With Smith's appointment to lead the Illini football team, he became the Illini's first African-American head football coach. Smith took Illinois to the Redbox Bowl in 2019, the Illini's first bowl game in five years, after clinching a berth with a 37-34 victory at Michigan State. Illinois trailed 28-3 in the second quarter and 31-10 entering the fourth quarter before completing the biggest comeback in school history. The Fighting Illini tied for the largest fourth quarter comeback in a Big Ten game in the last 40 seasons by outscoring Michigan State 27-3 in the fourth quarter.
Smith returned to college football for the first time since 1996 after spending 19 years in the NFL, including 11 years as a head coach. He owns a 89-87 (.506) career record as an NFL head coach and went 3-3 in playoff games, including one trip to the Super Bowl. He also has a Super Bowl appearance as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams.
Smith is 0-4 all-time in his college coaching career against Nebraska
2016: Nebraska 31, Illinois 16
2017: Nebraska 28, Illinois 6
2018 :Nebraska 35, Illinois 34
2019: Nebraska 42, Illinois 38
Smith is 16-37 overall at Illinois in his fifth season and sports a Big Ten record of 9-31. Smith is a graduate of Tulsa, where he played linebacker and defensive back from 1976 through 1979.
Smith began his college coaching career at Tulsa as a LB coach (1983-86). He also spent time as a defensive assistant at Wisconsin (1987), Arizona State (1988-91), Kentucky (1992), Tennessee (1993-94) and Ohio State in 1995. Smith then moved on to the NFL, serving as linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2000, then served as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams from 2001 to 2003. In 2004, Lovie Smith became a head coach for the first time, taking the position with the Chicago Bears, which he held from 2004 to 2012, where he had an 81-63 record and led the Bears to an appearance in Super Bowl XLI against the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. Smith also served as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons (2014-15) and had an 8-24 record there.
Last Meeting: September 21, 2019
Nebraska 42, Illinois 38
CHAMPAIGIN, IL - Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez took the blame for his team's poor first half performance against Illinois on Saturday night.
"I didn't play as well tonight as I should have," he said. "I'll take the blame for that."
He was serious, too.
In reality, Martinez passed for 327 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cornhuskers over Illinois 42-38 in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Martinez also rushed 18 times for 188 yards.
The Cornhuskers (3-1, 1-0) put up 690 yards of total offense compared to 299 by Illinois (2-2, 0-1).
Wan'Dale Robinson carried the ball 19 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. Dedrick Mills rushed 12 times for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Brandon Peters was 9-of-22 for 78 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception for Illinois. Reggie Corbin carried the ball 20 times for 134 yards and a touchdown. Ra'Von Bonner and Peters also had rushing touchdowns for the Illini.
Illinois took advantage of several Nebraska miscues early and led 21-14 at the half. Perhaps the biggest Cornhusker mistake was a fumble by Mills early in the second quarter at his own 2-yard line after being pinned there by a 53-yard punt by the Illini's Blake Hayes. Corbin carried the ball in on the next play, giving Illinois a 21-7 lead at that point. Corbin carried the ball 10 times for 91 yards in the first half.
Nebraska came back and tied the game at 35-35 on the first series in the fourth quarter on a Mills touchdown run and a two-point conversion run by Martinez.
The win made Nebraska the sixth program in NCAA history to win 900 games, joining Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama and Notre Dame. The win also gave Scott Frost his first road victory as Husker head coach, who had been 0-7 on the road since taking over the program in 2018.
Nebraska totaled 674 yards on the day (346 rush, 328 pass) but had four turnovers in the game. Illinois had just 299 total yards (221 rush, 78 pass) and only one turnover. Nebraska was penalized 10 times for 70 yards while Illinois drew just four flags for 30 yards.
Martinez was 22-of-34 for 328 yards with 3 TD and no INT in the win and also had 18 carries for 118 yards. Wan'Dale Robinson had 19 carries for 89 yards and a TD, and Maurice Washington also rushed for 89 yards on 10 carries. Dedrick Mills added 12 carries for 45 yards and two scores on the ground.
JD Spielman was the top Husker receiver with seven receptions for 160 yards. Robinson added eight catches for 79 yards and 2 TDs and tight end Jack Stoll had three catches for 45 yards and a TD.
Marquel Dismuke was the leading Husker tackler with seven.
Brandon Peters was 9-of-22 for 78 yards with a TD and an INT in the loss. Reggie Corbin rushed 20 times for 134 yards and a TD and Ricky Smalling was the top Illini receiver with five catches for 41 yards.
