Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
NEBRASKA (0-0, 0-0) at ILLINOIS (0-0, 0-0)
When: Saturday, August 28 | 12:20 PM (CT)
Where: Memorial Stadium | Champaign, Illinois
Broadcast Info
TV: FOX (Joe Davis, Brock Huard)
Radio: Husker Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Jeremiah Sirles)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com
App Audio: Huskers App
HUSKERS
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
2020 Record: 3-5
Last Game: at Rutgers (W 28-21 in 2020)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Scott Frost (31-27, 6th year overall) / (12-20, 4th year at NU)
vs. Illinois: 2-1
FIGHTING ILLINI
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
2020 Record: 2-6
Last Game: at Penn State (L 21-56 in 2020)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Bret Bielema (97-58, 13th year overall) / (0-0, 1st year at ILL)
vs. Nebraska: 2-1
This Week's Numbers to Know
1 - Saturday's opener between Nebraska and Illinois will mark the earliest date of a Big Ten Conference game in history. The previous earliest date of a conference game in Big Ten history was August 30, 2018, when Northwestern won at Purdue, 31-27.
3 - Nebraska has averaged at least 200 yards rushing in each of Scott Frost's first three seasons. The Huskers are the only team from a Power Five conference to average 200 rushing yards per game each of the last three seasons (2018, 2019, 2020)
14 - Nebraska has played 14 games in August in program history, and the Huskers are 14-0 in those contests. Nebraska is 2-0 when facing a conference opponent in August, defeating Oklahoma State in 1995 (64-21) and 2003 (17-7).
The Matchup
Nebraska opens its 132nd season on Saturday when the Huskers travel to Illinois for the earliest conference game in Big Ten history. The Huskers and Fighting Illini are meeting in Week 0 because the game was originally set to be played in Ireland, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the game to be moved to Illinois.
Head coach Scott Frost begins his fourth season at his alma mater in 2021, while Saturday's season opener marks the Illinois head coaching debut for Bret Bielema. The Huskers saw their four-game win streak in the series snapped last season, as Illinois earned the victory in Lincoln.
Nebraska has won the past two meetings in Champaign, and the Huskers bring a two-game road winning streak into Saturday's game after the Huskers won at Purdue and Rutgers last December. Nebraska went 2-3 away from home last season, with all three losses to teams that finished the year ranked in the top 20, including one-possession losses at No. 10 Northwestern and No. 16 Cockeye.
The Huskers return a veteran defense that brings back 15 players who earned at least one start last season. Eight players who started at least seven of Nebraska's eight games last season return this fall, including Marquel Dismuke, JoJo Domann and Garrett Nelson, who each started every game in 2020.
Offensively, Adrian Martinez is back for his fourth year as Nebraska's starting quarterback. Martinez, who owns four Nebraska career records and five season marks, is one of only four active FBS players with 5,000 career passing yards and 1,500 career rushing yards. He was second among all FBS quarterbacks in rushing during the 2020 season (74.4 ypg), while ranking fourth in completion percentage (71.5).
Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Illinois 13-4-1. The Huskers are 6-2 against the Illini since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011.
- Nebraska had won the past four meetings with Illinois before the Illini won in Lincoln last season. The four-game win streak was the longest for Nebraska against any Big Ten opponent since joining the conference in 2011.
- Nebraska posted a 54-35 victory over Illinois in 2018. The 54 points tied for the most Nebraska 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 Champaign in 2025.
- 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.
Series 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 (Champaign)
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)
2020: Illinois 41, Nebraska 23 (Lincoln)
Husker History in Season Openers
Nebraska has an impressive history in season openers. The Huskers have won 98 of their 131 season openers, wining their first game 77 percent of the time while posting a 98-28-5 overall record.
- Nebraska is 32-3 in its first game of the season dating back to 1986.
- The Huskers are opening a season on the road for the second straight year, the only two times this century that Nebraska has played its season opener on the road. NU is also scheduled to open away from home in 2022 and 2023. Against Illinois, the Huskers are looking to win their first season opener on the road since a 42-7 non-conference victory at Cockeye to open the 1999 campaign.
- Nebraska is 11-2 when it opens the season against a conference opponent. The Huskers are facing a conference foe in the season opener for just the fourth time in the last 73 seasons. NU has opened each of the last two seasons with a conference road game and is scheduled to open against a Big Ten foe three of the next four seasons as well.
Season Opener Record: 98-28-5 (.767)
at Home: 85-14-3 (.848)
on the Road: 9-14-2 (.400)
at a Neutral Site: 4-0-0 (1.000)
Biggest Win: 117-0 vs. Kearney State (1911)
Biggest Loss: 54-0 at Minnesota (1943)
Longest Winning Streak: 29 (1986-2014)
Longest Losing Streak: 6 (1942-1947)
Nebraska Season Openers vs. Conference Opponents (11-2)
1915: Drake (W 48-13)
1916: Drake (W 53-0)
1926: Drake (W 21-0)
1927: Cockeye State (W 6-0)
1928: at Cockeye State (W 12-0)
1932: Cockeye State (W 12-6)
1936: Cockeye State (W 34-0)
1941: at Cockeye State (W 14-0)
1945: Oklahoma (L 0-20)
1948: Cockeye State (W 19-15)
1995: at Oklahoma State (W 64-21)
2003: #24 Oklahoma State (W 17-7)
2020: at #5 Ohio State (L 17-52)
Huskers Perfect All-Time in August
Saturday's game will mark the 15th August game in the history of Nebraska football. The Huskers have never lost in the month, bringing a 14-0 record into Saturday's season opener at Illinois, which will be only the second August road game in the history of Nebraska football.
- Nebraska is not only 14-0 in the month of August, but the average score of those 14 games has been 41-14. The Huskers are 6-0 when facing a Power Five conference opponent (at game time), with the average score of those six contests being 38-10.
- Saturday's game is believed to be the earliest date a Big Ten Conference football game has ever been played. The Huskers and Illini are playing only the fifth conference matchup in the month of August in Big Ten history.
Nebraska's All-Time August Games (14-0)
1983: vs. #4 Penn State (W 44-6)
1988: vs. #10 Texas A&M (W 23-14)
1994: vs. #24 West Virginia (W 31-0)
1995: at Oklahoma State (W 64-21)
1997: Akron (W 59-14)
1998: Louisiana Tech (W 56-27)
2001: TCU (W 21-7)
2002: Arizona State (W 48-10)
2002: Troy (W 31-16)
2003: #24 Oklahoma State (W 17-7)
2008: Western Michigan (W 47-24)
2013: Wyoming (W 37-34)
2014: Florida Atlantic (W 55-7)
2019: South Alabama (W 35-21)
Big Red Offense Has Put Up Big Numbers vs. Illinois
Nebraska and Illinois are meeting for the ninth consecutive season and for the ninth time as Big Ten opponents. During the first eight meetings, the Husker offense has found success against the Illini.
- In their first 10 seasons in the Big Ten, the Huskers have amassed 600 yards of offense five times, with three of those efforts coming against Illinois (2014, 2018 and 2019)
- In Scott Frost's first three seasons, Nebraska has averaged 557 yards and 40 points per contest against Illinois. In 2019, the Huskers totaled 674 yards of offense, the program's highest offensive output ever in a Big Ten Conference game. NU threw for 328 yards and rushed for 346 in the 2019 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 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.
- In the eight meetings between the programs as Big Ten Conference foes, Nebraska has averaged 247 rushing yards per game. Nebraska has produced seven individual 100-yard rushing performances in the eight Big Ten games with Illinois, including a pair of 200-yard efforts in back-to-back seasons by Ameer Abdullah in 2013 and 2014.
- Adrian Martinez has put up gaudy statistics against Illinois. In three career games against the Illini, Martinez has completed 49-of-72 passes (.680) for 661 yards and seven touchdowns, while rushing 33 times for 181 yards and one score. He averages over 8.0 yards per play in his career against Illinois, totaling 842 yards on 105 total offense attempts with nine total touchdowns.
- In his two starts vs. Illinois, Martinez has accounted for 791 yards of total offense (395.5 ypg). He had a career-high 446 yards of total offense in 2019, the third-highest total in Husker history and the most total yards by a Husker in a Big Ten Conference game. Martinez completed 22-of-34 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 118 yards on 18 carries to post the second 300-yard passing and 100-yard rushing game in program history. In 2018, Martinez completed 23-of-34 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 13 times for 55 yards and one score.
- 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's 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: 446 (Adrian Martinez, 2019)
Adrian Martinez Record Watch
Career Passing Yards
1. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 8,871
2. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 7,258
3. Zac Taylor (2005-06) - 5,850
4. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 5,628
Career Completions
1. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-17) - 625
2. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 575
3. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 481
4. Zac Taylor (2005-06) - 470
Career Completion Percentage (min. 1,000 career pass yards)
1. Joe Ganz (2006-08) - 65.1%
2. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 64.2%
3. Sam Keller (2007) - 63.1%
Career Total Offense
1. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 10,690 yds
2. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 10,233
3. Eric Crouch (1998-01) - 7,915
4. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 7,404
Total Offense Yards per Game (min 3,000 total yards)
1. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 264.4 ypg
2. Tanner Lee (2017) - 253.8
3. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 237.6
Career Quarterback Rushing Yards
1. Eric Crouch (1998-01) - 3,434 yds
2. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 2,975
3. Jammal Lord (2000-03) - 2,573
4. Steve Taylor (1985-88) - 2,125
5. Tommie Frazier (1992-95) - 1,955
6. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 1,819
7. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 1,776
8. Scott Frost (1996-97) - 1,533
250-yard Passing Games
1. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 14
2t. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 11
2t. Joe Ganz (2006-08) - 11
300-yard Passing Games
1. Joe Ganz (2006-08) - 8
2. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 6
3. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 4
4t. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 3
300-yard Total Offense Games
1t. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 13
1t. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 13
400-yard Total Offense Games
1. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 5
2. Joe Ganz (2006-08) - 3
ALL-TIME WINS
1. Michigan - 964
2. Ohio State - 931
3. Alabama - 929
4. Texas - 923
5. Notre Dame - 918
6. Oklahoma - 917
7. Nebraska - 905
8. Penn State - 902
About Illinois Football
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 Illinis have played in 19 bowl games in their history, including five Rose Bowls. In the last full season in 2019, Illinois made its first bowl game in five years and had its best Big Ten West finish (fourth) since the division was created in 2014.
First Year: 1890
All-Time Record: 614-606-51
Bowl Record: 8-11
Conference Titles: 15
National Titles: 5
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 60,670
Playing Surface: FieldTurf
Location: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
Enrollment: 52,331
Scouting the 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois will have a new look when it opens its 2021 season on Saturday, as Bret Bielema makes his Illini head coaching debut. The Fighting Illini went 2-6 in the abbreviated 2020 season under head coach Lovie Smith.
Illinois returns 81 percent of its total starts on offense from last season and 86 percent of its total starts on defense, and the Illini bring back their starting punter and placekicker. Illinois returned more scholarship seniors (17) from last year's roster than any other Power Five team and the Illini boast 29 graduates. The roster features 11 players who have earned All-Big Ten recognition in their careers, including 2019 Big Ten Punter of the Year Blake Hayes.
The Illini ranked third in the Big Ten in rushing last season, averaging 196.1 yards per game. Illinois returns all but five carries and 25 rushing yards from last year, and the ground game is powered by a returning offensive line that has combined for 131 career starts, the sixth-highest total in the country. Defensively, Illinois returns eight of its top 10 tacklers from 2020, including linebacker Jake Hansen, who is the nation's active leader with 10 career forced fumbles.
About Bret Bielema
- 1st season at Illinois (0-0)
- 13th season overall (97-58)
Bret Bielema is making his Illinois head coaching debut on Saturday. Bielema was named the Illini's head coach last December. He is in his 13th overall season as a collegiate head coach, all of which have been spent leading a Power Five conference program.
Bielema returns to a head coaching role after spending the past three seasons as an NFL assistant. He was a consultant to head coach Bill Belichick at New England in 2018an was the Patriots' defensive line coach in 2019. Bielema spent last season coaching outside linebackers for the New York Giants.
An Cockeye graduate, Bielema began his head coaching career at Wisconsin, leading the Badgers to a 68-24 record in seven seasons from 2006 to 2012. Bielema went 2-1 against Nebraska while at Wisconsin, and he led the Badgers to three consecutive Big Ten titles from 2010 to 2012. Bielema left Wisconsin for Arkansas after the 2012 season, and he guided the Razorbacks to a 29-34 record in five seasons from 2013 to 2017.
Bret Bielema vs. Nebraska
Oct. 1, 2011: Wisconsin 48, Nebraska 17 (Madison)
Sept. 29, 2012: Nebraska 30, Wisconsin 27 (Lincoln)
Dec. 1, 2012: Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31 (Indianapolis)
Last Meeting: November 21, 2020
Illinois 41, Nebraska 23
LINCOLN - Nebraska committed five turnovers, and visiting Illinois converted the miscues into 24 points as the Huskers fell to the Fighting Illini 41-23 Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers mustered 392 yards of total offense but still slipped to 1-3 on the season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries while adding 134 yards on 15-of-26 passing. But the young Nebraska quarterback also threw three interceptions and fumbled on the game's first play from scrimmage. That fumble, a short throw that was ruled a lateral and a fumble, was recovered by the Illini's Jake Hansen to set a strange tone for the game. Three plays and 21 yards later, Illinois was in the end zone after Chase Brown's three-yard scoring run. The touchdown but the Illini up 7-0 just 1:29 into the game.
The Fighting Illini, who improved to 2-2, finished with 490 total yards, including 285 on the ground and 205 yards passing. Brown finished the game with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, while Mike Epstein added 113 yards on 12 carries, going over the century mark on the game's final carry. Josh Imatorbhebhe finished with four receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Brandon Peters completed 18-of-25 passes for 205 yards while adding 36 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own on eight carries. Most importantly on Saturday, Illinois did not turn the ball over.
Adrian Martinez entered the game late in relief of McCaffrey, going 3-of-4 passing for 43 yards and a TD, while adding two carries for eight yards on the ground. McCaffrey was the leading Husker rusher with his 122 yards. Wan'Dale Robinson added seven carries for 60 yards, Marvin Scott III had eight carries for 22 yards and Rahmir Johnson had one carry for three yards.
Receiving, Robinson had six catches for 60 yards in the loss. Other receivers that logged numbers in the game for the Big Red were Austin Allen (5 rec, 43 yds), Oliver Martin (2 rec, 30 yds), Travis Vokolek (1 rec, 16 yds), Levi Falck (2 rec, 11 yds, 1 TD), Zavier Betts (1 rec, 9 yds) and Rahmir Johnson (1 rec, 8 yds).
Will Honas led the Husker defense with 10 total tackles and a sack.
NU ended with 392 total yards (177 pass, 215 rush), five total turnovers (2 fumbles, 3 INT) and seven penalties for 66 yards. The Huskers held the ball for 23:39.
Illinois totaled 490 yards of offense (205 pass, 285 rush), committed zero turnovers and had just three penalties for 31 yards. The Illini held onto possession for 36:21.
NEBRASKA (0-0, 0-0) at ILLINOIS (0-0, 0-0)
When: Saturday, August 28 | 12:20 PM (CT)
Where: Memorial Stadium | Champaign, Illinois
Broadcast Info
TV: FOX (Joe Davis, Brock Huard)
Radio: Husker Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Jeremiah Sirles)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com
App Audio: Huskers App
HUSKERS
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
2020 Record: 3-5
Last Game: at Rutgers (W 28-21 in 2020)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Scott Frost (31-27, 6th year overall) / (12-20, 4th year at NU)
vs. Illinois: 2-1
FIGHTING ILLINI
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
2020 Record: 2-6
Last Game: at Penn State (L 21-56 in 2020)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Bret Bielema (97-58, 13th year overall) / (0-0, 1st year at ILL)
vs. Nebraska: 2-1
This Week's Numbers to Know
1 - Saturday's opener between Nebraska and Illinois will mark the earliest date of a Big Ten Conference game in history. The previous earliest date of a conference game in Big Ten history was August 30, 2018, when Northwestern won at Purdue, 31-27.
3 - Nebraska has averaged at least 200 yards rushing in each of Scott Frost's first three seasons. The Huskers are the only team from a Power Five conference to average 200 rushing yards per game each of the last three seasons (2018, 2019, 2020)
14 - Nebraska has played 14 games in August in program history, and the Huskers are 14-0 in those contests. Nebraska is 2-0 when facing a conference opponent in August, defeating Oklahoma State in 1995 (64-21) and 2003 (17-7).
The Matchup
Nebraska opens its 132nd season on Saturday when the Huskers travel to Illinois for the earliest conference game in Big Ten history. The Huskers and Fighting Illini are meeting in Week 0 because the game was originally set to be played in Ireland, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the game to be moved to Illinois.
Head coach Scott Frost begins his fourth season at his alma mater in 2021, while Saturday's season opener marks the Illinois head coaching debut for Bret Bielema. The Huskers saw their four-game win streak in the series snapped last season, as Illinois earned the victory in Lincoln.
Nebraska has won the past two meetings in Champaign, and the Huskers bring a two-game road winning streak into Saturday's game after the Huskers won at Purdue and Rutgers last December. Nebraska went 2-3 away from home last season, with all three losses to teams that finished the year ranked in the top 20, including one-possession losses at No. 10 Northwestern and No. 16 Cockeye.
The Huskers return a veteran defense that brings back 15 players who earned at least one start last season. Eight players who started at least seven of Nebraska's eight games last season return this fall, including Marquel Dismuke, JoJo Domann and Garrett Nelson, who each started every game in 2020.
Offensively, Adrian Martinez is back for his fourth year as Nebraska's starting quarterback. Martinez, who owns four Nebraska career records and five season marks, is one of only four active FBS players with 5,000 career passing yards and 1,500 career rushing yards. He was second among all FBS quarterbacks in rushing during the 2020 season (74.4 ypg), while ranking fourth in completion percentage (71.5).
Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Illinois 13-4-1. The Huskers are 6-2 against the Illini since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011.
- Nebraska had won the past four meetings with Illinois before the Illini won in Lincoln last season. The four-game win streak was the longest for Nebraska against any Big Ten opponent since joining the conference in 2011.
- Nebraska posted a 54-35 victory over Illinois in 2018. The 54 points tied for the most Nebraska 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 Champaign in 2025.
- 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.
Series 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 (Champaign)
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)
2020: Illinois 41, Nebraska 23 (Lincoln)
Husker History in Season Openers
Nebraska has an impressive history in season openers. The Huskers have won 98 of their 131 season openers, wining their first game 77 percent of the time while posting a 98-28-5 overall record.
- Nebraska is 32-3 in its first game of the season dating back to 1986.
- The Huskers are opening a season on the road for the second straight year, the only two times this century that Nebraska has played its season opener on the road. NU is also scheduled to open away from home in 2022 and 2023. Against Illinois, the Huskers are looking to win their first season opener on the road since a 42-7 non-conference victory at Cockeye to open the 1999 campaign.
- Nebraska is 11-2 when it opens the season against a conference opponent. The Huskers are facing a conference foe in the season opener for just the fourth time in the last 73 seasons. NU has opened each of the last two seasons with a conference road game and is scheduled to open against a Big Ten foe three of the next four seasons as well.
Season Opener Record: 98-28-5 (.767)
at Home: 85-14-3 (.848)
on the Road: 9-14-2 (.400)
at a Neutral Site: 4-0-0 (1.000)
Biggest Win: 117-0 vs. Kearney State (1911)
Biggest Loss: 54-0 at Minnesota (1943)
Longest Winning Streak: 29 (1986-2014)
Longest Losing Streak: 6 (1942-1947)
Nebraska Season Openers vs. Conference Opponents (11-2)
1915: Drake (W 48-13)
1916: Drake (W 53-0)
1926: Drake (W 21-0)
1927: Cockeye State (W 6-0)
1928: at Cockeye State (W 12-0)
1932: Cockeye State (W 12-6)
1936: Cockeye State (W 34-0)
1941: at Cockeye State (W 14-0)
1945: Oklahoma (L 0-20)
1948: Cockeye State (W 19-15)
1995: at Oklahoma State (W 64-21)
2003: #24 Oklahoma State (W 17-7)
2020: at #5 Ohio State (L 17-52)
Huskers Perfect All-Time in August
Saturday's game will mark the 15th August game in the history of Nebraska football. The Huskers have never lost in the month, bringing a 14-0 record into Saturday's season opener at Illinois, which will be only the second August road game in the history of Nebraska football.
- Nebraska is not only 14-0 in the month of August, but the average score of those 14 games has been 41-14. The Huskers are 6-0 when facing a Power Five conference opponent (at game time), with the average score of those six contests being 38-10.
- Saturday's game is believed to be the earliest date a Big Ten Conference football game has ever been played. The Huskers and Illini are playing only the fifth conference matchup in the month of August in Big Ten history.
Nebraska's All-Time August Games (14-0)
1983: vs. #4 Penn State (W 44-6)
1988: vs. #10 Texas A&M (W 23-14)
1994: vs. #24 West Virginia (W 31-0)
1995: at Oklahoma State (W 64-21)
1997: Akron (W 59-14)
1998: Louisiana Tech (W 56-27)
2001: TCU (W 21-7)
2002: Arizona State (W 48-10)
2002: Troy (W 31-16)
2003: #24 Oklahoma State (W 17-7)
2008: Western Michigan (W 47-24)
2013: Wyoming (W 37-34)
2014: Florida Atlantic (W 55-7)
2019: South Alabama (W 35-21)
Big Red Offense Has Put Up Big Numbers vs. Illinois
Nebraska and Illinois are meeting for the ninth consecutive season and for the ninth time as Big Ten opponents. During the first eight meetings, the Husker offense has found success against the Illini.
- In their first 10 seasons in the Big Ten, the Huskers have amassed 600 yards of offense five times, with three of those efforts coming against Illinois (2014, 2018 and 2019)
- In Scott Frost's first three seasons, Nebraska has averaged 557 yards and 40 points per contest against Illinois. In 2019, the Huskers totaled 674 yards of offense, the program's highest offensive output ever in a Big Ten Conference game. NU threw for 328 yards and rushed for 346 in the 2019 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 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.
- In the eight meetings between the programs as Big Ten Conference foes, Nebraska has averaged 247 rushing yards per game. Nebraska has produced seven individual 100-yard rushing performances in the eight Big Ten games with Illinois, including a pair of 200-yard efforts in back-to-back seasons by Ameer Abdullah in 2013 and 2014.
- Adrian Martinez has put up gaudy statistics against Illinois. In three career games against the Illini, Martinez has completed 49-of-72 passes (.680) for 661 yards and seven touchdowns, while rushing 33 times for 181 yards and one score. He averages over 8.0 yards per play in his career against Illinois, totaling 842 yards on 105 total offense attempts with nine total touchdowns.
- In his two starts vs. Illinois, Martinez has accounted for 791 yards of total offense (395.5 ypg). He had a career-high 446 yards of total offense in 2019, the third-highest total in Husker history and the most total yards by a Husker in a Big Ten Conference game. Martinez completed 22-of-34 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 118 yards on 18 carries to post the second 300-yard passing and 100-yard rushing game in program history. In 2018, Martinez completed 23-of-34 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 13 times for 55 yards and one score.
- 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's 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: 446 (Adrian Martinez, 2019)
Adrian Martinez Record Watch
Career Passing Yards
1. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 8,871
2. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 7,258
3. Zac Taylor (2005-06) - 5,850
4. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 5,628
Career Completions
1. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-17) - 625
2. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 575
3. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 481
4. Zac Taylor (2005-06) - 470
Career Completion Percentage (min. 1,000 career pass yards)
1. Joe Ganz (2006-08) - 65.1%
2. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 64.2%
3. Sam Keller (2007) - 63.1%
Career Total Offense
1. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 10,690 yds
2. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 10,233
3. Eric Crouch (1998-01) - 7,915
4. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 7,404
Total Offense Yards per Game (min 3,000 total yards)
1. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 264.4 ypg
2. Tanner Lee (2017) - 253.8
3. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 237.6
Career Quarterback Rushing Yards
1. Eric Crouch (1998-01) - 3,434 yds
2. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 2,975
3. Jammal Lord (2000-03) - 2,573
4. Steve Taylor (1985-88) - 2,125
5. Tommie Frazier (1992-95) - 1,955
6. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 1,819
7. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 1,776
8. Scott Frost (1996-97) - 1,533
250-yard Passing Games
1. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 14
2t. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 11
2t. Joe Ganz (2006-08) - 11
300-yard Passing Games
1. Joe Ganz (2006-08) - 8
2. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 6
3. Taylor Martinez (2010-13) - 4
4t. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 3
300-yard Total Offense Games
1t. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 13
1t. Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2013-16) - 13
400-yard Total Offense Games
1. Adrian Martinez (2018-present) - 5
2. Joe Ganz (2006-08) - 3
ALL-TIME WINS
1. Michigan - 964
2. Ohio State - 931
3. Alabama - 929
4. Texas - 923
5. Notre Dame - 918
6. Oklahoma - 917
7. Nebraska - 905
8. Penn State - 902
About Illinois Football
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 Illinis have played in 19 bowl games in their history, including five Rose Bowls. In the last full season in 2019, Illinois made its first bowl game in five years and had its best Big Ten West finish (fourth) since the division was created in 2014.
First Year: 1890
All-Time Record: 614-606-51
Bowl Record: 8-11
Conference Titles: 15
National Titles: 5
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 60,670
Playing Surface: FieldTurf
Location: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
Enrollment: 52,331
Scouting the 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois will have a new look when it opens its 2021 season on Saturday, as Bret Bielema makes his Illini head coaching debut. The Fighting Illini went 2-6 in the abbreviated 2020 season under head coach Lovie Smith.
Illinois returns 81 percent of its total starts on offense from last season and 86 percent of its total starts on defense, and the Illini bring back their starting punter and placekicker. Illinois returned more scholarship seniors (17) from last year's roster than any other Power Five team and the Illini boast 29 graduates. The roster features 11 players who have earned All-Big Ten recognition in their careers, including 2019 Big Ten Punter of the Year Blake Hayes.
The Illini ranked third in the Big Ten in rushing last season, averaging 196.1 yards per game. Illinois returns all but five carries and 25 rushing yards from last year, and the ground game is powered by a returning offensive line that has combined for 131 career starts, the sixth-highest total in the country. Defensively, Illinois returns eight of its top 10 tacklers from 2020, including linebacker Jake Hansen, who is the nation's active leader with 10 career forced fumbles.
About Bret Bielema
- 1st season at Illinois (0-0)
- 13th season overall (97-58)
Bret Bielema is making his Illinois head coaching debut on Saturday. Bielema was named the Illini's head coach last December. He is in his 13th overall season as a collegiate head coach, all of which have been spent leading a Power Five conference program.
Bielema returns to a head coaching role after spending the past three seasons as an NFL assistant. He was a consultant to head coach Bill Belichick at New England in 2018an was the Patriots' defensive line coach in 2019. Bielema spent last season coaching outside linebackers for the New York Giants.
An Cockeye graduate, Bielema began his head coaching career at Wisconsin, leading the Badgers to a 68-24 record in seven seasons from 2006 to 2012. Bielema went 2-1 against Nebraska while at Wisconsin, and he led the Badgers to three consecutive Big Ten titles from 2010 to 2012. Bielema left Wisconsin for Arkansas after the 2012 season, and he guided the Razorbacks to a 29-34 record in five seasons from 2013 to 2017.
Bret Bielema vs. Nebraska
Oct. 1, 2011: Wisconsin 48, Nebraska 17 (Madison)
Sept. 29, 2012: Nebraska 30, Wisconsin 27 (Lincoln)
Dec. 1, 2012: Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31 (Indianapolis)
Last Meeting: November 21, 2020
Illinois 41, Nebraska 23
LINCOLN - Nebraska committed five turnovers, and visiting Illinois converted the miscues into 24 points as the Huskers fell to the Fighting Illini 41-23 Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers mustered 392 yards of total offense but still slipped to 1-3 on the season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries while adding 134 yards on 15-of-26 passing. But the young Nebraska quarterback also threw three interceptions and fumbled on the game's first play from scrimmage. That fumble, a short throw that was ruled a lateral and a fumble, was recovered by the Illini's Jake Hansen to set a strange tone for the game. Three plays and 21 yards later, Illinois was in the end zone after Chase Brown's three-yard scoring run. The touchdown but the Illini up 7-0 just 1:29 into the game.
The Fighting Illini, who improved to 2-2, finished with 490 total yards, including 285 on the ground and 205 yards passing. Brown finished the game with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, while Mike Epstein added 113 yards on 12 carries, going over the century mark on the game's final carry. Josh Imatorbhebhe finished with four receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Brandon Peters completed 18-of-25 passes for 205 yards while adding 36 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own on eight carries. Most importantly on Saturday, Illinois did not turn the ball over.
Adrian Martinez entered the game late in relief of McCaffrey, going 3-of-4 passing for 43 yards and a TD, while adding two carries for eight yards on the ground. McCaffrey was the leading Husker rusher with his 122 yards. Wan'Dale Robinson added seven carries for 60 yards, Marvin Scott III had eight carries for 22 yards and Rahmir Johnson had one carry for three yards.
Receiving, Robinson had six catches for 60 yards in the loss. Other receivers that logged numbers in the game for the Big Red were Austin Allen (5 rec, 43 yds), Oliver Martin (2 rec, 30 yds), Travis Vokolek (1 rec, 16 yds), Levi Falck (2 rec, 11 yds, 1 TD), Zavier Betts (1 rec, 9 yds) and Rahmir Johnson (1 rec, 8 yds).
Will Honas led the Husker defense with 10 total tackles and a sack.
NU ended with 392 total yards (177 pass, 215 rush), five total turnovers (2 fumbles, 3 INT) and seven penalties for 66 yards. The Huskers held the ball for 23:39.
Illinois totaled 490 yards of offense (205 pass, 285 rush), committed zero turnovers and had just three penalties for 31 yards. The Illini held onto possession for 36:21.
