Illinois Game Week

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Huskers-Illini: What we're looking for and final predictions​

ByMIKE SCHAEFER 2 hours ago
4


Husker running backs go through fall camp drills



It's here. The first Saturday of the season. The mixture of excitement and nerves. Could this be the year the Huskers show real signs of life after four straight losing seasons or is there more heartbreak lurking around the corner?

We can't know until the season starts and that happens at 12:20 on Saturday afternoon as the Huskers travel to Champaign to begin both its 2021 season but also conference play with a game against the new-look Illinois football program.

What's going to happen? Who's going to shine? Who's going to win? We've got ideas.

Just what will Nebraska look like on offense after an offseason that’s been heavy on the words power and downhill? You’d think it’d feature a lot of heavy formations and perhaps going under center, but one really never knows with Huskers football. Still with an Illinois defense that’s been kept under wraps the smartest game plan might be the simplest one. Go right at the Illini until the new look defense for Bret Bielema shows it can stop it. Markese Stepp or Gabe Ervin or Sevion Morrison. Doesn’t matter. If Nebraska is serious about the running game there should be plenty of handoffs to go around on Saturday.

The strategy for Nebraska’s defense seems simple. Stop the run and make Brandon Peters pass to beat you. The Huskers are deep on defense and return a unit that grew last year despite the ugly performance against Illinois. If the Huskers can turn back the two-headed rushing attack then suddenly Deontai Williams and Cam Taylor-Britt are going to be in the position to help turnover the Illini. This is where the Huskers could pile up takeaways — but it starts and ends with shutting down the run game first.


Pick to Click — Luke Reimer is built for this kind of game. Illinois wants to run it. He’s a find and tackle player if the defensive line can keep him clean. Double digit tackles are likely for the sophomore.

Prediction: Nebraska 31, Illinois 26. The Illini get a backdoor cover, but the Huskers have a double-digit lead built on a ground attack that features several running backs getting carries and wearing out Illinois.

- Mike Schaefer

Can Nebraska deal with the unexpected? With Nebraska facing a first-year coaching staff at Illinois, the Huskers will need to be ready to adapt to what they see or don’t see in the first couple possessions against the Fighting Illini. Nebraska has a veteran group on defense, and that experience would suggest Nebraska should be able to pivot if what they see on the field Saturday doesn’t match what they prepared for over the past couple weeks.

It starts up front. This will be the deepest offensive line of the Scott Frost era, but are the Big Red ready to assert themselves up front on Saturday against Illinois? The Fighting Illini had the nation’s No. 116 rushing defense last season and Nebraska’s players and coaches have talked all offseason about how they would like to develop a downhill running game that takes the load off quarterback Adrian Martinez. If Nebraska gets itself in favorable spots on first and second down, that takes the pressure off Martinez and his new corps of wide receivers.

Pick to Click: Austin Allen. The tight end had a breakout season last year and with Travis Vokolek limited, it’s likely to be a productive day for the 6-foot-9 tight end.

Prediction: Nebraska 26 Illinois 22. It’ll be a tight game in the second half, but a veteran defense and improved talent at running back and wide receiver helps push Nebraska over the top.



- Michael Bruntz

Which third-down defense shows up for the Huskers? The one that was one of the worst in the country the first four games in 2020 or the one that was one of the top five nationally the last four? The Illini were 12-of-18 on third/fourth downs against NU in the game last season. Every third-down conversion is more clock Bret Bielema's team can bleed, less snaps for the Husker offense, and more pressure on the efficiency NU must have when it has the ball. You'd love to see this experienced Husker defense not just get some stops, but a few three-and-outs that flip field position their way and don't let Illinois control time of possession.

Which running back emerges as the lead dog? And can Ryan Held's group lock up the football while grinding out consistent yards? Markese Stepp, Sevion Morrison and Gabe Ervin are the crew expected to get the haul there, but who shoulders the heavy load and crunch time carries? Who can get those extra yards after contact? None have ever carried the ball in a game as a Husker. Against an Illini team that has specialized at taking it away from NU the last two years (four Husker turnovers in 2019, five in 2020), one anxious part to me about this game for Nebraska is that newcomers to the skilled spots don't have those first-game jitters that brings about sloppy penalties and turnovers.

Pick to Click: Garrett Nelson. The Scottsbluff native played his best football the final three games of 2020. Can he pick up in stride to start the year? I'll say Nelson is an active force with at least one important play behind the line of scrimmage in a critical moment.


Prediction: Nebraska 34, Illinois 24. Some anxious moments and I don't take the Illini's O-line lightly, nor the ability of Bret Bielema teams to make it a rock fight in a hurry. Stay even or better in the turnover margin category, though, and I think the Huskers put up their share of points against a team that was last in the Big Ten and 114th nationally in defense last year.

- Brian Christopherson

 

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