The Illini are eager to kick off in Lincoln Nebraska this Saturday, October 29th at 2:30 pm CT. Head Coach Bret Bielema and his 6-1 squad look to further themselves into the discussion of Big Ten West championships and continue their full control of the conference. Illinois and Nebraska both are coming off of a bye week, the second for Illinois, where much needed rest will surely set up for a great matchup in Nebraska Memorial Stadium. This will be a rematch game from last years 30-22 win in week zero over the Huskers, in Bielema’s first game as Head Coach.
Knowing the Enemy
The Huskers are 2-2 since the firing of former Head Coach Scott Frost, and momentum has started to slowly get rolling for the time being, for this Huskers program.
The last 3 games for Nebraska have been a step forward for the Huskers. First, they closed an impressive 35-21 win over Indiana, a team that beat Illinois in a still haunting game. Then a close and sloppy win 14-13 win over Rutgers, that was a win Nebraska was happy to come out on top of, but a win at that. The Huskers looked to pick up a huge win over Purdue before the bye week. Unfortunately for Nebraska, they were unable to pull it off in a thriller and dropped a close 43-37 heartbreaker in Lafayette. Purdue, the second-place team in the West is no punk, and it should be noted that they gave up 476 yards of total offense to Nebraska and had to give the Huskers everything they had to walk away with a win.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Offensive Line has desperately struggled for the Huskers, and has not held up well vs teams with a solid defensive front. The Illini “Law firm” of Johnny Newton and Keith Randolph has been the best interior combo in the nation thus far this season, and they have given a lot of QBs’ the cold sweats. The question will be, will the shambled Nebraska line be sharp enough to keep this front 7 off Huskers QB Casey Thompson enough to make plays. The O-line has given up 20 sacks so far this season in only 7 games for Nebraska, and I would expect that number to grow between 2:30-5 on Saturday.
If Junior QB Casey Thompson can be protected, he is a player that can cause damage to opposing defenses. Casey currently has 1,851 yards on the season, and 8 TDs. His QBR is a 54.3 placing him 72nd in the nation, but I don’t think that quite accurately measures the damage he can cause when he is on. He ranks 34th in the nation in total yards and led a spirited effort vs the Boilers. However, Thompson hasn’t controlled the ball the way he needs to if they want the chance to beat Illinois. Thompson has left a lot of passes in harms way this season with 8 INTs compared to his 11 TDs’. If this is the case Saturday, Illinois defense will have a hay day with turnovers, and make you pay, letting Illinois run away with this ballgame. You can count on that. But, if Thompson can control the game and keep the rushing game moving the chains, with solid line play, Nebraska can have a shot. Especially when playing in front of 90,000 in enemy territory, it can be hard to win.
Illini Keys to Winning
Lay down “The Law”. The disruptive interior defensive line for Illinois has been dominant in every game thus far this season and will look to continue that trend vs a bad Nebraska Offensive Line. If they can get home enough to keep Thompson uncomfortable, its going to be a long, fun ride back to Champaign IL 7-1 for Ryan Walters and the Nation’s top Defense. This will be the difference in a 33-30 kind of game, vs a 45-17 kind of game due to scores resulting from turnovers and causing frustrating offensive discomfort.
Red Zone Efficiency. If Illinois was going to fid a way to lose this game, it would most likely fall on Illinois inability to convert points in the redzone. This has been a little bit of a thorn in the Illini’s side all season and would be one of the few real critiques I would have of this team. However, we have seen the redzone offense improve over the last several weeks, and not much of an issue vs Minnesota.
Kirkland’s Prediction
I predict the Illini will leave Lincoln Nebraska 7-1 with a 41-20 win over the Cornhuskers. Illinois currently has full control over the Big Ten West, and I’m sure Bret Bielema isn’t ready to let that go. With 2 weeks to prepare for this Nebraska team, a fully healthy roster, and a staff who has earned “All In” trust, id say Illinois will walk away all smiles after this game.
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