Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Where: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
When: Saturday, September 21, 8:00 PM. ET.
The Illinois Fighting Illini will be trying to bounce back from their first loss of the season when they take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday night.
Cornhuskers Looking For First Road Win
The Cornhuskers were beaten by the Colorado Buffaloes in their first road game of the year, but they bounced back with a win over Northern Illinois in their last game. They will be trying to pick up their second win in a row and their first road win of the year when they play their first Big Ten game of the year.
GBRewind: Game 3#GBR x #TheGoodLife pic.twitter.com/W0zs0QeXwx
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) September 17, 2019
Nebraska’s offense has looked good so far with the team averaging 36.7 points per game. Adrian Martinez continues to be a headache for defenses with his passing and ability to run. He completed 16 of 27 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns in their win against the Huskies and added 44 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
The Cornhuskers have also done a good job running the ball and average 171.7 rushing yards per game, which is 68th in the country. Dedrick Mills averaged an impressive 10.5 yards per carry in his last game as he rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries.
Nebraska’s defense will be the key to the team’s success in this one. They played well in their two wins, but their secondary has looked suspect, especially against Colorado when they gave up 375 passing yards and two touchdowns. If they can keep the Fighting Illini from throwing successfully, they will have a good chance to get the win.
Fighting Illini Trying To Get Off To Good Start In Conference Play
Last season, the Fighting Illini won their first two games of the season before losing eight of their next 10 games. This season, the team is also off to a 2-1 start, but they will try to avoid the same finish as they try to pick up their first conference win of the year as well as their third win of the season.
Welcome back, @JuicedUpReg 👀👀
𝟏𝟒𝟒 yards
𝟖.𝟎 ypc
𝟏 touchdown#Illini 🔶🔷 pic.twitter.com/5qZoPCTLb1— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) September 15, 2019
Illinois has looked good offensively, averaging 34.7 points per game, which is 48th in the country. They have also played well on the defensive end and are holding opponents to 20 points per game, which is 47th.
With the Cornhuskers throwing and running the ball well, the Fighting Illini’s defense will face its toughest challenge of the young season. However, if they can contain Nebraska’s offense, they will not only put themselves in a good position to win the game, they will also be taken seriously as a threat in the Big Ten.
Brandon Peters leads the team in passing this season and completed 22 of 37 passes for 297 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the loss. Reggie Corbin leads the ground attack and finished with 144 yards and one touchdown in the loss.
Team Trends
Back
Nebraska is:
- 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 conference games.
- 4-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
- 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
Illinois is:
- 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
- 2-5 ATS in their last 7 conference games.
- 1-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
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