The Nebraska Cornhuskers were up over Illinois 17–10 at the break. After that, they managed just one more touchdown, and Illinois won 31–24 in overtime in Lincoln. Although it was Nebraska’s first loss of the season, Matt Rhule appeared to be headed for another top-25 setback following the game. Another talking point from the game was the missed call on one of the last plays, which cost the Cornhuskers a chance to equalize the score in overtime by giving them a better field position.
As Sam McKewon of HuskerXtra reported, Rhule gave a brief remark following the defeat. “The moment showed up and we didn’t make the plays you need to make to win the game,” Rhule stated.
Nebraska led at halftime, but a one-yard touchdown throw from Dylan Raiola to Janiran Bonner gave them the lead back early in the fourth quarter.
A few minutes later, Illinois would tie the score at 24.
After that, Illinois scored a touchdown to start the overtime period, and Nebraska was unable to respond.
Nebraska’s last drive did not go well. After a false start, Raiola was benched twice before completing the third-down pass to Jahmal Banks. However, the penalty was not called, and Nebraska was left with a difficult fourth-and-29, which led to Raiola’s dismissal once more. Aside from missed penalties, Nebraska had numerous chances to win and lost—at home, of all places.
The Cornhuskers will try to bounce back when they go to Purdue in Week 5, but this defeat will hurt for a long time.
