It should have been a great night for Nebraska to nab back-to-back wins against Bret Bielema. The Cornhuskers had their 400th sellout inside Memorial Stadium. And this was the team’s best opportunity to beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 2016. Instead, the Fighting Illini exposed NU’s weaknesses in their 31-24 victory. Let’s break down what led to Nebraska’s loss to Illinois.
Rookie Mistakes At Quarterback
Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola was efficient in his first Big Ten test. He completed 24 out of his 35 passes for 297 yards, and he connected with wide receiver Isaiah Neyor for two touchdowns. This gave the Big Red a 17-10 lead going into halftime. However, it didn’t hold. In the final seconds of the third period, Illinois junior quarterback Luke Altmyer found tight end Tanner Arkin in the endzone. The Cornhuskers offense responded with a one-yard touchdown pass to Janiran Bonner in the fourth quarter. But Raiola wasn’t able to put the Huskers over the top. The former five-star prospect missed open tight end Luke Lindenmeyer in the endzone. There’s no doubt that the Buford native is wishing that he could’ve succeeded in that situation. Will offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas recognize that he needs to figure this out in this week’s practice? Or will the Big Red have their hands full with Purdue’s offensive scheme? It’s something that we’ll find out soon.
Leading at the break. pic.twitter.com/M3bJ7qKmJO
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) September 21, 2024
The Blackshirts Struggle
There were great moments in the Blackshirts’ performance against Illinois. In the final minutes of the first quarter, senior linebacker John Bullock ripped the ball out from wide receiver Hank Beatty to give the Huskers another possession. Junior transfer Ceyair Wright also joined the fray. In the fourth quarter, the USC transfer sacked Altmeyer to give the Cornhuskers the ball back with 8:24 left in the game. But it wasn’t enough to earn a victory. Nebraska’s shoddy tackling couldn’t stop sophomore Kaden Feagin from finding running lanes in the first half. The running back was able to slice his way through the Blackshirts defensive line for 69 yards. Passing situations weren’t much better. Cornerback Tommi Hill gave up a 27-yard touchdown pass to Pat Bryant in the first quarter. And after his injury, NU’s secondary gave up three more touchdowns on the day. Can John Butler’s unit rebound from their first Big Ten test? Purdue isn’t going to take it easy on them after falling short against Oregon State. Last season’s 31-14 loss in Lincoln gives the Boilermakers more motivation to hand the Cornhuskers another loss in Big Ten play.
Read more about Nebraska’s win against Purdue last season in What Did We Learn From Nebraska’s Win Over Purdue?
Kicking Woes Continue
After a rocky freshman year, Tristan Alvano’s sophomore campaign is looking bright. In the first three games of the 2024 season, the Omaha native made 3 out of his 4 field goal attempts. He’s also went a perfect 12 for 12 on extra points. This streak would be halted against Illinois. An unknown injury before Friday’s matchup kept him out of the matchup. This left special teams coordinator Ed Foley to utilize backup kicker John Hohl. Although he was perfect on extra points throughout the matchup, his 39-yard field goal miss eliminated the Cornhuskers’ chances for a close win. Now, Foley will have a major decision to make. Do they try to boost Hohl’s confidence by letting him kick in Big Ten play? Or will he choose to test out Nico Ottomanelli? The freshman from New Jersey was ranked as the number-one kicker in the state for the 2024 recruiting class. This means that he could be a potential sleeper in the kicking competition. But it’s not likely. He doesn’t have experience to carry them through the season. The program can’t afford to experiment with a new kicker during the heart of the season.
Weak Punt Coverage
So far this season, the Cornhuskers special teams unit has had trouble bringing down opposing punt returners. This began when Colorado wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr had a 61-yard return to start off the second half. Northern Iowa saw wideout Sergio Morancy return the ball 25 yards. Illinois knew that they could take advantage of this. According to Sports Illustrated, the Fighting Illini “started drives 12 yards ahead of the Huskers.” This led the program to gain “88% of the available yards all night.” If Nebraska wants to improve in this area, Foley will have to reiterate the importance of shedding blocks and performing sound tackling in the leadup to the Huskers trip to West Lafayette.
