Tag: nebraska illinois football

Social Media reacts to Nebraska’s win over Illinois

Nebraska improved to 3-3 (1-2) on the season with a 20-7 victory over the University of Illinois.

Nebraska improved to 3-3 (1-2) on the season with a 20-7 victory over the University of Illinois. The win improved the Cornhuskers’ record on Friday night since 2017 to 4-0, with wins over Illinois (2017), Rutgers (2020), and Rutgers (2022).

The victory also marked head coach Matt Rhule’s 50th victory as a college head coach. Nebraska ended Illinois’ three-game win streak in the series with the win. The Huskers are now 14-6-1 overall against the Illini with a 7-4 record since joining the Big Ten Conference.

Illinois rushed 19 times for 21 yards in the game. It was the fifth time in six games the Blackshirts have held its opponent to less than 60 yards on the ground.

Starting quarterback Heinrich Haarberg accounted for 236 total yards in the game, with 82 yards on the ground and 154 yards in the air. Haarberg has gained more than 200 total yards in three of his first four starts.

Tonight’s game captains were DE Jimari Butler, TE Thomas Fidone, CB Tommi Hill, and WR Marcus Washington. Find social media reaction to Nebraska’s win over Illinois below.

Rhule ‘really upset’ with officials in Huskers win over Illinois

Nebraska won their first Big Ten of the 2023 season on Friday night.

Nebraska won their first Big Ten of the 2023 season on Friday night. The Huskers defeated the University of Illinois 20-7 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Following the Husker’s victory, head coach Matt Rhule expressed frustration at the officials.

“I was really, really upset at the officials tonight and I never talk about officiating, but I want to make sure I defend my team. For a second week in a row, that team came out and was yelling ‘move’ and ‘stem’ and you’re not supposed to be able to do that, as far as I know.”

Nebraska had ten penalties in the game for a total of 70 yards. Rhule also made it clear that his frustration was with the officiating and not with Illinois.

“We’re not a sloppy team, OK? We’re not a sloppy team. That is not football to me. And I’m not faulting Illinois for doing it. If they say you can do it, you can do it.”

The head coach also made it clear that he was defending his team and wants clarification from the Big Ten office on whether the practice is legal.

“Our guys are just trying to play football. They’re yelling ‘move’ and ‘stem’ and the D-line is stemming. I’ve asked if it’s legal. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, I don’t know. But I just want to make sure I’m defending my guys. So, I’m not criticizing the officials, but I’m just defending my guys.”

Nebraska will now have an extra week to get an answer from the Big Ten. The Huskers will return to the field on October 21 when they host Northwestern.

Find a photo gallery of the win over Illinois below.

Husker football fends off Illinois to win 20-7

Nebraska hit the road for a Friday night lights matchup with conference foe Illinois.

Nebraska hit the road for a Friday night lights matchup with conference foe Illinois. Both teams were coming off tough losses and were looking to right the ship. Mistakes plagued the Huskers and the Fighting Illini throughout the night. But Nebraska managed to make the most of them, pulling away from Illinois in a tense 20-7 win.

The Huskers’ defense returned to form following the blowout loss to Michigan, announcing it with a major goal-line stand on the first drive of the game. Illinois finished with just 21 rushing yards, forcing quarterback Luke Altmyer to throw 47 total passes. Altmeyer completed 29 of those passes for 289 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Issac Gifford led the charge for the Blackshirts, finishing the night with eight total tackles, four solo tackles, three pass breakups, and 0.5 tackles for loss. Gifford and the defense delivered big plays for Nebraska, including a forced fumble, an interception, a blocked punt, and even a kickoff recovery.

This gave Heinrich Haarberg and the Husker offense numerous opportunities to score. Haarberg finished the game 12-of-24 through the air, throwing for 154 yards and one interception. On the ground, Nebraska rushed for 158 total yards, with Haarberg leading the way with 82 yards and a touchdown. Haarberg’s touchdown came following the kickoff recovery, which came following a touchdown run by Anthony Grant.

But missed opportunities, ten penalties, and three turnovers by Nebraska’s offense kept Illinois alive throughout the second half. Following the forced fumble, Nebraska only produced a field goal, which made it the 20-7 final score.

Unlike its previous outings, Nebraska’s defense managed to fend off the Fighting Illini, forcing its third fourth-down stand on the night with under two minutes to play. The Huskers ran out the clock from there to seal their first victory over Illinois since 2019.

Nebraska, for the third straight year, stands at 3-3 through six games and enters its bye week. The Huskers will return from the bye week and host Northwestern to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Memorial Stadium. The kickoff time for the game is to be announced.

WATCH: Haarberg adds to Husker lead

An Illinois special teams turnover set Nebraska up in Illini territory and the Huskers took full advantage.

An Illinois special teams turnover set Nebraska up in Illini territory and the Huskers took full advantage. Heinrich Haarberg scored a touchdown on the very first play of the possession on a 25-yard touchdown run. Nebraska now leads Illinois 17-0 in the second quarter. Find the highlight below.

Grant extends Nebraska’s lead to 10-0

Anthony Grant helped extend Nebraska’s lead against Illinois on a fall Friday in Champaign.

Anthony Grant helped extend Nebraska’s lead against Illinois on a fall Friday in Champaign. The touchdown helped the Husker’s lead grow to 10-0 late in the second quarter.

Find the highlight below.

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Nebraska strikes first against Illinois

Illinois get the first points on the board.

Nebraska got the first points on the board in their Friday night matchup with the Illini. The Huskers would stop the Illini on the 1-yard line after a 79 yard drive. They would then take the field on offense and drive into the red zone, where Tristian Alvano would split the uprights for three points.

Find the highlight below.

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Nebraska vs. Illinois: Stream and broadcast info for Friday

The Nebraska Cornhuskers play the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers play the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Nebraska heads into a rare Friday night game against the University of Illinois, and the Huskers are looking to get back into the win column. The Huskers lost to the Wolverines last Saturday by a score of 45-7. They now hold a record of 2-3 on the season. Illinois is 2-3 as well after a 44-19 loss at Purdue last week. These two teams are also the only Big Ten West teams that remain winless in the conference.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Friday, October 6
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: FS1
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Big Ten legend passes away at 80

A Big Ten legend has died at the age of 80 years old.

A Big Ten legend has died at the age of 80 years old. Dick Butkus died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Malibu, California.

Butkus is one of the all-time collegiate and professional football players in the game’s long and storied history. The Chicago native played at the University of Illinois from 1962-1964 before moving on to his hometown Bears from 1965 till his retirement from football in 1973.

While at Illinois, Butkus played center and linebacker. In 1963, he was the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player and a unanimous All-American. 1964 he was a consensus All-American and finished third for the Heisman Trophy.

The College Football Hall of Famer would finish his career with 374 tackles. He would be drafted in the first round of the 1965 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears and the second round of the American Football League draft by the Denver Broncos.

Butkus would sign for his hometown Bears and would make his mark as one of the all-time great professional football players. The 2x NFL Defensive Player of the Year would be selected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

The nation’s top collegiate linebacker is given the Butkus Award annually. Butkus was inducted into Illinois’ Athletics Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2017 and, in 2019, received a statue outside Illinois’ Football Performance Center.

Dick Butkus was 80 years old. A photo gallery of Dick Butkus’ life can be found below.

Rhule talks young receivers and his relationship with Andy Reid

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule met with the media on Wednesday afternoon.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule met with the media on Wednesday afternoon. The Huskers are continuing their preparations for Friday’s game against the University of Illinois.

The head coach started his availability by discussing the last couple of practices in preparation for this Friday’s game and the importance of bringing your own energy to road games.

“They’ve been great. We’ve really practiced, they’ve shown up and they’ve been energized and ready to go. We practice tonight, we walked on Monday and I thought that was very focused. We practiced yesterday, thought it was probably one of our better practices. So we’ll see how the night goes and tomorrow morning, but they’ve responded so far.”

Social Media reacts to fire at Illinois’ Memorial Stadium

A fire occurred on Tuesday at Illinois’ Memorial Stadium.

A fire occurred on Tuesday at Illinois’ Memorial Stadium. Early indications are that this fire will not impact Nebraska’s game with the Illini on Friday night.

The university released a statement on the matter on Thursday night.

A fire occurred Tuesday night at Memorial Stadium. It was located in the southwest corner underneath the horseshoe, away from spectator areas.  The fire was quickly contained and has been extinguished, thanks to the efforts of our local fire department. There were no injuries reported…

The Illinois football team hosts Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on Friday at 7:00 p.m. DIA will continue to evaluate the facility over the course of the next day, but early indications are positive that the stadium will be prepared to host the game, as scheduled and without interruption of seating or services for the game on Friday.

Find social media reactions to the fire at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, below.