The college football weekend gets started Friday night with a ranked Big Ten matchup between the Illinois Fighting Illini and Nebraska Cornhuskers. The visiting Illini go into Lincoln as the 24th-ranked team in the country and the hosting Cornhuskers check in 22nd. In the first conference matchup of the season, these teams come in from different paths. Nebraska is expecting to be undefeated at this point in the season, the second under Head Coach Matt Rhule, with hot-shot freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola leading the Nebraska offense and giving hope to the Nebraska faithful.
For Illinois, they come in under Bret Bielema, who is making waves in his fourth season at the helm. The Fighting Illini will be looking for their second win over a ranked opponent this year after downing Kansas in their second game of the season. There were not staggering expectations for the Illini this season but the slow building of the foundation for the team during Bielema’s tenure has opened the door for some possibilities not enjoyed by the Illinois football program in a long time. A win on the road in Lincoln would bring those lofty hopes even closer.
Illinois Fighting Illini Welcome Raiola to the Big Ten
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The Illinois Fighting Illini visit the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a ranked Big Ten matchup Friday night. The contest will be a referendum on standout Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, the former Georgia commit who opted to go to Nebraska and play for Matt Rhule, giving the Cornhuskers an advantage that they hope will be on display in Big Ten play starting against the Fighting Illini. Nebraska has been struggling in recent years and hasn’t really found its footing in the Big Ten as of yet. They’re hoping that ‘Mini Mahomes’ can transcend their program to another level.
If they want to realize Raiola’s potential, it is going to have to start Friday night in their first-ranked matchup of the year. It has been a cakewalk for the Cornhuskers in their first three games of the season, outscoring their opponents 102-20, including a 28-10 win at home over Deion Sanders and Colorado. The Illini portend to be their biggest test to date, entering the matchup undefeated after upsetting a ranked Kansas team in their second game of the year.
The expectations for the Illinois Fighting Illini are still very much undefined coming into this one. They have had great defensive performances from DB Xavier Scott and solid offensive outings from WR Pat Bryant, but the team as a whole is still a question mark entering Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Their offense has run smoothly with QB Luke Altmyer at the helm and they have been a turnover machine on the defensive end, creating potential problems for Nebraska on Friday night.
Like most football games in the Big Ten, this one will likely be determined by who wins the line of scrimmage. Both teams have dug into the transfer portal to deal with roster turnover and departures on their fronts. Both the Huskers and the Illini have gotten better up front as the season has gone on with the most notable units being the Illinois offensive line, a pet project of Head Coach Bret Bielema, and the Nebraska defensive front, a group that wreaked havoc on Colorado and star quarterback Shadeur Sanders.
Both teams rely on a stable of running backs to carry the ball for their rushing attacks. The Cornhuskers have had their share of injury concerns at other positions but are full strength in the backfield. Illinois will also be full go at running back after some of their backs worked through injuries in practice this week. If the offensive lines for either team can provide a decisive advantage the game will be much easier for that team to emerge victorious.
The battle on both sides is going to be interesting but the one everyone is going to want to see is with Illinois on offense and their line against the Cornhusker front. Ole Miss transfer Luke Altmyer’s scrambling capability and willingness to look to pass the field out of the pocket could signal growth in his game and hope for an Illini victory. He will be looking for his main target in Pat Bryant, who has 235 yards and four touchdowns in three games so far this year. If Nebraska can cover Bryant, Altmyer might look for his fellow Ole Miss transfer Zackhari Franklin on the other side of the field.
In the other matchup of fronts, the Nebraska offensive line will look to get the best of a revamped Illinois defensive front. The strength of this Illinois defense is their defensive secondary, which has produced nine turnovers in three games this season. Dealing with a freshman quarterback, if the Illinois defensive backfield can entice Dylan Raiola into some mistakes and turn the game on its head, it could go a long way toward deciding this one. However, if Nebraska can find success in the running game and does not need to depend so heavily on Raiola, that threat could be negated.
That leads to the headlining question of this game. What is Dylan Raiola? He has been a popular prospect for years now, bouncing around high school programs throughout his recruiting period and even de-committing from Georgia to come to Lincoln and play for Matt Rhule’s squad. In the season’s first few weeks, he has made the rounds for his almost uncanny Patrick Mahomes likeness and imitation. He hasn’t faced an opponent the likes of the Fighting Illini in non-conference play, and in prime time Friday night, the nation is going to see what he is all about.
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