Illinois football is set to debut the 2021 college football season with a Week 0 matchup against Nebraska, the first time the Illini have hosted a conference opponent for the season opener in over 25 years. Saturday will mark Bret Bielema's first game with the Illini after being hired last December.
The Illini will also welcome fans to Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2019. While certain protocols are still in place to keep fans safe, the stadium will be at 100% capacity. Bielema hopes to see a packed stadium for his Illini debut as he's excited to share what he and the team have been working on this offseason.
Illinois and Nebraska will be the only Big Ten game this weekend and FOX will be broadcasting the 12 p.m. kickoff. Illini fans can still purchase tickets for the game at bit.ly/3gnaBTL.
Some storylines to watch Saturday …
Experienced Illinois O-Line vs. Experienced Nebraska D-Line
The Illini's offensive line is one of the top units in the country and experience is never lacking. Illinois is the only school in the country with three offensive linemen (Alex Palczewski, Doug Kramer and Vederian Lowe) who have 35+ career starts. Blake Jeresaty, who will suit up for the Illini for the first time, has 29 career starts under center from his three seasons at Wofford.
While Nebraska's defensive line doesn't have as much experience as the guys they'll go up against, they are led by a couple upperclassmen who have valuable Big Ten experience. They're led by senior defensive end Ben Stille who has 22 career starts and has played in 41 games. Deontre Thomas, a junior defensive end brings in 28 games worth of experience. Nebraska's nose guard, junior Damion Daniels, has played in 32 games.
With both teams valuing their experience and maturity in the trenches, the battles up front will be crucial to success on Saturday.
Long-Term QBs
Two experienced Big Ten quarterbacks in Brandon Peters and Adrian Martinez will face off for just the second time in their careers. While Peters led the Illini to victory over the Cornhuskers in 2020, Martinez did not start the game. The last time the two competed was at Memorial Stadium in 2019, Peters' first season with the Illini, and Martinez came out on top.
While Martinez did not start every game for the Cornhuskers last season, he still made noise in the conference. He led the Big Ten and set a Nebraska record for best season completion percentage, completing 71.5% of his passes. Martinez was also his team's leading rusher, notching 91 carries for 521 yards.
"Martinez is a very gifted player, very creative," Bielema said. "He's the only three-time captain in Nebraska history. He's a staple of their football team. Up front they're strong, but obviously we just need to make sure we're playing well, and I'm excited for the opportunity."
Peters also didn't start every game last season as he was held out of multiple games due to COVID-19 protocols. However, Peters started 11 games in 2019 and ranked fifth in the conference in passing touchdowns with 18. Peters can also get it done on the ground as he has four career rushing touchdowns and 349 career rushing yards.
"If you truly sit down and watch (Peters), he has a special arm," Bielema said. "He has all of the tools, it just comes down to if he can make the right throws at the right times."
Bielema's First Big Ten Game in Nine Years
Nearly a decade before Bielema made his way to Champaign, he made three straight Rose Bowl appearances at Wisconsin after three Big Ten Championships. While Bielema left the league for several years, his presence in the conference has never left. As Matt Barrie told Bielema on SportsCenter Thursday, "it just feels right having you back in the Big Ten and coaching Big Ten football."
But most importantly, Bielema knows what it takes to have success in the conference. While the Illini have zeroed in on Nebraska in the past week, they've been preparing for this matchup sine Bielema took the job in December.
"One of my mantras is to focus on the next game and get the job done," Bielema said. "Just take it one week at a time. The team has been focused on Nebraska since January, but to beat them we have to play 'Illinois Football.'"
