The Fighting Illini are back in Memorial Stadium this week for its first home Big Ten West game of the season. Illinois squares off with Nebraska as both teams look to get in the win column in conference play for the first time this year.
After suffering a road setback against Purdue last weekend, head coach Bret Bielema and the Illini are eager to put the loss behind them and take the field in front of a home crowd on Friday.
"Every week is important. When it comes after a loss, it just comes with a little more scrutiny from the outside world," Bielema said. "Obviously, we're a 2-3 football team that doesn't like where we're at, but it is a fact of the case.
"Nebraska is very similar to our situation. Both of us have two losses in conference play, so there are a lot of different variables going into it, but this week is a lot about us."
The Cornhuskers sit at 2-3 on the season and head to Champaign coming off a 45-7 defeat to #2 Michigan, while Friday night's visitors also hold an 0-2 record in Big Ten play after falling to Minnesota away from home in their season opener.
As both teams look to get back on track in a nationally televised game, here are a few storylines to help you prepare for kickoff on Friday night.
Offense: Illini aim for continued production from running-back room amid recent successÂ
Given the Illini's dominance on the ground last season, it should come as no surprise that the Orange and Blue have leaned on the running-back room once again in 2023, albeit without All-Big Ten back Chase Brown.
Reggie Love III currently leads the Illini with 248 rushing yards, though Josh McCray has tallied over 40 carries and two touchdowns since taking on a bigger role after injuries impacted his production last year.
Illinois has also regularly used its underclassmen running backs, both of whom have proven effective when called upon. True freshman Kaden Feagin led the team in rushing against Purdue, taking his 11 carries for a career-high 85 yards. One week earlier, redshirt freshman Aidan Laughery registered the first touchdown of his college career and totaled 23 yards on the ground.
After Love III missed last week's game with an injury, Bielema expects his leading rusher to return against the Cornhuskers on Friday, but he trusts all four of his RBs to make an impact when needed.
"Any time you are in that situation, obviously I think Reggie will start the game," Bielema said, "but depending on where we're at in the game, how we're subbing them in, I think you could probably see all four of those guys."
Defense: Illinois' defensive front looks to limit the production of the Nebraska run game
While the Orange and Blue have had their fair share of success on the ground this season, the Cornhuskers have also made the run game a key piece of their offensive identity. Nebraska currently leads the Big Ten in rushing with 206 yards per game, a mark that also ranks 13th nationally entering Week 6.
In the Illini's last home game, they allowed a season-low 97 yards on the ground and will look to replicate that success against the Cornhuskers. In the last meeting between the two teams in Lincoln in 2022, Illinois held Nebraska to just 60 rushing yards. Though the visitors are now under a different coaching staff, the Cornhuskers still feature RB Anthony Grant, their leading rusher from a year ago.
Nebraska RB Gabe Ervin Jr., who led the team in rushing through three games, suffered a season-ending injury, though the Cornhuskers have been able to maintain their status among the best rushing teams in the country.
Boasting one of the most dominant defensive lines in college football, Illinois will once again lean on its rushing defense against Nebraska under the lights.
"Their offensive identity is they're going to run the ball," Bielema said. "They do it in a variety of different ways. They did it with running backs, quarterbacks, wide receivers. They've kind of been a moving target through five games, and we'll see how we defend them on Friday."
Opponent: Nebraska quarterbacks pose challenges through the air, on the ground
Running the ball is the name of the game for the Cornhusker offense, and first-year head coach Matt Rhule is not afraid to give his quarterbacks the chance to make plays with their feet as well.
Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims earned the QB1 spot and started the first two games of the season for Nebraska, but an injury forced the Cornhuskers to make a change and bring in sophomore Heinrich Haarberg, who has since established himself as a more-than-capable replacement in his three starts thus far.
In the first start of his college career, Haarberg recorded 158 passing yards, 98 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns in a win over Northern Illinois. One week later, he totaled 107 yards through the air and 157 yards on the ground, the latter of which were the most by a Cornhusker QB in over a decade, en route to a second consecutive victory.
Haarberg's favorite target through the air thus far has been WR Billy Kemp IV, who Illinois is quite familiar with. Kemp IV spent five seasons at Virginia, totaling six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Illini in 2021 before being held without a reception in Champaign in 2022.
With Rhule not yet naming his starting quarterback for Friday night's meeting, Illinois will be ready for whoever ends up lining up under center.
"Nebraska and what they've accomplished with playing a couple different quarterbacks, and they're playing really good on defense," Bielema said, "so it will be a very difficult challenge."
