Pat Bryant caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Luke Altmyer in overtime to give No. 24 Illinois a 31–24 win over No. 22 Nebraska in Lincoln to open Big Ten conference play. The Fighting Illini are 4-0 for the first time since 2011.
Dylan Rosiek sacked Huskers quarterback Dylan Raiola on 4th-and-29 to finish off the win. Nebraska 9-yard loss. An intentional grounding penalty on the freshman QB then pushed Nebraska to a third-and-42. A 13-yard pass play on third down set up the finale, fateful play.
Altmyer passed for 215 yards and four touchdowns, completing 21-of-27 passes. Pat Bryant had five receptions for 74 yards and two scores, with Zakhari Franklin adding five catches for 50 yards. Kaden Feagin rushed for 69 yards on 12 carries.
Illinois tied the game at 24-24 on a 6-yard catch by offensive lineman Brandon Henderson, lined up at tight end. The 70-yard drive was highlighted by a 16-yard run from Feagin, which had another 15 yards tacked on by a facemask penalty on Nebraska’s Malcolm Hartzog Jr. Altmyer followed up with a 15-yard pass to Malik Elzy that moved the Fighting Illini to the Huskers’ 14-yard line.
Nebraska had a chance to take the lead on its next possession, but Raiola overthrew tight end Luke Lindenmeyer for what would’ve been a 21-yard touchdown on third down. John Hohl then missed a 39-yard field goal.
The Huskers went up 24-17 on a 1-yard flip from Raiola to Janiran Bonner early in the fourth quarter. Earlier in the drive, the freshman QB hit Isaiah Neyor for a 44-yard gain. On the next play, Raiola threw off his back foot to Thomas Fidone II for 29 yards.
Raiola completed 24-of-35 passes for 297 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Jahmal Banks finished with eight receptions for 94 yards while Neyor added four catches for 90 yards and two scores. Dante Dowdell led the Huskers in rushing with 72 rushing yards on 20 carries.
Nebraska started the season 3-0 for the first time since 2016 and the fans at Memorial Stadium were rowdy and eager to see the Huskers get a statement win in primetime. But the Illini quickly quieted the crowd, finishing a six-play, 78-yard drive, with Altmeyer hitting Bryant for a 27-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.
Nebraska squandered an opportunity to tie the score on its second possession on third-and-goal from the 3-yard line when left tackle Turner Corcoran wasn’t ready to pass block at the snap, forcing Dylan Raiola to rush his throw. Running back Rahmir Johnson was open, yet didn’t realize he had run out of bounds, resulting in an incomplete pass. The Huskers had to settle for a field goal after an 18-play drive.
Yet the defense quickly provided a lift, forcing a fumble by Hank Beatty after he made a 14-yard catch. Nebraska took over at the Illinois 37-yard line and moved quickly on a 14-yard run by Dante Dowdell and an end-around from Isaiah Neyor for 13 yards. Raiola then hit Neyor in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown and 10-7 lead.
The Huskers appeared to take a 16-10 lead with 7:57 in the second quarter with Neyor catching a 36-yard scoring pass. However, Illinois cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. also appeared to snare the ball. On the field, the officials gave Neyor a touchdown, but replay review showed that Cox had control of the ball for an interception.
Despite the setback, Nebraska got that touchdown on its next possession.
Illinois didn’t convert a fourth-and-8 from the Huskers’ 33-yard line, though the officials missed Jimari Butler snagging Altmyer’s facemask. Nebraska took over with 3:18 remaining before halftime and drove 70 yards in nine plays, finished off with an 11-yard pass from Raiola to Neyor, who dragged his right foot in bounds to make the touchdown stand. Nebraska led 17-10 at the half.
Illinois plays at No. 10 Penn State next Saturday. Kickoff time for that game has yet to be announced. Nebraska travels to Purdue for a noon ET start.
