The Illinois football team is set to face off against the tough and talented #23 Nebraska Cornhuskers tonight in a ranked matchup.
The Fighting Illini already have a ranked win this season over the then-ranked Kansas Jayhawks. Illinois forced four turnovers against the Jayhawks offense and managed to secure a win over a solid team.
Nebraska, however, is quite the step-up in competition and could be a difficult match-up for the Fighting Illini defense in particular.
Game Preview: How Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola is the “different element” for Illini@matthewcstevens: “When asked what the difference is between last season’s version and the 2024 edition of the Nebraska there was no hesitation by Illinois head coach Bret Bielema or defensive…
— IlliniGuys (@Illini_Guys) September 20, 2024
Quarterback Dylan Raiola has been fantastic thus far as a true freshman and certainly has met the expectations many had. Raiola has been great, but also has largely not been touched this season, which has allowed for plenty of time to deliver a completion.
Raiola has only been sacked once this season which occurred early in the season opening game against UTEP. The quarterback has since gone two straight games without a sack, which is something that the Illinois staff must change to win.
The quarterback threw his first interception of the season last time out against Northern Iowa while recording his best quarterback rating of the season. Raiola had a great game, but also proved he is human and underthrew a 50-50 ball to his receiver that was picked off.
Raiola can make mistakes, but rather than waiting for them to happen, the Illinois team will need to make them happen.
Illinois Football Prepared to Slow Down Dylan Raiola During Upcoming Clash
If there is one thing the Illinois staff has keyed into this week during practice, it is figuring out ways to pressure Dylan Raiola.
Northern Iowa may have been blown out of the water by the Cornhuskers but did plenty right as well during the game. Iowa sent incredible pressure toward Raiola in the second half, particularly in the red zone, and shutdown the offense. Nebraska had to settle for multiple short-range field goals, which works against a bad offensive opponent, but not against a team that can score.
🎥 J Leman’s Film Room: @JLeman47 breaks down #illini‘s DL dominance, OL struggles against CMU
FULL VIDEO: https://t.co/jZiE03pWdT pic.twitter.com/59HuuUinVn
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) September 17, 2024
Illinois needs to send heavy pressure throughout the game to not only slow down Raiola but also the running game. Nebraska has focused heavily on throwing the ball early on with the new star quarterback. However, the run game has barely been able to cross 70 or more yards per game thus far.
Nebraska has displayed a strong offensive line but in particular, succeeds on the inside with the guards and the center. The Illinois defense, however, has shown plenty of success generating pressure from the outside against tackles and tight ends.
If Illinois can continue to generate pressure from the outside as they have in other games this season, it could be a tough night for the Cornhuskers.
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What do you think the Illinois Fighting Illini need to do to beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers?
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