Game of the week: 5 things to know about Illinois-Nebraska

This weekend has just five games involving FBS teams and none is must-watch TV. But, hey, it’s real football, and there is some intrigue in Illinois-Nebraska, so that’s our game of the week. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Fox; Joe Davis will handle the play-by-play and Brock Huard is the analyst.

Here are five things to know about the Illinois-Nebraska game, plus the predicted final score from the On3 national staff.

1. This is the first game at Illinois for Bret Bielema

Bielema returns to the college game after three seasons in the NFL as an assistant. He knows how to win in the Big Ten: He was 68-24 in seven seasons at Wisconsin and guided the Badgers to the Rose Bowl in each of his final three seasons. But Illinois is a perennial underachiever, having won double-digit games just once in the past 30 seasons. Illinois’ talent level isn’t where it should be, but that’s nothing new. Bielema does have a few nice building blocks this season in OT Vederian Lowe and LB Jake Hansen. In addition, there are a national-high 17 returning seniors; they took advantage of the free season granted by the NCAA in the wake of the COVID-impacted 2020 campaign.

2. Nebraska coach Scott Frost is feeling the heat

When Frost was hired following the 2017 season, he was seen as the perfect fit at the perfect time. He is a Nebraska native and quarterbacked Tom Osborne’s last team, so he knew the program’s proud history. Plus, after Bill Callahan, Bo Pelini and Mike Riley, the thought was Frost could heal a fractured fan base. But it has not worked that way. The Huskers are 12-20 in his three seasons, and many former Frost supporters now are on the fence about him after news broke this summer that the school is being investigated for NCAA violations. They may jump off the fence and join the anti-Frost crowd if the Huskers lose this one. Yes, this game could be that important.

3. Is there hope for the Huskers’ offense?

Frost famously guided UCF to a 13-0 mark in 2017, thanks to an offense that averaged 530.5 yards and 48.2 points per game. The Knights had four games that season in which they scored at least 60 points and four in which they had at least 600 yards. But Nebraska has had just two 50-point games under Frost (both in 2018) and 10 where it has been held to 20 or fewer. The total-offense average in the three seasons under Frost is 424.9, and the Huskers have been held under 400 yards in 12 of their past 20 outings. Their best player from last season, wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, transferred to Kentucky in the offseason, and Nebraska desperately needs Montana transfer wide receiver Samari Toure to become a big-play threat. QB Adrian Martinez is going to be a four-year starter, but he has underwhelmed, to put it nicely. Keep an eye on true freshman RB Gabe Ervin Jr.; coaches need him to come through.

4. What to expect from Illinois’ offense

A quick perusal of last season’s stats reveals that all six Illini running backs who had a carry return this season. And as bad as the Illini were last season, they were third in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game (196.1). Still, this isn’t likely to be the same kind of ground-and-pound attack Bielema employed at Wisconsin. He hired Tony Petersen as his offensive coordinator; Petersen spent last season as the OC at Appalachian State and also has been at East Carolina, Louisiana Tech and Marshall. His work at ECU and La Tech was notable for his success in molding highly effective passing attacks.

5. Recent history

Illinois was 2-6 last season, with all but one of the losses by at least 14 points and three by at least 27. But Illinois won by 18 at Nebraska thanks to a rushing attack that put up 285 yards and four TDs. Still, the Huskers are 6-2 against Illinois since joining the Big Ten; the teams play annually as members of the Big Ten West.

Illinois-Nebraska predictions

Mike Huguenin: Nebraska 27-21

Ivan Maisel: Nebraska 38-27

Charles Power: Nebraska 28-24

Matt Zenitz: Illinois 28-24