Pat Bryant caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Luke Altmyer in overtime to give No. 24 Illinois a 31-24 victory over No. 22 Nebraska in Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference opener. The Fighting Illini are 4-0 for the first time since 2011.
Dylan Rosiek sacked Huskers quarterback Dylan Raiola on 4th and 29 to seal the win. Nebraska lost 9 yards. An intentional grounding penalty against the freshman QB then brought Nebraska to a third-and-42. A 13-yard pass play on the third down set up the decisive, fateful play.
Altmyer threw for 215 yards and four touchdowns, completing 21 of 27 passes. Pat Bryant caught five passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns, while Zakhari Franklin caught five more passes for 50 yards. Kaden Feagin rushed for 69 yards on 12 carries.
Illinois tied the game at 24-24 with a 6-yard catch by offensive lineman Brandon Henderson, who was lined up as a tight end. The 70-yard drive was capped by a 16-yard run by Feagin, who added another 15 yards on a facemask penalty against Nebraska’s Malcolm Hartzog Jr. Altmyer followed with a 15-yard pass to Malik Elzy, bringing the Fighting Illini to the Huskers’ 14-yard line.
Nebraska had a chance to take the lead on the next possession, but Raiola threw the ball too far over tight end Luke Lindenmeyer and it would have been a 21-yard touchdown on third down. John Hohl then missed a 39-yard field goal.
The Huskers took a 24-17 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard flip from Raiola to Janiran Bonner. Earlier, the freshman QB had hit Isaiah Neyor for a 44-yard gain. On the next play, Raiola threw the ball on 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 catches for 94 yards, while Neyor added four catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Dante Dowdell was the Huskers’ leading runner 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 boisterous, eager to see the Huskers pull out a prime-time win. But the Illini quickly silenced the crowd by capping a six-play, 78-yard drive with Altmeyer hitting Bryant for a 27-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead.
Nebraska missed a chance to tie the game on its second possession on third down from the 3-yard line when left tackle Turner Corcoran was unwilling to block the pass at the snap, forcing Dylan Raiola to rush his throw. Running back Rahmir Johnson was free but 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.
But the defense quickly rallied, forcing a fumble after a 14-yard catch by Hank Beatty. Nebraska took the lead at the Illinois 37-yard line and quickly pulled away with a 14-yard run by Dante Dowdell and a 13-yard end-around by Isaiah Neyor. Raiola then hit Neyor in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead.
The Huskers appeared to take a 16-10 lead with 7:57 left in the second quarter when Neyor caught a 36-yard touchdown pass. However, Illinois cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. also appeared to catch the ball. On the field, the referees awarded Neyor a touchdown, but replay showed Cox had controlled the ball and an interception occurred.
Despite the setback, Nebraska scored a touchdown on its next possession.
Illinois failed to convert a fourth-and-8 attempt from the Huskers’ 33-yard line, although the referees failed to notice Jimari Butler grabbing Altmyer’s facemask. Nebraska took the lead with 3:18 left in the half, driving 70 yards in nine plays. It ended with an 11-yard pass from Raiola to Neyor, who pulled his right foot upfield for the touchdown. Nebraska led 17-10 at halftime.
Illinois plays at No. 10 Penn State next Saturday. The kickoff time for that game has yet to be announced. Nebraska travels to Purdue at 12:00 p.m. ET.
