LINCOLN, Neb. — Let the games begin, for real.
That's coach Matt Rhule's attitude as No. 22 Nebraska enters its game against No. 24 Illinois on Friday night.
“Now the season starts, this is the first game in the Big Ten for us and we’ll find out where we are,” he said.
The Cornhuskers (3-0) have opened with stress-free nonconference wins over UTEP, Colorado and Northern Iowa — “the preseason,” Rhule calls it — for their best start since 2016. Now comes Illinois (3-0), which has beaten a then-ranked Kansas on its way to its best start since 2011.
The Huskers will try to end a 24-game losing streak against Top 25 teams and win a conference opener for the first time in five years.
“We’re trying to compete to win the Big Ten,” Rhule said. "All of these games matter. All of these games are important. This is a great opportunity. It’s our first league game. We didn’t certainly approach this preseason like the (NFL) preseason. To me it’s just now we’re entering Big Ten play. Our approach doesn’t change but just the gravity of the situation is a little bit different.”
Nebraska beat Illinois 20-7 in Champaign in a Friday night game last year, ending a three-game losing streak in the series. Illini coach Bret Bielema said he notices pep in his players' steps this week.
“I think when you throw in the element of they’re ranked we’re ranked, I think that’s a unique game to these guys,” he said. “It’s kind of interesting to see the energy that that brings out — not for me, I really don’t care — but from what I get from the outside world and from a young man’s perspective, to have that has been pretty good.”
Quarterbacks Luke Altmyer of Illinois and Dylan Raiola of Nebraska have put up nearly identical passing numbers. Altmyer has the better feet, with three runs of at least 15 yards. Raiola can take off if necessary — he scrambled for 15 yards and a first down against Northern Iowa — but passing is his calling card. The five-star recruit is the top true freshman passer in the nation.
“You can see why he’s everything that I would say he’s built up to be," Bielema said, “and probably even more.”
TeRah Edwards is becoming a force in the middle of Illinois' defensive line. Never mind his lack of big numbers, Bielema said, because the 6-foot-2, 305-pound senior stands out on film.
Edwards has been credited with six quarterback pressures in three games by Pro Football Focus, matching his total over his previous 25 games. He's still looking for his first sack and tackle for loss of the season.
“NFL scouts have asked about him. Just very impressive,” Bielema said, adding that having Edwards play alongside Dennis Briggs Jr. gives the Illini a formidable duo up front.
Nebraska brought back three starters and one part-time starter on the offensive line, and it has allowed one sack compared with six through three games last year. The Huskers' early schedule has not been as difficult, so Rhule is reserving judgment.
“We don’t know anything about those guys until we play in the Big Ten,” he said. “They’ve done a really good job versus who we’ve played against. This will be such a different challenge facing these guys.”
Nebraska will celebrate its 400th consecutive sellout, an ongoing NCAA record that has been kept alive at times by boosters buying up unsold tickets. When the streak was teetering on extinction in 2022, for example, a benefactor swooped in and bought the last 2,100 tickets at a bulk rate of $10 per ticket.
Actual attendance has visibly increased since Rhule’s arrival last year, and the stadium was full for the first three games this season.
“I think getting to 400 sellouts will be great,” Rhule said. “My job, though, is to make sure that we win that game so that people leave happy about it.”
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