Illinois spent Saturday making a point Nebraska can’t ignore.
The Illini went into the day as a 9.5-point underdog and came out with a 21-10 win over visiting Oregon, a result that makes Nebraska’s upcoming trip through the Big Ten look even less predictable than it already did. With backup quarterbacks on the field, Illinois still found a way to shut down the Ducks and grab a result that changes how that matchup looks from a Huskers perspective.
Michael Clayton II handled the job for Illinois, going 11-of-18 for 84 yards and two touchdowns. The biggest play of the day came late, when Collin Dixon hauled in a diving catch for the clinching score with 2:29 left.
Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola put up 27 completions on 41 attempts for 246 yards, but that production never turned into points that mattered. The Ducks are 4-3, 2-2, and the team announced Sunday that offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer has been fired after less than one season on the job.
For Nebraska, the loss didn’t soften anything. The Huskers are still carrying the sting from last week’s 17-14 defeat at Oregon, when they lost a fourth-quarter lead and then gave up the game in the final minute.
A week before that, Nebraska was ahead of reigning national champion Indiana, 17-6, before falling 20-17. Watching Oregon stumble at Illinois after that sequence won’t make those losses feel any better.
The Ducks did manage 180 rushing yards on 32 carries against Illinois, and that’s the area Nebraska will likely circle when the Illini come around. Illinois is 4-3, 2-2 and heads to Maryland on Saturday.
Nebraska gets back to work coming out of its bye with a home game against Washington on Saturday night. The Huskies are 4-3, 1-3 and also coming off a bye. Washington snapped a three-game losing streak before its break by winning at Purdue, 38-26.
That game matters for both sides. Nebraska can keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive if it can go 5-0 the rest of the way, while Washington needs a win to keep building a season it expected to be better. For Nebraska, it’s one more chance to cash in on the kind of week where the Big Ten keeps reshuffling itself.
Elsewhere, Iowa gave Nebraska another reminder that the Black Friday matchup won’t come easy. The Hawkeyes lost at Minnesota, 13-10, even though their defense held the Gophers to a season-low 209 yards.
Iowa’s offense never got going, finishing with just 90 rushing yards after coming in averaging 194. The Hawkeyes also threw three interceptions, two by Hank Brown and one by Jeremy Hecklinski.
Rutgers may have a quarterback problem after Dylan Lonergan left early in a 42-14 loss at No. 24 Northwestern.
Lonergan was hurt on the game’s third offensive play, taking a hard hit to the head and not returning after throwing for 291 yards and three touchdowns the week before in a win at Maryland. Northwestern jumped out fast and was up 21-3 after the first quarter.
Ohio State was idle, and the No. 2 Buckeyes head next to USC for a night game on Halloween.
Backup true freshman Luke Fahey is expected to start. UCLA stayed unbeaten with a 28-10 win over Michigan State, and the Bruins are 7-0, 5-0 and ranked seventh.
Michigan State is 2-6, 0-5 and has a bye this week.
Indiana survived in overtime at Michigan, 13-6, and once again Nebraska had to look at an Hoosiers offense that didn’t do much and think about what might have been. Indiana scored twice on field goals in regulation, both after Michigan turnovers. The Wolverines are 4-3, 1-3 and head to Rutgers on Saturday.
The other eye-opener around the league came from Wisconsin, where Luke Fickell’s team knocked off Lincoln Riley’s USC, 24-7. The Badgers are 5-2, 3-1, while USC fell to 6-2, 3-2. Penn State and Purdue were both on byes and will face each other Saturday.
In Other News...
Nebraska Fans Will Love Which Former Husker Broke Through In Week 7
Several former Nebraska standouts made noise across the NFL in Week 7, giving Cornhuskers fans plenty to track on Sunday. Emmett Johnson led the way among the ex-Huskers with 98 all-purpose yards for the Kansas City Chiefs, while Cam Taylor-Britt added four tackles and a sack for the Indianapolis Colts. Maliek Collins chipped in a tackle for the Cleveland Browns and also secured a two-year contract extension, and Cam Jurgens got on the field for the Baltimore Ravens in his first game since being traded.
The moment that may have stood out most in Lincoln came from Thomas Fidone, who pulled in his first NFL catch in the New York Giants' overtime win. For a former Husker whose pro journey has been watched closely back home, it was the kind of breakthrough that tends to resonate beyond one box score. It also added another encouraging note to a week that showed Nebraska alumni continuing to find roles, and in some cases, real momentum, at the next level. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Promising Season Hinges On Fixing 3 Costly Problems
Nebraskas 5-2 start has kept the Cornhuskers in the conversation, but the way those wins have come has left a few rough edges that matter as the schedule tightens. The offense has had trouble keeping its ground game rolling once conference play begins, and quarterback Anthony Colandrea has ended up leading the rushing effort in several games, a sign that the balance Nebraska wants still needs work.
The bigger concern is how the team has managed games after halftime. Production has dipped in the third quarter, then the defense has been less dependable in the fourth, a combination that can turn a good season into a stressful finish if it lingers. Nebraska has given itself a solid foundation, but the next stretch will depend on whether it can smooth out those lapses and play more complete football when the margin gets smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Rhules Washington Test Just Got Trickier After Nebraskas Bye Week
Matt Rhule spent Nebraskas lone bye week doing what coaches always hope a pause can do: tighten the plan and buy time for bodies to heal. In his recap, Rhule pointed to the chance to adjust preparation while also monitoring the recoveries of Jamir Conn and Anthony Jones Jr., two players whose availability matters as the Huskers turn the page toward a new Big Ten test.
Washington is waiting with an offense Rhule clearly respects, and the Huskers now have to account for both the system and the uncertainty at quarterback on the other side. Coming out of the break, Nebraskas attention has shifted quickly from rest to game-planning, with Rhule offering only the kind of early-week injury updates and personnel hints that keep a staff working through the final details. [Read more 🡒]