Illinois Football: 3 observations from the Illini loss to Nebraska

LINCOLN, NE – NOVEMBER 10: Quarterback AJ Bush Jr. #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drops back to pass against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first half at Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

The Illinois football team went to Nebraska and failed to take care of the ball as the Cornhuskers won the game 54-35.

This Illini team isn’t far away from being a perennial bowl program. They could have easily been in the game against Nebraska but some really dumb turnovers and some bad dropped balls were coupled with a defense that struggled early on, and all of this led to the Illini falling short of a win.

Illinois competed with this Cornhuskers program early on in the game. They went back and forth scoring touchdowns in the first four possessions. But, Nebraska took a 21-14 lead into the second quarter and never looked back.

The Cornhuskers kicked a field goal in the second quarter to take a 10-point lead. The next drive for the Illini was a fumble and then Nebraska scored off that fumble. This was the start of a slide for the Illini. They couldn’t come back from this bad possession. Nebraska took a 38-21 lead going into the halftime locker room.

Illinois couldn’t get any closer in the second half. They scored a few times, but Nebraska continued to stay out front. The Illini only gave up 16 points in the second half, though. That is something positive. The final horn sounded, and the score showed 54-35 in favor of Nebraska.

Here are three observations from the Illini loss to Nebraska.