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Illinois Football: Preview of the Nebraska offense vs the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

An empty Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. would have been the venue for Ohio State’s football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Sat. Nov. 28, 2020. A COVID-19 outbreak in the Buckeyes football team forced the cancellation of the game.Osu20ill Ac 01
An empty Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. would have been the venue for Ohio State’s football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Sat. Nov. 28, 2020. A COVID-19 outbreak in the Buckeyes football team forced the cancellation of the game.Osu20ill Ac 01 /
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Illinois football is going up against a Nebraska offense that has been on the struggle bus for much of the past half-decade.

This past season, the Cornhuskers were one of the worst teams in the nation when it came to the offensive side of the ball. They threw for 190.1 yards per game in 2020 which ranked No. 103 in the nation. The only saving grace for Nebraska was their rushing attacked which averaged 201.4 yards per game and finished No. 28 in the nation.

Here is what the Illinois football defense will be facing when the Nebraska offense takes the field on Saturday.

  • Strengths

I would argue the strength on the Nebraska offense is the returning veteran quarterback, Adrian Martinez. It feels like Martinez has been at Nebraska since the Bush Administration. His presence is, at least, a sign of stability in a struggling Cornhuskers’ offense.

Martinez is actually a scary weapon for the Illini defense. He isn’t a bad quarterback, as he had multiple games last season where he threw for over 170 yards and had a completion percentage of over 75%. He has also torched Illinois on two different occasions.

In 2018 and 2019, Martinez combined for 618 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 1 interception through the air against Illinois. He also had a completion percentage of 67.6% and rushed for 173 yards and 1 touchdown. So, he definitely has Illinois’ number.

  • Weaknesses

Nebraska’s offense has a lot of weaknesses heading into the first game of the season. Martinez is the only real offensive threat returning to the Cornhuskers from 2020.

Leading running back, Dedrick Mills, has departed the program. Luke McCaffrey, who took over the starting job at quarterback for a little while last season, also left the team. He was Nebraska’s third-leading rusher.

The Cornhuskers are going to be missing a lot of talent at receiver as well. Wan’Dale Robinson is no longer with the team, and he was Nebraska’s fourth-leading rusher and leading receiver. While Nebraska does return their second and third-leading pass-catchers – tight end Austin Allen and wide receiver Zavier Betts – the two only amassed 367 yards receiving.

I haven’t even mentioned potentially the weakest part of the Nebraska offense. I think their offensive line could struggle this season. In a post by the Lincoln Journal Star, they have a Nebraska freshman starting at both tackle positions and a guard position. All three of these linemen have combined for fewer than 10 starts in their careers.

Next. Preview of the Illini offense against Nebraska. dark

  • Confidence

The main goal for Bret Bielema and Ryan Walters is to shut down Martinez. I believe the Nebraska offense goes as Martinez goes. If we can manage to hold him in check, then Illinois should have this game. But if Martinez runs wild, then there is no telling the outcome. Don’t be shocked if this ends up being a shootout.

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