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Illinois Football: 4 observations from the Illini win over Nebraska

By Rees Woodcock

Aug 28, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois fighting Illini linebacker Calvin Hart Jr. (5) runs for a touchdown after recovering a fumble against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 28, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois fighting Illini linebacker Calvin Hart Jr. (5) runs for a touchdown after recovering a fumble against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 28, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois running back Mike Epstein (26) is tackled by Nebraska running back Aiden Young (44) in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Illinois football team played well in the first game of the season.

Some people didn’t have confidence that the Illini could come away with a victory against Nebraska. Even the experts in Las Vegas had the Cornhuskers as a seven-point favorite. Illinois proved all of the doubters wrong, though.

A rough start to the game would ultimately lead to Illinois overtaking Nebraska and never looking back. The Cornhuskers tried to snag the game away late, but the Illini continued their strong play and closed the game out, 30-22.

Here are four observations from the Illinois football win over Nebraska.

1. The running back room is deep

Coming into the 2021 campaign, I knew that Illinois had solid running back play. There was talent in the backfield, but I didn’t know we could be this deep.

Illinois had five running backs carry the rock on Saturday with the majority of carries going to Mike Epstein. He would finish the game with 16 carries for 75 yards and 1 touchdown. But this wasn’t just a one-man show.

Epstein had a good day on the ground, but I also love what Reggie Love did as well. Love had 12 carries for 45 yards, but the moves he flashed are what impressed me the most. His cutback is amazing, and it will get him big gains throughout the season.

I actually expected more carries out of Chase Brown, but the fact he only had 5 carries for 24 yards shows you how good the Illinois backfield is this season. Transfer Chase Hayden also had a chance to carry the ball, going for 4 carries for 12 yards.

The biggest surprise came from Jakari Norwood. No one was really sure how the depth chart would shake out to start the season, but having Norwood be an impact player is huge for the Illini. On the ground, Norwood had 3 carries for 16 yards. He also had 1 reception for 7 yards on the day.

Overall, I love what I saw out of the running back room on Saturday. A solid rotation of fresh legs will enable the Illini to sneak up on some teams this season. This is a great strategy.

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