Pat Bryant caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Luke Altmeyer in overtime to lead No. 24 Illinois to a 31-24 win over No. 22 Nebraska in the Big Ten Conference opener in Lincoln. The Fighting Illini improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2011.
Dylan Rosiek sacked Huskers quarterback Dylan Raiola for 29 yards on fourth down to seal the win. Nebraska was down 9 yards. An intentional grounding foul on the freshman quarterback put Nebraska on third down and 42. A 13-yard pass play on third down set up the final fateful play.
Altmyer completed 21 of 27 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns. Pat Bryant had five receptions for 74 yards and two scores, Zachary Franklin had five receptions for 50 yards, and Caden Feagin rushed 12 times for 69 yards.
Illinois tied the game at 24-24 on a 6-yard catch by offensive lineman Brandon Henderson lined up next to tight end. A 70-yard drive was highlighted by a 16-yard run by Feigin and an additional 15 yards on a facemask foul on Nebraska’s Malcolm Hertzog Jr. Altmyer then threw a 15-yard pass to Malik Elzy to put the Fighting Illini on the Huskers’ 14-yard line.
Nebraska had a chance to take the lead on its next drive, but Raiola overpassed a pass to tight end Luke Lindenmeyer for what should have been a 21-yard touchdown on third down, then John Hall missed a 39-yard field goal attempt.
The Huskers took a 24-17 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard pass from Raiola to Janilan Bonner. Early in the drive, the rookie quarterback connected with Isaiah Neyo for 44 yards. On the next play, Raiola got behind his back and connected with Thomas Fidone II for 29 yards.
Raiola completed 24 of 35 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Jamal Banks had eight receptions for 94 yards and Neyo added four receptions for 90 yards and two scores. Dante Dowdell was the Huskers’ rushing leader with 72 yards on 20 carries.
Nebraska was starting the season 3-0 for the first time since 2016, and fans at Memorial Stadium were going wild, eager to see Nebraska pull off a primetime win. But Illinois quickly quieted the crowd, completing a six-play, 78-yard drive with Altmyer throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Bryant for a 7-0 lead.
Nebraska missed a chance to tie the score on third down and goal from the 3-yard line on its second possession. Left tackle Turner Corcoran was not ready to block at the snap, forcing Dylan Raiola to rush the pass. Running back Ramir Johnson was open but did not realize he had gone out of bounds, and the pass fell incomplete. The Huskers had to settle for a field goal after 18 drives.
But the defense came back quickly, forcing a fumble after Hank Beatty made a 14-yard catch. Nebraska started the drive at the Illinois 37-yard line and moved forward quickly on a 14-yard run by Dante Dowdell and a 13-yard end-around by Isaiah Neyo. Then Raiola caught Neyo in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown to take a 10-7 lead.
The Huskers appeared to take a 16-10 lead when Neiol caught a 36-yard scoring pass with 7:57 left in the second quarter, but Illinois cornerback Torrey Cox Jr. also appeared to get the ball. On the field, officials awarded Neiol a touchdown, but replay showed Cox had control of the ball and it was an interception.
Despite the setback, Nebraska still managed to score a touchdown on its next possession.
Illinois failed to convert on a fourth-and-8 attempt from the Huskers’ 33-yard line, but the officials missed a Jimari Butler snatch on Altmeyer’s facemask. Nebraska went on the offensive with 3:18 left in the half, driving 70 yards in nine plays, culminating in a touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Raiola to Neyo, who dragged his right foot inbounds to score the touchdown. Nebraska led 17–10 at halftime.
Illinois will host No. 10 Penn State next Saturday; kickoff time has yet to be announced. Nebraska will travel to Purdue for a game at noon ET.