Nebraska vs. Illinois score
Illinois vs. Nebraska score: No. 24 On the road, Fighting Illini defeat No. 22 Cornhuskers in an overtime thriller.Illinois kept up its excellent start, and Nebraska lost by a single point once more.
24 No. Illinois upset No. 22 Nebraska on the road, winning 31–24 in overtime. On its second offensive play after the clock ran out, quarterback Luke Altmyer found quarterback Pat Bryant for a 4-yard touchdown pass. The defense then forced a stop on the following possession to seal the upset.
Illinois moved to 4-0 for the first time since 2011 with their second-ranked victory of the year, defeating two AP Top 25 opponents in one season for the first time since 2007. The Fighting Illini, who had just defeated Central Michigan 30 to 9, defeated Kansas, who was ranked 19 at the time, at home.
In the comeback, Altmyer completed 21 of 27 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns.
The defining moment of the game came with 2:59 remaining in regulation when Nebraska kicker John Hohl missed a 39-yard go-ahead field goal. Nebraska's last points came on the opening play of the fourth quarter, and the Cornhuskers failed to score in overtime for the eighth consecutive game -- a streak that dates back back to an win over Iowa in 2014.
Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola finished with a career-high 297 yards passing and three touchdowns in the loss. The Cornhuskers have dropped their last 25 games to ranked opponents dating back to the 2016 campaign. The loss makes 31 one-score defeats for Nebraska since 2018, nine more than any other FBS squad (Iowa, Arkansas tied for second).
Next Saturday, Illinois (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) will travel to take on No. 10 Penn State, giving it another chance to defeat a highly regarded foe. Nebraska (3-1, 0-1) will travel to face Purdue the same day as its October 5 home game against Rutgers.
