Huskers rally for wild 42-38 road win at Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Nebraska did all of the things necessary to lose a ninth-straight road game at Illinois on Saturday night.

This time, though, the Huskers were able to make up for all of those mistakes with one of their most productive offensive performances of the Scott Frost era.

Despite losing four fumbles and committing 11 penalties for 119 yards, NU (3-1, 1-0) countered by racking up a staggering 690 yards of total offense on 98 plays to pull out a wild 42-38 victory in its Big Ten Conference opener.

Adrian Martinez completed 22-of-34 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns, while freshman Wan’Dale Robinson had a breakout night with 27 total touches for a combined 169 yards and three touchdowns.

Illinois (2-2, 0-1) led for the first three quarters of the night, but its defense wore down and its offense managed just 78 yards through the air.

The Fighting Illini won the toss and elected to receive, and two plays into the opening drive running back Reggie Corbin broke loose for a 66-yard touchdown run down the right sideline.

Nebraska responded with a 41-yard pass to JD Spielman to move into Illini territory, but because of the situation at kicker, the drive came up empty when NU failed to convert a fourth-and-11 at the Illinois 29.

On the Huskers’ second possession, Martinez botched a handoff and Illinois recovered at the Nebraska 37. That led to a 26-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Peters to Josh Imatorbhebhe that put Illinois up 14-0 just seven minutes into the game.

Desperately needing an answer, Martinez hit Spielman for an important early third-down conversion and then Maurice Washington sprung free for a 41-yard run to the IU 16. Nebraska eventually faced another fourth down, and Dedrick Mills just got the first with a three-yard run.

Martinez found a wide-open Jack Stoll in the right flat for a six-yard touchdown pass, capping a 10-play, 75-yard drive to get NU back within one score.

While the Blackshirts started to tighten up, the offense shot itself in the foot once again when Mills fumbled deep in NU territory and Illinois recovered and returned it down to the Husker two-yard line.

RaVon Bonner punched it in from there, putting the Illini 21-7 early in the second quarter and reclaiming any momentum Nebraska may have gained back.

The defense provided a spark when Cam Taylor-Britt snagged an interception on Illinois’ ensuing drive. A 21-yard pass to Spielman and a 25-yard run by Washington got NU into scoring range.

Robinson finished it off with a highlight-reel catch and run for a 27-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-14 with 8:20 remaining in the second quarter.

That score would hold into halftime, as Nebraska out-gained Illinois 314-185 and ran 14 more plays (46-32) but hardly felt in control through the first two quarters.

The Huskers came out sputtering again to open the second half, quickly going three and out on their first series and then allowing Illinois to go 78 yards on six plays and score on a 36-yard run by Dre Brown.

Nebraska was able to keep the game within reach with another quick response, this time marching 75 yards and scoring on a three-yard shovel pass to Robinson.

The defense got the stop, but the Huskers gave the ball away for the third time of the night when Spielman fumbled after a catch and Illinois came up with it at the NU 36. After another stand by the defense, Martinez had the ball knocked away on a pass and the Illini recovered again at the 14.

This time Illinois would make the most of it, scoring on a 10-yard run by Peters to push the lead to 35-21 with 5:40 left in the third.

A nifty third-down catch by Jack Stoll kept Nebraska’s ensuing possession alive, and it ended up leading to a 14-yard touchdown run by Mills around the left end. Lane McCollum’s following extra point was blocked, though, leaving the deficit at 35-27.

Finally, after another defensive stand, the Huskers got the ball back and found a way to tie the game. Mills punched in his second rushing score from two yards out, and then Martinez scrambled and dove over the pylon to knot it back up at 35-35 with 14:29 still to play.

Illinois quickly reclaimed the advantage on a 47-yard field goal by James McCourt, but Nebraska’s offense was rolling. The Huskers responded by putting together a 11-play drive and taking their first lead of the night at 42-38 on one-yard touchdown run by Robinson with eight minutes on the clock.

The defense forced an eighth Illini punt and a 44-yard run by Martinez helped set up a first-and-goal from the one, but NU couldn’t punch it in despite having a first-and-goal from the one. A false start penalty erased a made field goal by McCallum, and then his second try bounced off the left upright.

Needing one final stand, the Blackshirts came up clutch, forcing a turnover on downs and leaving the offense to kneel out the rest of the clock and seal the victory.

The Huskers return to action next week for a primetime home game against Ohio State, which is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff on ABC.