Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Complete Game Preview

It's homecoming week for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. To kick things off, the Huskers open Big Ten Conference play against Illinois at Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska leads the series 8-2-1, per Huskers.com. While the two teams have played a total of 11 times, only four of those matchups have happened since 1953. The other seven took place between 1892 and 1925, per HuskerMax.com.

The Huskers (-18) are greatly favored over the Fighting Illini, according to Odds Shark. Nebraska wants to win big too. With I-back Ameer Abdullah's Heisman campaign gaining more and more attention, the Huskers would like to be undefeated when they roll into East Lansing, Michigan, on Oct. 4. An undefeated season to that point would not only help Abdullah but would also keep Nebraska on track to the Big Ten Championship.

Who will come away victorious in Week 5?

Where: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

When: Saturday, September 27, at 9 p.m. ET

Watch: Big Ten Network

Listen: Husker Sports Network or Sirius Channel 113, XM 195

Betting Line via Odds Shark: Nebraska (-18)

Nebraska's Keys to Victory

USA TODAY Sports

1. Give Ameer Abdullah the Ball

At this point, why not give Ameer Abdullah the football? The senior I-back has shown that he can run the ball on anyone if he wants.

Illinois will likely do all it can to stop Abdullah, but if the senior gets going, there is little anyone can do. He currently has 625 rushing yards to date, per ESPN.com. And from the looks of it, he isn't slowing down any time soon.

Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com even joked on Twitter that rushing records will be rewritten during the Nebraska-Illinois matchup. However, there is a good chance that will happen.

So give the ball to Abdullah, Huskers. There's no reason not to.

2. Do Not Overlook Illinois

Yes, this is a key to winning. 

After a disappointing showing against McNeese State (or a wake-up call, you could say), Abdullah is prepared not to let that happen to his team again, as he made clear during Nebraska's weekly press conference:

"

We just need to prepare like we did in weeks prior to now. Every game is important. The Miami game was important and it’s Illinois this week. We have to make sure we approach the practice field. Make sure we know all the personnel. Make sure we know the game plan in and out. Make sure we go into everything, and turn over every stone before Saturday.

"

It's all about preparation and how the Huskers approach every week of practice. It would be easy to overlook Illinois for Michigan State, but Nebraska can't afford to do that. It's all about giving each opponent the attention it deserves. That's ultimately what will keep the Huskers on a winning path. 

3. Use the Crowd...Again

The Nebraska student section had an incredible moment just prior to kickoff against Miami. As the Canes ran onto the field, students lifted signs, giving one final warning: Welcome to your worst nightmare.

With the students leading the way, Memorial Stadium was loud against the Hurricanes. That attitude needs to happen again against the Fighting Illini. Regardless of the score, Memorial Stadium is an incredibly tough place to play when the atmosphere is like it was against Miami. If fans bring that every game at home, the opposition will struggle.

Abdullah summed it up best during Nebraska's weekly press conference:

"

The student section and the fanbase as a whole means a lot for home games and sometimes they don’t understand how big the impact they can have on the other team. Last Saturday was probably the loudest I’ve ever heard Memorial Stadium since I’ve been here. Miami had a young quarterback and I feel like it got to him sometimes. It got to their offense a couple times. And that’s because of them. They may not realize it but they have a lot to do with the outcome on Saturdays.

"

So show up and be loud, Huskers fans. It has and can continue to make a difference.

Illinois' Keys to Victory

BRADLEY LEEB/Associated Press

1. Throw the Ball

Putting the ball in the air is Illinois' strength. Why fix what isn't broken?

According to Huskers.com, Illinois currently ranks 19th nationally with an average of 321.5 passing yards per game. Additionally, quarterback Wes Lunt has completed 65.8 perfect of his passes. Needless to say, he's going to throw the ball against Nebraska.

"Good arm. Kind of a big guy who can make all the throws," Bo Pelini said, per Huskers.com. "He has some talent. He has really good arm talent. I think they do a really good job in the passing game. He’s not a guy who’s going to kill you with his feet."

With that said, Nebraska will need to be prepared to stop the pass.

2. Stop Ameer Abdullah

Illinois needs to stop Ameer Abdullah if the team wants to win. Easier said than done, right?

McNeese State found a way, limiting the I-back to only 54 rushing yards, per ESPN.com. Even with the 96 yards he added in the air, it was still wasn't a huge showing for Abdullah.

Against Fresno State, Abdullah also only had 110 rushing yards total. However, against Florida Atlantic and Miami, the senior blew past 200 yards on the ground, which is exactly what Illinois cannot afford to have happen.

Nebraska has a lot of offensive weapons that the Fighting Illini need to watch out for, but focusing on Abdullah will be key. Finding a way to limit him on the ground could make a huge impact for Illinois in keeping this game closer than the Huskers would like.

3. Be Prepared for the Crowd

Memorial Stadium proved against Miami that it can be an intimidating venue. It doesn't happen every game, but Illinois is also playing the Huskers at night. That always seems to switch Memorial Stadium into high gear.

Illinois' Memorial Stadium can only hold 60,670, which is around 30,000 less than Nebraska's Memorial Stadium. That can be intimidating to any team.

The Fighting Illini do have experience playing at Nebraska, though. That experience could help. However, if Nebraska fans show up like they did against Miami, this could be a very tough environment to win in.

Nebraska Players to Watch

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Ameer Abdullah (RB, Sr.)

Let's just put Ameer Abdullah on the weekly watch list until the end of time, shall we? After all, he truly is the player to watch every week.

Against Miami, he put up a 229-yard performance. Alongside a three-yard reception for a touchdown and four kickoff returns for 81 yards, the senior boasted 313 all-purpose yards, per Huskers.com.

Illinois' front seven should be even easier to go up against than Miami's, which means it could be another big night for the senior. You might as well start taking bets now on what his total yards are for the night.

Tommy Armstrong (QB, Soph.)

Abdullah was very clear about the type of quarterback Tommy Armstrong is during Nebraska's weekly press conference:

"

People underrate Tommy as a runner. He gasses people, he is really swift and has good moves in the open field. He was a tough guy this summer and really worked on his quickness and it is really starting to show. Just because he is a quarterback doesn’t mean he can’t take hits or deliver it to people. I’m sure teams consider that. You have to account for him just as much as you account for any running back.

"

Against Miami, Armstrong had 96 rushing yards of his own, per ESPN.com. Beyond that, his arm has been improving every game. From a 51.7 percent completion rate against Florida Atlantic to a 69.2 percent completion rate against Miami, the sophomore is finding his way with every single game.

Bigger tests are ahead for Armstrong, but it's all about taking it one game at a time. A big win over Illinois will only boost his confidence, which makes him someone to keep an eye on.

Illinois Players to Watch

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Wes Lunt (QB, Soph.)

Prior to playing for Illinois, Wes Lunt was at Oklahoma State. While there, he became the first true freshman to start a season opener for the Cowboys since 1950, per FightingIllini.com. When he transferred, he had to sit out the 2013 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

However, the time has come for Lunt. Against Youngstown State, he debuted with 285 yards and four touchdown passes, according to Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. 

For the season, he has completed 100 of 152 attempts for 1,237 yards and 11 touchdowns. The quarterback is definitely going to put pressure on Nebraska's secondary, as he'll likely put the ball in the air frequently. As a result, he's arguably the most important player to watch for on Illinois.

Josh Ferguson (RB, Jr.)

Josh Ferguson might not be Ameer Abdullah, but that doesn't mean the Huskers defense shouldn't be ready to defend him. After all, it was a point brought up to Bo Pelini during Nebraska's weekly press conference.

When asked about the linebackers' struggles against running backs, Pelini didn't sugarcoat anything:

"

It can be hard. Especially when you’re giving them the long field. We made the mistake of giving them the long field and not using the boundary to our advantage a couple of times. And like I said, I don’t think technique-wise that we did that very well. I thought we were backing off. One time, shame on me. But when it happens a couple times, you’ve got to know where to push them and where the help is. If you don’t have any help, you’ve got to make sure you use the sideline. At the end of the game I wasn’t as concerned about it. We were just really trying to milk the clock. There was once or twice early in the game where it hurt us.

"

That makes Ferguson a player to watch for the Huskers. He has 316 yards on 50 attempts for three touchdowns so far this season, per ESPN.com. He can absolutely do some damage if given the opportunity by the Nebraska defense.

What They're Saying

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Head Coach Bo Pelini

On Nebraska's passion during the scuffles with Miami:

"

There’s passion and then there’s being stupid. Fighting, there’s no room for fighting during football. Nothing good can come of it. Let’s face it, if a fight breaks out like that with helmets on, keep your helmet on. Whatever is happening on the field, let it stay on the field. Our guys understand that. It’s an emotional game.

"

On Randy Gregory's involvement in the scuffles: "I thought he handled it well. I don’t think he was the instigator. To his credit, he didn’t do anything that could have gotten him thrown out of the game."

On the offensive line's growth so far:

"

They played well the other night. They came off the football. They were physical. They played hard. That’s what I expect from them every week. We played a good football game up front the other night, but that isn’t going to help us for our game Saturday. You’ve got to bring it every week. And that’s the key. As well as we’ve played, there are some things that we could do better up front. I think we’re making progress as a team in a lot of areas. We’re still a long way to go.

"

On Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt:

"

Good arm. Kind of a big guy who can make all the throws. He has some talent. He has really good arm talent. I think they do a really good job in the passing game. He’s not a guy who’s going to kill you with his feet. But like any major college athlete, he can do anything if you have discipline in your rush lanes and stuff like that. He’s a throw-first guy.  He’s kind of a prototypical, pro-style type of quarterback.

"

On Ameer Abdullah's performance against Miami: "He is who he is. One thing about Ameer is that you know what you’re going to get every week. You know how he’s wired and the type of competitor he is. He’s a tremendous competitor. He really is."

I-Back Ameer Abdullah

On being named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for a second time:

"

That’s news to me, I didn’t even know. I guess it’s a good honor. I mean I always just want to win player of the week I guess. Didn’t really look across the Big Ten to see who’s worthy. The first time I won it, I shouldn’t have. (Penn State quarterback Christian) Hackenberg should have won the first time I got it, but you know I’m glad I got it.

"

On quarterback Tommy Armstrong:

"

People underrate Tommy as a runner. He gasses people, he is really swift and has good moves in the open field. He was a tough guy this summer and really worked on his quickness and it is really starting to show. Just because he is a quarterback doesn’t mean he can’t take hits or deliver it to people. I’m sure teams consider that. You have to account for him just as much as you account for any running back.

"

On the student section and the fans:

"

The student section and the fanbase as a whole means a lot for home games and sometimes they don’t understand how big the impact they can have on the other team. Last Saturday was probably the loudest I’ve ever heard Memorial Stadium since I’ve been here. Miami had a young quarterback and I feel like it got to him sometimes. It got to their offense a couple times. And that’s because of them. They may not realize it but they have a lot to do with the outcome on Saturdays.

 

"

Quarterback Tommy Armstrong

On the importance of being familiar with Illinois:

"

I’m a little bit more familiar with it but just by watching film, we just don’t want to stress about what we saw last year. By watching certain games we noticed that those guys do stuff different.  We've got to expect anything when it comes to this team this year. We've just got to make sure we prepare the right way.

"

On running the ball against Miami:

"

We just run our offense honestly. We just took what they gave us. I said at the beginning of the week that we just want to go out there and run our offense. If we’re executing well, we’re just going to keep doing it until they stop it. And they really couldn’t stop us with our running game and the offensive line getting a push and receivers making blocks outside.

"

On the offensive line: 

"

They’ve been doing a great job. They’re blocking what they see. They’re working hard and whenever they have to stand there for a few seconds longer than they actually have to. I praise them a lot just because they’re working their tails off, and we 've just got to make sure we go about it the right way. I felt like they’ve been going about it the right way during non-conference and in the conference they just go to block what they see. And they’re doing a good job of it

 

"

All quotes were obtained via Nebraska's weekly press conference, via Huskers.com.

Prediction

Eric Francis/Getty Images

Big Ten play is finally here for the Cornhuskers. As a result, it's time to start making a run for the Big Ten Championship Game.

Nebraska is favored to beat Illinois, according to Odds Shark. That doesn't mean Nebraska can take the Fighting Illini lightly, though. It could be tempting to overlook Illinois with Michigan State on the horizon. However, after barely escaping with a win over McNeese State, it seems unlikely the Huskers will overlook an opponent going forward.

After Ameer Abdullah ran for 229 yards on Miami, he could surpass that against the Fighting Illini. While Illinois does have quarterback Wes Lunt to lead the way, it likely won't be enough to match the Huskers' offensive attack.

Ultimately, it will come down to whose defense can stop whom. From the looks of it, the Huskers have the major advantage. Lunt will snag a couple of touchdown passes, but Abdullah (and the entire Nebraska offense, for that matter) will be too much for the Illinois defense.

Expect a big win for the Huskers, as the team sports the "Red Rising" alternate uniforms.

Prediction: Nebraska 45, Illinois 13 

For complete team coverage and everything Huskers, you can follow Erin on Twitter at @erinsorensen.