Nebraska storms back to beat Illinois

[September 23, 2019]  After trailing by two touchdowns late in the third quarter, Nebraska rallied for a 42-38 victory over Illinois in their Big Ten opener Saturday night at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

The Huskers snapped an eight-game losing streak on the road and became the fifth team in Football Bowl Subdivision annals to reach the 900-win mark.

Nebraska (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) took its first lead on freshman wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson's 1-yard run with 8:00 to play -- his third touchdown of the night. Nebraska finished with 690 total yards -- 391 more than Illinois -- as sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez completed 22 of 34 passes for 327 yards and 3 touchdowns while rushing for 118 yards.

Robinson accounted for 168 yards -- 89 rushing and 79 receiving -- while junior wideout JD Spielman caught 7 passes for 159 yards and junior running back Dedrick Mills rushed for 62 yards and two scores.

Senior running back Reggie Corbin raced for 134 yards and 1 touchdown while senior running back Dre Brown added 59 yards and another score for Illinois (2-2, 0-1), which led most of the way by forcing four Nebraska turnovers that turned into 21 points.

When graduate transfer quarterback Brandon Peters scored on a 10-yard keeper with 5:40 left in the third -- the third time Illinois transformed a fumble into a touchdown -- Illinois owned a 35-21 lead.

Nebraska rolled up 21 points on its final four possessions to seize control against a tired Illinois defense. The Huskers ran 98 plays and owned the ball for more than 37 minutes.

Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe (9) catches a pass for a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

On the game's second play from scrimmage, Corbin bolted around his right tackle and only needed to break one tackle on his way to a 66-yard touchdown run.

Nebraska drove into Illinois territory on its first two possessions, but turned it over twice -- once on downs and the other on a fumble when Martinez couldn't connect on a handoff.

Illinois junior linebacker Jake Hansen recovered the fumble, then the Illini whisked down the field to take a 14-0 lead. With graduate transfer wideout Josh Imatorbhebhe facing single coverage, Peters found him on a fly pattern down the left sideline for a 26-yard touchdown at the 8:12 mark of the first quarter.

--Field Level Media

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