Illinois holds off Nebraska to open 2021 college football season

Illinois' Artur Sitkowski leads a methodical eight-minute drive 75 yards down the field for another Illini touchdown. Sitkowski finished it off with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Luke Ford. Illinois leads by 14, and Nebraska will now get the ball for the first time this half and a chance to respond.

The Illini have scored 21 points in a row since trailing 9-2.

Illinois gets a scoop-and-score touchdown just before halftime. Nebraska's Adrian Martinez tried to escape the pocket, but Illinois' Calvin Hart Jr. picks it up and takes it 41 yards to the house. 

🚨 SCOOP AND SCORE 🚨 forces the fumble and takes the lead just before the end of the first half!

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX)

Illinois responds after a Nebraska field goal to tie the game up at nine. The six-minute drive was extended due to a roughing the passer and taunting penalty on Nebraska for what would have been a play that was originally an interception. The drive was capped off by a one-yard Mike Epstein touchdown run. 

Illinois is forced to punt on fourth down, but the Illini are given a gift by Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt, who is called for an illegal forward pass in the end zone. It would later be reviewed and ruled that Taylor-Britt was down by contact in the end zone. Either way, Illinois picks up the first points of the 2021 season.

Oh noooooo 😬

After official review, the call on the field is confirmed and the first points of the season come on a safety!

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX)

The wait is over, college football is back. The Nebraska Cornhuskers will travel to Champaign, IL, to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first college football game of the season. 

Illinois will come into this game under their new head coach Bret Bielema who went 97-58 as a head coach with Wisconsin (2006-12) and Arkansas (2013-17). On offense, Bielema will be returning eight starters including senior QB Brandon Peters, sophomore RB Chase Brown and senior LT Vederian Lowe. Last season, the Illini managed to put together a 2-6 record in a shortened Big Ten season. Their new-look coaching staff will try to get the program back on the right track this year. 

Nebraska's head coach Scott Frost will be heading into his fourth year at the helm, and just like Illinois, he too will be looking to right the ship. Frost has managed to put together a 12-20 record in the past three years at his alma mater. He will have a familiar face under center with junior QB Adrian Martinez starting his 29th career game this weekend. On defense, the Cornhuskers will have eight starters returning, including one of the top Big Ten cornerbacks in junior Cam Taylor-Britt. 

A win to open the season could help boost either of these teams to a turn-around season, as both opened 2020 with a loss. It will also help recognize what aspects of their game need to be addressed heading into the rest of the season. 

Here is the schedule for Saturday's game in Champaign:

• 1 p.m. | Nebraska vs. Illinois | Live stats |

The 2021 FBS season starts as Nebraska visits Illinois in an early season Big Ten clash. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Memorial Stadium in Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Nebraska and Illinois enter the game looking to rebound after finishing last season 3-5 and 2-6, respectively. While Illinois last reached a bowl game in the 2019 season, Nebraska hasn't been bowling since 2016.

Nebraska returns several players on the offensive end, none more important than QB Adrian Martinez. The playmaking Martinez led the Huskers in passing and rushing yards last year. He’ll have weapons like TE Austin Allen to help lead Nebraska’s offense to success.

Defensively, DT Ben Stille plugs the middle up front. On the back end, LB JoJo Domann is one of the most versatile players in the Big Ten. Domann’s coverage ability allows him to play in the box and the slot as a chess piece in Nebraska’s defense. Covering the outside is CB Cam Taylor-Britt, an explosive athlete who also returns punts for the Huskers.

For Illinois, RB Chase Brown is back after his 540 rushing yards led the team last year. He’ll try to better those numbers running behind C Doug Kramer and the Fighting Illini offensive line. Under new coach Bret Bielema, Illinois’ rushing attack should improve.

A defensive boost comes in the return of pass rushing specialist DL Owen Carney. A fifth-year senior, Carney is coming off a season with seven tackles for loss and five sacks. Carney is joined in the front seven by LB Jake Hansen. Together, they’ll be vital to shutting down opposing offenses.

The players at Nebraska and Illinois are aiming to build off of last season in what looks to be a competitive opening contest.

The Huskers and Fighting Illini will look to gain an early conference win on their resume to start the season.

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers first played the Illinois Fighting Illini way back in 1892 when the Fighting Illini traveled to Lincoln to lose, 6-0. Fast forward to the 21st century, and the Huskers have won six out of the last eight meetings since joining the Big Ten. In last season's matchup, Illinois defeated Nebraska 41-23 to end Nebraska's four-game win streak.

Nebraska leads the series 13-4-1. Here are all the meetings since 2000: