Altmyer and the No. 24 Illini spoil the night for No. 22 Nebraska with an unexpected 31-24 win in overtime

LINCOLN, Nebraska. — We are celebrating the 400th sold-out game in a row and are hoping for the first 4-0 start since 2016. Nebraska was ready for a “welcome back” party.

But Illinois messed up the Cornhuskers' big plans for Friday night.

Luke Altmyer completed 21 of 27 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 24 Illinois to an unexpected 31-24 victory over No. 22 Nebraska in overtime. Patrick Bryant had five receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns, Illinois Offensive Lineman Brandon Henderson caught a touchdown in the fourth quarter to tie the score and Kaden Feagin ran 69 yards.

Illinois has now won two of its first four games of the season against higher-seeded opponents for the first time since 1990.

Quarterback of Nebraska Dylan Raiola threw passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns, but Illinois sacked him five times, including three sacks in overtime, securing the win. Alec Bryant had a career-high 2.0 sacks, and Gabe Jacas, Dylan Rosiek and Dennis Briggs Jr. all had 1.0 sack.

Illinois started fast, forcing Nebraska to punt after a four-play opening drive. This was followed by a six-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 27-yard touchdown pass from Altmyer to Bryant and took a 7-0 lead just three minutes after the start of the game.

Nebraska then went 72 yards in 18 plays, but got stuck at the three-yard line with two consecutive incomplete passes and had to settle for a field goal after the nearly nine-minute drive to cut the deficit to 7-3.

But on the next drive, Illini wide receiver Hank Beatty fumbled after a first-down catch and Nebraska scored four plays later with a touchdown pass from Raiola in six yards on Isaiah Neyor Nebraska took a 10-8 lead with 0:32 minutes left in the second quarter. Illinois tied the game with a David Olano 26-yard field goal after an eight-play, 62-yard drive.

The Illini then had a chance to regain the lead after a touchdown catch by Neyor resulted in a Torrie Cox Jr. Interception in the end zone. But the Illini lost the ball on a down inside the Nebraska 35 after Zakhari Franklin dropped a potential catch on third down and then Altmyer was tackled in a scramble on fourth down just before the post – but the referees gave a penalty for face marking.

Shortly before halftime, Nebraska took a 17-10 lead when Raiola found Neyor in the corner of the end zone for an impressive pitch-and-catch with 16 seconds left in the half.

After both teams punted on their opening drives of the third quarter, Illinois tied the game at 17-17 with less than two minutes left in the third quarter when Altmyer Tanner Arkin for a three-yard touchdown pass to cap an 11-play, 57-yard touchdown drive.

But on its next possession, Nebraska marched 75 yards in five plays and took a 24-17 lead on Raiola's one-yard touchdown pass. Janiran Bonner with 14:57 minutes left in the second quarter. But Illinois responded again when Altmyer hit the offensive lineman Brandon Henderson for a six-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-2 to tie the game 24-24 with 10:36 minutes left.

The Illini defense forced their first three-and-out on the next possession after sacks by Seth Coleman And Gabe Jacasand Illinois drove to the Nebraska 33, but Altmyer fumbled on a sack, preventing the Illini from taking the lead. But the Illini defense fought back and forced Nebraska into a 39-yard field goal that John Hohl missed. The Illini then crossed the halfway line but couldn't get any further, and Hugh Robertson nailed a punt at the Nebraska 7-yard line, and the Cornhuskers kneed the ball into overtime.

Kaden Feagin ran 21 yards on the first play of overtime before Altmyer found Bryant for a four-yard touchdown.

Nebraska had a false start at the beginning of its drive before Alec Bryant And Dennis Briggs Jr. had two sacks in a row. After a short completion on 3rd-and-42, Dylan Rosiek dismissed Raiola and ended the game.

What it means: Illinois has been making a national splash and will now draw even more attention going forward. They should be the talk of College GameDay and Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday morning, and they deserve it. A team that was ranked 12th in the Big Ten and was projected by almost everyone to lose to Nebraska (and they took note) now looks like a team ready to make a big splash in the Big Ten, with great chances against three more top-ranked opponents over the next five weeks. Expectations for the season are now more than a bowl game. How about a great bowl game? How about being in the conversation for the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff in November? That's all possible now if they can keep this momentum going

Star of the game: With an epic performance, Luke Altmyer has asserted himself as a premier Big Ten quarterback. He looked confident all night, making big third down throws and showing toughness in front of over 86,000 fans. Despite dropping the ball, he now has 10 touchdowns with zero interceptions and a success rate of over 70%. The Illini have a guy at quarterback, and that gives them a chance in every game.

And kudos to the Illini offensive line. We all questioned them before the game, but they dominated the second half and beyond with 129 rushing yards (5

Statistics for the game

• Illinois made 7 of 13 third attempts, while Nebraska made 8 of 15 third attempts.
• Illinois had 126 rushing yards (5.0 ypc) after halftime.
• Illinois scored three of its five sacks in overtime.
• Nebraska had nine penalties for 89 yards, while Illinois had three penalties for 20 yards.
• Illinois has seven interceptions in four games, which is the total number of interceptions from all of last season.

Don’t miss: All four of Illinois' running backs made strong contributions. Kaden Feagin had his best game against an FBS opponent this season (69 yards on 12 carries), Josh McCray ran hard (9 runs for 38 yards), Aidan Laughery (30 yards on four attempts) had a 21-yard run and Ca’Lil Valentine (10 yards on three attempts) had an important five-yard run in the second half.

Henderson is the first Illini offensive lineman to score a touchdown since Corey Lewis recovered a fumble in the end zone in 2013. He is the first Illini offensive lineman to catch a pass since Jeff Allen in 2011.

What’s next: Illinois has another prime-time matchup against a ranked opponent on the road when it travels to No. 10 Penn State (2-0) on Saturday, Sept. 28, with kickoff at 6:00 or 6:30 p.m. CT (TV: TBD). Illinois lost 30-13 to Penn State at home last season, and the Illini have an overall record of 2-10 in State College. In their last meeting in Happy Valley, however, Illinois defeated No. 7 Penn State 20-18 in a CFB-record nine overtimes. The Nittany Lions defeated West Virginia 34-12 in week one before overcoming a scare at home with a 34-27 win in week two Bowling GreenAfter a week off last week, PSU Kent State on Saturday.