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After two games on the road, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are heading back home. Their week off comes to an end as they meet up with the Illinois Fighting Illini at 3:30 p.m. ET at Tom Osborne Field at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. With a combined 948 yards of offense in their previous games, we can expect a fast-paced matchup.
Two weeks ago, Nebraska was within a late touchdown of stealing the win, but they took the "L" against the Purdue Boilermakers 43-37. The Cornhuskers might have lost, but man -- WR Trey Palmer was a total machine. He caught seven passes for two TDs and 237 yards. One of the most thrilling moments was Palmer's 72-yard TD reception in the third quarter.
Special teams collected 13 points for Nebraska. K Timmy Bleekrode delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game.
Meanwhile, when you finish with 292 more yards than your opponent like Illinois did two weeks ago, a favorable outcome is almost sure to follow. They netted a 26-14 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It was another big night for Illinois' RB Chase Brown, who picked up 180 yards on the ground on 41 carries in addition to snatching one receiving TD.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, which contributed 14. K Fabrizio Pinton delivered a perfect 4-for-4 game.
Nebraska is expected to lose this next one by 7.5. Those who got lucky with them against the spread two weeks ago might want to hold off on placing bets this time since the squad has yet to string together back-to-back wins against the spread.
The Cornhuskers are now 3-4 while the Fighting Illini sit at 6-1. Two numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Nebraska enters the game with 16 rushing touchdowns, good for 34th best in the nation. But Illinois comes into the contest boasting the second fewest rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation at three. We'll see if their defense can keep Nebraska's running backs out of the end zone.
