Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini: Five Players To Watch

4. Jordan Westerkamp – WR: Jordan Westerkamp is the clear leader of the Nebraska Cornhuskers receiving corp right now. Coming into the Illinois game, Westerkamp has 26 catches for 351 yards, and four touchdowns. He seems to be getting more comfortable with the new offense.

Westerkamp leads the Big Ten with those 26 catches, and four touchdown receptions. Now that he’s getting more targets than ever before, his yards per catch have come down from the previous years. During this junior campaign, Westerkamp is averaging 13.5 yards per reception. It’s a direct result of becoming an all-around receiver. Westerkamp can make plays on all three levels within the offense. He has good ability to run after the catch. In addition, he has other receivers to take pressure away from making all the plays.

Due to De’Mornay Pierson-El’s injury, Westerkamp also took over the punt return duties in September. It will be interesting to see if he’s fielding punts on Saturday. The return of Pierson-El is coming, so Nebraska may have him performing punt return duties in his first action. Otherwise, Westerkamp will remain a steady participant in the return game. He’s yet to take one to the house, but Westerkamp has been great at navigating the sideline in recent punt returns.