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

Let Freedom Ring

3. Freedom Akinmoladun – DE: Coming into the season, nobody expected Freedom Akinmoladun to lead the team in sacks. Well, after four games, Akinmoladun has been a saving grace for the Huskers’ defense. Now expectations are for the freshman defensive end to get better each game.  Can he live up to the hype?

Freedom leads the Nebraska Cornhuskers with four sacks. Last week, we knew he needed to have a couple sacks for the Nebraska defense to be successful. It just so happens that Freedom earned his second sack on the final play of the game. There were no Hail Mary’s to be had by Southern Mississippi. Finally, the Huskers got a stop they desperately needed in the fourth quarter.

With his brilliant play, Freedom earned a Blackshirt this week. He’s fourth in the Big Ten with six tackles for loss. Freedom has plenty of help along the front four, and it’s their ability to control the run, giving Nebraska a chance to become a good defense.

Once again, the Huskers must be tough against the run, but they have to get to the quarterback with a normal pass rush. Sometimes, the blitzes have been effective, but they’ve broken down every game. Freedom seems like the one player that can get to the quarterback on a consistent basis. With Maliek Collins in the middle, he shouldn’t expect to be hit with a double team just yet. Hopefully, Freedom can get loose for more sacks on Saturday.

Illinois throws the ball 42 times per game. As long as Freedom can maintain his conditioning in the game, he should have plenty of chances for big plays. If he’s unable to get a good pass rush, it’s time for Akinmoladun to get his hands up in the passing lanes. That might help the Huskers’ secondary a lot.