Nebraska Football: 3 questions that need answers against Illinois

Can Nebraska football keep Casey Thompson upright?

The kneejerk reaction to this question is likely “you cannot be serious.” The fact of the matter is the Huskers’ offensive line actually took a big step back this season from last year, when the same unit was so bad that it got its position coach fired.

The Huskers have allowed 20 sacks (19 of Casey Thompson) and the Illini have recorded 23 through seven games. Quick math shows that the Huskers are allowing almost three sacks a game, while Illinois is recording more than three sacks per contest.

So how in the world do the Huskers keep Thompson from getting sacked early and often? That’s a question that offensive coordinator Mark Whipple is going to have to answer from the first drive.

Sacks don’t even tell the whole story. Any Nebraska football fan who has watched their games this year can tell you that some of the most vicious hits on Thompson have come when he’s gotten the ball away.

Nebraska has allowed 92 total quarterback pressures, according to PFF. Only Indiana is worse in the Big 10, and Iowa is really the only other B1G team close to that number. Meanwhile, Illinois has generated 142 quarterback pressures. That’s third in the conference, behind only Michigan and Penn State.

The good news is that like Brown, Thompson was able to go a week without taking any hits, allowing his body to reset at least a little. The question now is can the Nebraska football team find a way to keep him on his feet and in the game? If they can’t it’s hard to imagine the Huskers doing much of anything offensively.