Nebraska Football: 3 questions that need answers against Illinois

Can Nebraska Football Limit The Damage In The Red Zone

Illinois’ defense is the reason that the Illini are 6-1 and ranked 17th in the country. That’s not even a question.

Head coach Bret Bielema’s squad is ranked first in the country in fewest points and and fewest yards per game. They’s also second in the nation in both rushing and pass defense.

It would be foolish to think the Cornhuskers are going to be able to put up 39 points against Illinois the way they did against Purdue. The Illini have allowed two touchdowns in a game twice all year.

If the Huskers want to have a chance on Saturday, they’re going to need to bow up and play defense of their own. One area where Illinois might be especially weak is actually putting the ball in the end zone.

The Illini have scored in just 26 of their 33 trips (78.8 percent) inside the 20,  That tanks as10th in the conference and 96th in FBS. Illinois also turns the ball over at a fairly regular clip. While quarterback Tommy DeVito has limited interceptions (he’s only thrown two), that’s largely because he hasn’t been asked to throw much.

However, Illinois does have a fumbling problem. They’ve fumbled nine times this season; that’s second most in the Big Ten behind only Northwestern’s nine.

If the Nebraska football team can force Illinois to come out of the red zone without a score, whether by forcing a turnover on downs, or just a turnover, the Huskers might have a shot.