Dre Brown Director of Player Personnel | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Dre Brown Director of Player Personnel | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
No. 24 Illinois secured a 31-24 overtime victory against No. 22 Nebraska on Friday night, improving to 4-0 for the first time since 2011. The Illini outscored Nebraska 21-7 after halftime and became the first team in the nation with two AP Top 25 wins this season.
Quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 21 of his 27 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning score to Pat Bryant in overtime. "I'm passionate about the game," Altmyer said. "I dreamed about being in this position."
Pat Bryant recorded five catches for a team-high 74 yards and two touchdowns, marking his third multi-touchdown performance of the season. Kaden Feagin led the ground attack with 12 carries for 69 yards.
Defensively, Illinois tallied a season-high five sacks, three of which came during the overtime period to prevent Nebraska from scoring.
Head coach Bret Bielema praised his team's effort: "I'm very excited for our players, our coaches, and our fan base... I can't say enough about these guys."
Nebraska initially took a narrow lead into halftime at 17-10 but could not maintain it as Illinois mounted their comeback in the second half. The Illini tied the game at multiple points before securing their win in overtime.
Illinois will face No. 10 Penn State next week under the lights on September 28.
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