Illinois 30, Nebraska 22
By TERRY TOWERY
Associated Press
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Under a new coach, with fans packed into the stands for the first time since 2019 and its backup quarterback at the helm, Illinois beat Nebraska 30-22 to kick off the 2021 college football season.
The Big Ten conference win didn't come without a price for the Illini.
Illinois starting quarterback Brandon Peters left the game holding his left (non-throwing) shoulder after being sacked hard near the end of the first quarter. He was 3 of 4 passing for 35 yards. He did not return and was replaced by Artur Sitkowski, a sophomore transfer from Rutgers.
Peters' status wasn't clear following Saturday's game.
Sitkowski engineered several long scoring drives using a balanced attack under first-year coach Bret Bielema.
Sitkowski was 12 of 15 passing for 124 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Illini rushing attack was led by Mike Epstein, who rushed for 75 yards on 16 carries, including a 45-yard run in the first quarter.
Huskers quarterback Adrian Martinez was impressive, racking up 232 passing yards on 16 completions. He had one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. Martinez was Nebraska's leading rusher, with 111 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown.
Gabe Ervin Jr. carried the ball 12 times for 19 yards and Markese Stepp had three carries for 10 yards and a touchdown for the Huskers.
Illinois scored on a defensive gem late in the first half when Keith Randolph Jr. sacked Martinez and knocked the ball loose near midfield. Calvin Hart Jr. scooped it up and scampered 41 yards for an Illini touchdown with less than a minute in the half.
Hart Jr. was injured late in the game and was helped off the field with what appeared to be a left leg injury.
Illinois led 16-9 at the break.
Illinois athletics press release
| Scoring Summary |
| First Quarter |
Neb | Ill |
| Ill |
SF |
4:07 |
Team safety |
0 |
2 |
| Second Quarter |
Neb | Ill |
| Neb |
TD |
14:25 |
Markese Stepp 2 yard TD run (Connor Culp Kick Failed) |
6 |
2 |
| Neb |
FG |
9:15 |
Connor Culp 27 yard field goal |
9 |
2 |
| Ill |
TD |
2:51 |
Mike Epstein 1 yard TD run (James McCourt Extra Point) |
9 |
9 |
| Ill |
TD |
0:37 |
Calvin Hart Jr. 42 yard fumble return for TD (James McCourt Extra Point) |
9 |
16 |
| Third Quarter |
Neb | Ill |
| Ill |
TD |
6:56 |
Luke Ford 2 yard TD pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt Extra Point) |
9 |
23 |
| Ill |
TD |
4:01 |
Isaiah Williams 1 yard TD pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt Extra Point) |
9 |
30 |
| Neb |
TD |
3:48 |
Adrian Martinez 75 yard TD run (Connor Culp Extra Point) |
16 |
30 |
| Fourth Quarter |
Neb | Ill |
| Neb |
TD |
2:41 |
Oliver Martin 4 yard TD pass from Adrian Martinez (Connor Culp Kick Failed) |
22 |
30 |
| Team Stats |
| |
Nebraska |
Illinois |
| First downs |
19 |
18 |
| Rushing |
8 |
9 |
| Passing |
10 |
8 |
| Penalty |
1 |
1 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency |
5-14, 36% |
6-13, 46% |
| 4th down efficiency |
1-2, 50% |
0-0, -% |
| Rushes-Yards |
39-160 |
48-167 |
| Passing Yards |
232 |
159 |
| Return Yards |
31 |
16 |
| Completions-Attempts-Int |
16-32-0 |
15-19-0 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost |
5-35 |
3-17 |
| Punts |
5 |
6 |
| Fumbles Lost |
2-1 |
1-1 |
| Penalties - Yards |
5-67 |
3-40 |
| Nebraska Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| A. Martinez |
16 |
32 |
232 |
1 |
0 |
| Nebraska Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| Illinois Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| Nebraska Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| D. Cerni |
5 |
172 |
34.4 |
| Illinois Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| B. Hayes |
6 |
272 |
45.3 |
| Nebraska Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
