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Forth Quarter Hero Allison lifts Illinois over Nebraska
- Updated: October 5, 2015
It took some time for Wes Lunt to connect with Geronimo Allison in the Nebraska end zone but when they did, it won the game.
With 10 seconds left in the game, Lunt connected with the senior receiver just inside the right corner of the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown that, after Taylor Zalewski’s extra point, gave Illinois (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) an unlikely 14-13 win.
Before I get into the pace and statistics of this game, let me tell you that this was an outstanding game. Both teams battled despite hitting some rough patches throughout the game. Both teams knew this was a big game and coming out with a victory would put them in the driver seat for the rest of their BIG Ten schedule.
The big reason Illinois won on Saturday was their defense. They held Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. to only 105 yards passing. Despite giving up 187 yards on the ground, the Illini defense made up for that lapse by being able to force two turnovers.
Star WR Jordan Westercamp was a non-factor in this game. He had one catch for -1 yards.
Wes Lunt started off conference play with a great performance. Lunt threw for 251 yards and 2 TDs. He connected with seven different wide receivers but eight times with Geronimo Allison.
In the first quarter, Josh Ferguson broke through a huge hole for a 48 yard run. After a hard tackle, Ferguson hurt his shoulder and did not return. Backup Ke’Shawn Vaughn did a fabulous job filling in for the Illini star. Vaughn rushed for 98 yards on 24 carries.
The big reason Illinois came out with a win was their balance of pass and run. It is important, especially in a close game, to make keep the defense guessing. This was Illinois best game so far this season when it comes to a whole sale effort.
Illinois is now 4-1 while the Nebraska Cornhuskers fall to 2-3.
Illinois will travel to Iowa and play the undefeated Hawkeyes. Illinois hopes to have Josh Ferguson back in the lineup after hurting his shoulder this past week. It will for sure be a QB battle as Wes Lunt will go up against junior C.J. Beathard. Iowa is coming off a huge win vs. Wisconsin so there will be no doubt they will try and go 6-0. It is up to Illinois to continue playing well on defense and fix the details in order to pull off an upset at Iowa.
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