Game Week: at Illinois

NEBRASKA at ILLINOIS
Oct. 6, 2023 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
CHAMPAIGN, ILL. | 7 PM CT

HUSKERS
Record: 2-3, 0-2 Big Ten
Last Game: vs. No. 2 Michigan, L, 45-7
Rankings: NR
Coach: Matt Rhule
Career/NU Record: 49-46 (8th Year)/2-3 (1st Year)
vs. Illinois: 0-0

FIGHTING ILLINI
Record: 2-3, 0-2 Big Ten
Last Game: at Purdue, L, 44-19
Rankings: NR
Coach: Bret Bielema
Career/ILL Record: 112-73 (15th Year)/15-15 (3rd Year)
vs. Nebraska: 4-1

SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 13-6-1
In Champaign: Nebraska leads, 4-3-1
Last Game: Illinois, 26-9 (2022)
Win Streak: Illinois, 3 games

BROADCAST INFO
TV – FS1 (Jeff Levering, Mark Helfrich)
RADIO NETWORK – Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Damon Benning, Jessica Coody)
INTERNET RADIO –  Huskers.com
APP AUDIO – Official Huskers App

The Matchup
Nebraska returns to the road on Friday night when the Huskers travel to Illinois for a Big Ten West battle. The matchup between Nebraska and the Fighting Illini will kick off at 7 p.m. at Illinois' Memorial Stadium. Television coverage will be provided by FS1 with the contest available on the Huskers Radio Network, the official Huskers App and Huskers.com.

The Huskers complete the first half of their 2023 schedule at Illinois before moving into a bye week after the contest. Nebraska takes a 2-3 record into the game, including an 0-2 mark in Big Ten Conference play. The Huskers are coming off a home setback against No. 2 Michigan on Saturday in Lincoln. The trip to Illinois is Nebraska's only road game in a six-game stretch, following the Huskers' recent three-game homestand and back-to-back home contestsagainst Northwestern (Oct. 21) and Purdue (Oct. 28).

Illinois comes into the game with the same record as Nebraska at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play. Coach Bret Bielema's squad will also be looking to rebound from a loss last week, suffering a 44-19 loss at Purdue. Illinois features one of the top passing offenses in the conference, averaging 242.6 yards per game through the air.

Nebraska holds a strong 13-6-1 overall lead in the series heading into the game, however Illinois has captured the past three meetings between the two schools. Nebraska and Illinois have a history of close games in Champaign. Three of the four contests at Illinois since Nebraska joined the Big Ten have been one-score contests.

Series History: Nebraska vs. Illinois
Saturday's meeting between Nebraska and Illinois will be the 21st all-time matchup between the schools and the 11th consecutive season the teams have met on the gridiron. Nebraska has a 13-6-1 edge in the all-time series, including a 6-4 advantage since Nebraska joined the Big Ten.

• Nebraska won six of the first seven meetings as conference foes, but Illinois brings a three-game series win streak into Friday's matchup.

• Nebraska owns a 9-3 edge in games played in Lincoln, including 5-3 at Memorial Stadium.

• The Huskers won 54-35 in Lincoln in 2018, marking Nebraska's first 50-point outburst in a Big Ten Conference game.

• The only meetings between 1953 and 2013 came in 1985 and 1986 when Nebraska won both ends of a home-and-home series.

• Nebraska defeated Illinois and Red Grange, 14-0, in 1925, marking the only time in Grange's career he was held scoreless in a home game.

Big Ten Friday Night Lights
Nebraska will be playing a road game on the first Friday night in October for the second straight season, and a road Friday night game for the fourth time since 2017, including two games at Illinois.

• Nebraska also played a Friday night road game at Illinois in 2017, winning 28-6 in Champaign. Nebraska also won Friday night road games at Rutgers in 2020 and 2022.

• The Huskers do have a long history of playing on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Nebraska has played on Black Friday every year since 1990.

• Nebraska plays three total games on weekdays this year, including a Thursday night season opener at Minnesota and the Black Friday game against Iowa (Nov. 24).

Kemp Ranks Among Active Leaders in Career Receptions
Virginia transfer Billy Kemp IV is in his first season at Nebraska as one of the most experienced and accomplished receivers in the country. Kemp played in 50 games including 25 starts in five years at Virginia. He is eligible to play this fall after the NCAA granted all UVA players in their final season of eligibility one additional year of eligibility after a shooting on the Charlottesville campus that killed three football players and led to the cancellation of the final two games of Virginia's season.

• Kemp caught 192 passes for 1,774 yards and eight touchdowns in his Virginia career. He ranked fourth all-time at Virginia in receptions and 10th in receiving yards.

• Kemp had three catches against Northern Illinois, including an 8-yard touchdown catch to push his career receptions total to 200. He has added nine catches over the past two games and is tied for added a team-high five catches for 62 yards against Louisiana Tech and is tied for seventh among all active FBS players with his 209 career receptions.

• Kemp has 1,967 receiving yards in his career and is looking to join the 2,000-yard receiving club in this week's game.

• Kemp added his second touchdown in as many weeks with a nine-yard TD run against Louisiana Tech. It was his first career collegiate touchdown run, and his 10th overall touchdown.

This Week’s Numbers
3 – Nebraska's Friday night matchup at Illinois is one of three weekday games on the Husker schedule. Nebraska opened on a Thursday night at Minnesota and will play its regular-season finale against Iowa on Black Friday.

35 – A total of 35 Husker players have made a start on offense or defense through five games, including 19 different offensive players and 16 on defense.

2,000 - Nebraska senior receiver Billy Kemp IV needs 33 yards to reach 2,000 career receiving yards. There are currently 22 active FBS players with 2,000 career receiving yards heading into this week's games.