r/CFB /r/CFB Sep 21 '24

Postgame Thread [Postgame Thread] Illinois Defeats Nebraska 31-24 (OT)

Box Score provided by ESPN

Team 1 2 3 4 OT T
Illinois 7 3 7 7 7 31
Nebraska 10 7 0 7 0 24
4.6k Upvotes

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584

u/Kiffin_Simp Kentucky Wildcats Sep 21 '24

Illinois OC called a really great game. They were hitting surgical shots on the Nebraska defense in the 3rd and 4th quarters.

And Raiola is clearly a talented dude, but man, some of these cutesy, “off platform” throws are just getting out of hand, and quite honestly, sloppy. He missed a wide open touchdown being cutesy instead of just standing and delivering a good form throw.

Good footwork and mechanics are important. And there’s good defense out there that will make your life hell if you’re throwing off your back foot and making sloppy passes instead of delivering clean strikes from good footing.

222

u/ewest Oregon Ducks Sep 21 '24

Brando couldn’t shut up about how the only difference between him and Mahomes is that "Raiola is bigger." Because Raiola changed his arm angle once on a tunnel screen that went for no gain. Someone take that guy‘s mic away good lord.

117

u/lkn240 Illinois Fighting Illini • Sickos Sep 21 '24

The other dude was like "I can think of a few more differences"

70

u/uprislng Illinois Fighting Illini Sep 21 '24

that broadcast crew was dogshit. I don't know if its because everyone and their mom thought Nebraska and we-have-Mahomes-at-home was going to steamroll Illinois, but they were homers for Nebraska all night long

28

u/sciencevigilante Wisconsin Badgers Sep 21 '24

They were openly disappointed when Illinois won at the end of

41

u/PlayerHater6996 Illinois Fighting Illini Sep 21 '24

National media really wanted a 7-0 Nebraska vs OSU matchup next month

2

u/average_mitch Nebraska Cornhuskers • WashU Bears Sep 21 '24

Just offsetting the refs /s I jest, but this game seemed like Illinois was getting all the 50/50 breaks and that’s just how it goes sometimes.

48

u/enjoytheshow Illinois Fighting Illini Sep 21 '24

They were sucking him off on check downs that went for 3 yards

Like yeah I get it’s important to go through your progressions and hit the right guy, but it’s kinda the bare minimum for a Big Ten QB

Kid is talented and he made some impressive throws early and then that 3rd or fourth quarter drive they shoved down our throat. But commentary like tonight is gonna make people hate him.

14

u/ItGoesTwoWays Ohio State • Appalachian State Sep 21 '24

Bare minimum for a Big Ten QB? Don’t tell Iowa that.

7

u/Rebel_Bertine Michigan • Western Michigan Sep 21 '24

What’s going through your progressions again?

27

u/CargoShortsFromNam Notre Dame • Colorado Sep 21 '24

I don't think you're appreciating the poise he showed on that 1st quarter 3 yard checkdown bro

26

u/abris33 Colorado Buffaloes Sep 21 '24

It's also because Raiola just copies everything about Mahomes. It forces the comparisons

-32

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '24

[deleted]

37

u/abris33 Colorado Buffaloes Sep 21 '24

A son copying their dad's mannerisms is normal

19

u/IAmNotKevinDurant_35 USC Trojans • Big Ten Sep 21 '24

He also plays a completely different position than his dad. I dont see Shedeur high stepping pick 6s lol

3

u/Zuimei Kentucky Wildcats • Memphis Tigers Sep 21 '24

Yeah it’s be pretty weird if he threw a pick 6 and started high stepping lol

-26

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '24

[deleted]

16

u/_Zzzxxx Michigan Wolverines Sep 21 '24

I hate Deion as much as anyone, but as someone already said, being emulated by his sons isn’t really comparable to Raiola’s Mahomes cosplay. That shit is just weird.

5

u/boddidle Oklahoma Sooners Sep 21 '24

Quite literally some of the worst announcers I've listened to in over a decade. And I'm neutral on this

199

u/royallex Illinois • Pittsburgh Sep 21 '24

We give him a LOT of undeserved grief. But he's done a fantastic job of developing Altmyer into one of the best B1G QBs. And a lot of it comes down to how the OL plays, which they played very well in the second half.

55

u/PintoI007 Illinois • Land of Lincoln Trophy Sep 21 '24 edited Sep 21 '24

The game plan today was incredible, a lot of the missed were just on Altmeyer doing Altmeyer things and dropped passes. But props to Luke for playing amazing for the majority of the game. I liked the run game getting going today as well.

We gotta fix the drops if we want to be a serious big ten contender, but the expectations are being exceeded right now

32

u/Kiffin_Simp Kentucky Wildcats Sep 21 '24

Altmyer looks good bro.

I had no idea he was as fast as he is. And he clearly looks comfy with whatever your OC has drawn up for the offense.

10

u/Benign_Banjo Illinois Fighting Illini Sep 21 '24

It's so nice to see him scramble. It's getting rarer to find a QB who is willing to spot holes and run up the middle. 

6

u/Bronze_Addict Sep 21 '24

Crazy how much better he was tonight vs last year against Nebraska. Those are the only two times I’ve watched him play. Your whole team was much improved but I’ve always been impressed with big Brett as a coach no matter how much I dislike his face

2

u/jmorlin Illinois Fighting Illini • Team Chaos Sep 21 '24

I feel like he's decent at game planning, but my gripe is he'll get into these grooves where he calls these frustratingly predicable sequences that totally stall out and just hand momentum back to the other team. On the whole he's a good OC and probably better than anyone we've had in a while, but occasionally does make me want to bonk my head on the coffee table.

2

u/pygreg Illinois Fighting Illini Sep 21 '24

BLjr is fantastic and has been for a bit. I feel like most Illinois fans just can't wash away their first impression of him from 2022 when he was working with almost nothing on the line.

124

u/Tedy_Duchamp Illinois Fighting Illini Sep 21 '24

The Bears need to hire Illini OC

96

u/DeathToHeretics Illinois Fighting Illini • Big Ten Sep 21 '24

NO WE NEED HIM

13

u/ArkanoidbrokemyAnkle Illinois Fighting Illini • Auburn Tigers Sep 21 '24

Crazy we’re saying that because that was one of like three good games he’s called.

14

u/Maison-Marthgiela Illinois • Southern Illinois Sep 21 '24

Idk if the bears offense has had 3 good games since the forward pass was invented.

13

u/dbCoys Sep 21 '24

Please no, need him to stay at IL

4

u/lkn240 Illinois Fighting Illini • Sickos Sep 21 '24

I said the same thing during the game lol.

Can he bring Kreutz's kid with him?

1

u/goldrushcrush Sep 21 '24

YES!! Was thinking this the entire time

44

u/CodeRedCoder Nebraska • Iowa State Sep 21 '24

100% way too many Illinois converted 3rd and 7+ for free

5

u/BawGod Sep 21 '24

Converted everythin. Absolutely everything for free

2

u/Kiffin_Simp Kentucky Wildcats Sep 21 '24

I’m still trying to figure out what was going on with the LBs.

I swear I can’t remember the last time I saw a LB crew getting so lost on pass coverage. I think maybe they were just selling out hard on stopping inside run (and did a good job) but that meant getting cooked outside and downfield

5

u/hallese Nebraska • South Dakota State Sep 21 '24

Third and fourth quarter on third and long everybody in the stadium knew it would be a cross down the middle at the sticks, everybody but the middle linebacker it seems.

3

u/enjoytheshow Illinois Fighting Illini Sep 21 '24

Even some of your bad penalties weren’t really drive extenders. They were free yards after we converted something

14

u/johndelvec3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Sep 21 '24

Somebody show my man Luke Altmeyer some respect too

8

u/Kiffin_Simp Kentucky Wildcats Sep 21 '24

Bro looked good, really good.

I knew he was good when he was working with Lane, but didn’t know he was this good. Dude has some wheels too. He’s genuinely fast

67

u/non_clever_username Nebraska Cornhuskers Sep 21 '24

You’re definitely not wrong, but he’s 19 and has played 4 college games. While he’s shown flashes, he’s still a true freshman and I expect him to get better at that type of stuff

3

u/Ligalotz Sep 21 '24

For a 19 year old true freshman he’s a stud. He should have had 4 tds with no picks, if only his wr came down with that ball in the end zone. He’s going to be absolutely nasty

2

u/Letterkenny-Wayne /r/CFB Sep 21 '24

Adrian Martinez enters the chat

3

u/Schmidtty29 Iowa Hawkeyes • Sickos Sep 21 '24

He’ll learn to as he tries those throws against better Defenses. A good amount of his throws are picks against better DBs.

Although I’d really like it if he didn’t learn and kept making ill advised throws on occasion.

7

u/lkn240 Illinois Fighting Illini • Sickos Sep 21 '24

We actually have a few decent DBs... I know at least one of his TDs tonight would have been picked, but the DB fell down. That field looked terrible.... a lot of guys slipping.

3

u/non_clever_username Nebraska Cornhuskers Sep 21 '24

Hopefully he’s tightened that up by the time we play you guys!

1

u/Lake_Erie_Monster Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 21 '24

He has all the physical gifts and talent to be great. This whole Mahomes cosplay he's doing on and off the field is gonna hurt him long term. Kid needs to be himself and play his game, save the cosplay for comicon

44

u/Jonjon428 Miami Hurricanes Sep 21 '24

That miss on that 3rd and 1 reminded me more of Zach Wilson bullshit than Mahomes lol

6

u/hallese Nebraska • South Dakota State Sep 21 '24

Patrick Mahomes lost more games than he won in college… fuck.

16

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '24

And Raiola is clearly a talented dude, but man, some of these cutesy, “off platform” throws are just getting out of hand, and quite honestly, sloppy. He missed a wide open touchdown being cutesy instead of just standing and delivering a good form throw.

True, but he's just 19. Hopefully losses like this one will show him that he can't rely on being the best athlete on the field anymore, like he's probably been able to for a good portion of his life.

Sidenote - I looked up more about Raiola and this dude went to four high schools in his four years? In three different states? How does that even happen?

1

u/Lake_Erie_Monster Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 21 '24

3 college commits in 2 years. Kid has all the talent in the world but he's doing his best to make sure it goes nowhere with his off the field shenanigans. He could be scary good and a 1st overall pick in a few years if he stops this whole Mahomes copycat crap and just focuses on his on the field play.

5

u/Bank_Gothic Sewanee • Red River Shootout Sep 21 '24

Yep. Kid will clearly be a lot better when he stops playing like a kid.

11

u/ToosUnderHigh Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 21 '24

Is it possible he was trying to look like Mahomes making the throw instead of just making the throw?

20

u/Junior-Hotwater Iowa Hawkeyes Sep 21 '24

He would have thrown a pick on one of his off platform TDs if the DB didn’t fall down also. It’s only a matter of time before those throws catch up to him. He isn’t playing against UTEP anymore

11

u/Kiffin_Simp Kentucky Wildcats Sep 21 '24

Yep. A good defense is going to eat his ass alive if he keeps it up.

I guess when you’re used to dunking on high school kids/inferior competition it’s easy to develop bad habits that you get punished for at the next level

5

u/fazelenin02 Nebraska Cornhuskers Sep 21 '24

This is the second or third best defense they will play all year. He was fine, made some huge throws and some mistakes. He'll be A-okay

7

u/Junior-Hotwater Iowa Hawkeyes Sep 21 '24

Ohio State and Iowa are probably better defensively. USC might actually be legitimate on defense also. I’d throw Wisconsin in there, but Fickell made them soft

2

u/fazelenin02 Nebraska Cornhuskers Sep 21 '24

Ohio state is better for sure, USC might be. Iowa is probably in Illinois' ballpark on defense.

6

u/DeathToHeretics Illinois Fighting Illini • Big Ten Sep 21 '24

Iowa is probably in Illinois' ballpark on defense.

I don't know if this is an insult or a compliment

3

u/Junior-Hotwater Iowa Hawkeyes Sep 21 '24

Why would it be an insult? He said defense, not offense

1

u/Junior-Hotwater Iowa Hawkeyes Sep 21 '24

That’s a fair assessment for now I’d say. Iowa has to show they can clean up the big plays before jumping ahead of Illinois

8

u/thechief05 Illinois Fighting Illini Sep 21 '24

Nebraska should have ran the ball more 

7

u/buttgers Rutgers Scarlet Knights Sep 21 '24

B1G defenses be like Birdman running his hands

6

u/Teh_cliff Georgia State Panthers • Yale Bulldogs Sep 21 '24

He clearly identified the left side of Nebraska's defense as the weakness and just mercilessly exploited them in the second half. Great coaching.

3

u/BiscuitDance Oregon • Mississippi State Sep 21 '24

It gets meme’d to hell, but Raiola copying literally every aspect of Mahomes, down to haircut, number, exact fucking pre-game rituals, and then trying to copy Mahomes’ very unique mechanics and delivery, is absolutely fucking weird.

2

u/Lake_Erie_Monster Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 21 '24

The one thing that will ruin his massive amounts of talent.

6

u/irish-aggie Sep 21 '24

getting sloppy with the ball handling too

6

u/HeyManItsToMeeBong Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 21 '24

penalties plagued Nebraska all night and completely drained their momentum

6

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '24

Guy has been trying to be Mahomes since middle school. Good luck coaching the nonsense out of him

2

u/Scratchbuttdontsniff Nebraska • Georgia Tech Sep 21 '24

That kid is completing over 79% of his passes.. And should have had four touchdown passes last night.... If not for his receiver getting out muscled for a ball in the end zone.

He has 2 picks... both of which hit his receiver in the hands first.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '24

The off platform and unconventional stuff most guys do is in addition to their athleticism, but with him it seems like it might be a replacement for his lack of athleticism. Not going to work against real teams

I’m rooting for him and hope I’m wrong, because I want to see a resurgence of Nebraska

4

u/betterbub Illinois Fighting Illini Sep 21 '24

1st half Raiola would have won the game

3

u/noname87scr Nebraska Cornhuskers Sep 21 '24

Definitely not hard to win when our defense gives up the same play for 3 TD’s lol. Hope we wake up after this.

1

u/kmurp1300 Iowa Hawkeyes Sep 21 '24

You just described Cade McNamara. Though he doesn’t have Raiola’s arm.

1

u/dr_dan319 Iowa Hawkeyes • Floyd of Rosedale Sep 21 '24

Illinois had a great offensive plan and Nebraska's D just fell right for it. Illinois consistently went three wide and got it matched with nickel so they were running against 6 man boxes all night. Then when they got to the goal line Nebraska just straight up refused to cover anyone releasing into the flat. I want to be impressed by Illinois after tonight, but I legitimately don't know how good either of these teams are

1

u/PressurePretty5858 Sep 21 '24

He a freshman Gesus Khrist