JoJo Domann breaks up a first-half pass.

Nebraska 44
N. Illinois 8

Sept. 14, 2019 • 7 p.m. Central
Memorial Stadium •Lincoln, NE • FS1
1st2nd3rd4th F 
N. Illinois05308
Nebraska10207744
First quarter
NEB: Armstrong 36 field goal, 12:31
NEB: Washington 21 pass from Martinez (Armstrong kick) 6:22
Second quarter
NEB: Washington 60 run (kick blocked) 12:20
NIU: Richardson 45 field goal, 7:58
NEB: Mills 24 run (Armstrong kick) 7:19
NIU: Safety, Jordan tackled Washington in end zone, 1:49
NEB: Noa 27 pass from Martinez (McCallum kick) 0:05
Third quarter
NIU: Richardson 27 field goal, 9:47
NEB: Martinez 10 run (McCallum kick) 3:00
Fourth quarter
NEB: Vedral 3 run (McCallum kick) 4:04 

                            NIU      NEB
FIRST DOWNS................. 20       22
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)....... 32-74   33-238
PASSING YDS (NET).......... 276      287
  Att-Comp-Int......... 49-28-1  32-19-0
TOTAL OFFENSE .......... 81-350   65-525
Fumble Returns-Yards....... 0-0      1-6
Punt Returns-Yards......... 2-5     3-20
Kickoff Returns-Yards..... 4-49     1-18
Int. Returns-Yards......... 0-0      1-9
Punts (Number-Avg)...... 7-38.6   3-45.3
Fumbles-Lost............... 1-1      2-1
Penalties-Yards........... 4-40     1-15
Possession Time.......... 37:58    22:02
Third-Down Conv. ...... 5 of 20  6 of 13
Fourth-Down Conv. ...... 2 of 6   1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.... 1-2      3-6
Sacks By: Number-Yards..... 0-0     2-16

RUSHING
NIU: NETTLES, Jordan 9-43; HARBISON, Tre 12-30; VALENTINE, Rahv 2-9; TEARS, Spencer 1-6; CHILDERS, Marcu 2-4; FERENCE, Matt 2-minus 7; BOWERS, Ross 4-minus 11.

NEB: Dedrick Mills 11-116; Maurice Washington 4-63; Adrian Martinez 11-44; Rahmir Johnson 3-9; Wyatt Mazour 1-3; Noah Vedral 1-3; Wan'Dale Robinson 2-0.

PASSING
NIU: BOWERS, Ross 25-44-1-248; CHILDERS, Marcu 3-5-0-28.

NEB: Adrian Martinez 16-27-0-257; Noah Vedral 3-5-0-30.

RECEIVING
NIU: CRAWFORD, Danie 5-71; TUCKER, Cole 5-50; TEARS, Spencer 3-32; RICHIE, Tyrice 3-31; BRINKMAN, Mitch 3-25; JONES, Marcus 2-18; ROBINSON, Denni 2-8; LERSCH, Corey 1-26; NETTLES, Jordan 1-10; VALENTINE, Rahv 1-3; HARBISON, Tre 1-3; LOVE, Michael 1-minus 1.

NEB: JD Spielman 4-76; Kanawai Noa 3-51; Wan'Dale Robinson 3-48; Maurice Washington 3-18; Jack Stoll 2-38; Mike Williams 1-26; Darien Chase 1-13; Kurt Rafdal 1-9; Jaevon McQuitty 1-8.

Attendance: 89,593

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Stats & Recap
Complete Stats

Huskers put away Huskies early

Adrian Martinez accounted for more than 300 yards of total offense and had a hand in three touchdowns, while Dedrick Mills rushed for 116 yards and a score on just 11 carries, as Nebraska rolled to a 44-8 win over Northern Illinois.

Martinez completed 16-of-27 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns, and added 44 yards and another score on the ground to finish with 301 yards of total offense.

Martinez and Mills led a balanced Big Red offense that put up 525 yards of total offense, including 287 passing and 238 rushing yards. Northern Illinois managed 350 total yards, but just 74 on the ground, as the Blackshirts kept the Huskies out of the end zone, surrendering just a pair of field goals on the night.

In an action-packed first half that featured big plays and blocked kicks, Nebraska powered its way to a 30-5 halftime lead.

Omaha World-Herald*
Lincoln Journal Star*
Grand Island Indep.*
Husker247
Daily Nebraskan
HuskerOnline
Nebraska Athletics
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Pregame links & info
2019 schedule
04/13Reds 24, Whites 13
08/31S. AlabamaW 35-21
09/07@ ColoradoL 31-34
09/14N. IllinoisW 44-8
09/21@ IllinoisW 42-38
09/28Ohio St.L 7-48
10/05NorthwesternW 13-10
10/12@ MinnesotaL 7-34
10/26IndianaL 31-38
11/02@ PurdueL 27-31
11/16WisconsinL 21-37
11/23@ MarylandW 54-7
11/29IowaL 24-27
Kanawai Noa with a first-half reception.

Commentary

Stryker

When the season started, most observers were concerned about the Blackshirts. ... But through the non-conference schedule, the Nebraska defense has been the most dependable part of the team.

HuskerMax
Christopherson

This was a costly win from the injury standpoint. Very much so.

Peterson

After a week of talking about getting more wideouts involved, Nebraska backed it up; eight non-tailbacks caught a pass.

Hail Varsity
Shatel

This one didn't solve all problems, but it was good food for the soul. And check around the Big Ten on Saturday. Lot of teams would take this one.

Omaha World-Herald
Sipple

I'm not saying "ho-hum" because I thought the game would be closer. Bottom line, the Huskies (1-2) never seriously threatened the home team.

Lincoln Journal Star
Shatel

The Blackshirts look real. Yes, we know better than to judge off beating a MAC team. But they’ve been consistently good for 11 of 12 quarters — and yes, that fourth quarter in Boulder was a doozy.

Omaha World-Herald
Chatelain

Martinez doesn’t need to be Cam Newton or Vince Young for the Huskers to win the West. He just needs to be the best player on the team. Saturday showed his vulnerability and his potential.

Omaha World-Herald
Hardesty

The first of several judgment days for this season is drawing nearer, and the Huskers proved Saturday night that they are willing to go through the preparation and practice that it takes to be ready for a test that large.

Daily Nebraskan
Callahan

The way Nebraska head coach Scott Frost attacked the final 44 seconds of the first half set the tone for the rest of the game.

HuskerOnline
Husker Mike

There was a bunch of A-level play on the highlights, but too many “whut?” moments that you can’t dismiss.

Corn Nation
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