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Illinois Football: Preview of the Nebraska Cornhuskers Defense

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:43 a.m. ET

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Nov 14, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Marcus Newby (3) and defensive end Ross Dzuris (88) celebrate sack of Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Chris Laviano (5) at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

The Illinois football team travels to Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend to take on a pesky Cornhuskers defense.

The offense has been a struggle this season for the Illinois Fighting Illini.  They need to put points on the board, but they are playing a tough defense this weekend.

Here is what the Illini offense will be facing.

Defensive Line: DE Ross Dzuris; DT Mick Stoltenberg; DT Kevin Maurice; DE Freedom Akinmoladun

Nebraska usually has a great defensive line and this season they are not straying away from the norm.

The Cornhuskers rank No. 42 in the nation in sacks with an average of 2.5 per game this season.  They have a front-four that is dominate and Illinois has to watch out for them come Saturday.

Defensive end Ross Dzuris is one of the best players on the defensive line.  Through four games this season Dzuris has 16 tackles and leads the team in sacks with 3.5.  He also has a fumble recovery as well.

I am most impressed by Dzuris vision. He played linebacker in high school so he is a player that has natural ability.  He can see where a play is going and either keeps contain or makes a play.  He will be dangerous on Saturday.

The other defensive end, Freedom Akinmoladun, is pretty good as well.  He has 9 tackles on the season and a forced fumble.

There isn’t much film on Akinmoladun considering he just transitioned into the defense end role this spring.  This former tight end is a wild card this weekend.

Mick Stoltenberg and Kevin Maurice are the defensive tackles for the Cornhuskers.  They both are monsters in the middle with each weighing over 290-pounds and standing 6-foot-3 or taller.

Maurice is second on the team in sacks with 2 this season.  He also has 7 tackles as well.  He is a great run stopper that could cause problems for Ke’Shawn Vaughn on Saturday.

Stoltenberg has 5 tackles on the season and .5 sacks.  These two defensive tackles are going to be a nightmare and they will put pressure on the Illini offensive line.

Nov 14, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Marcus Newby (3) sacks Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Chris Laviano (5) during the second quarter at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Linebackers: SAM Marcus Newby; MIKE Josh Banderas; WILL Dedrick Young

The Nebraska linebacker core is one of the best squads on the defensive side of the ball.

SAM linebacker Marcus Newby is 10th on the team in tackles with 10 tackles on the year.  He is a quick linebacker that flies around the field.

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One of the best traits that Newby brings to the field is speed.  He can run all over the field and this enables him to make plays and cover receivers and running backs.

MIKE linebacker Josh Banderas has 18 tackles on the season including 1 for a loss.  He is more of your stereotypical linebacker.

Banderas stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 220-pounds.  The best asset that he brings to the table is his vision on the field.

Banderas isn’t overly quick but he uses his vision to make plays.  He can see plays develop before they happen and this enables him to make tackles.

Dedrick Young is the Cornhuskers WILL linebacker.  He has 21 tackles on the season that includes 1 pass deflection and 1 forced fumble.

The main asset for Young is also his speed.  This linebacker core is built on power and speed.  This combination could be dangerous this weekend.

Sep 17, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers corner back Chris Jones (8) reacts after defeating the Oregon Ducks at Memorial Stadium. Cornhuskers won 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Backs: Cornerback Josh Kalu; Cornerback Chris Jones; Safety Kieron Williams; Safety Nathan Gerry

The final squad for the Nebraska Cornhuskers is the cornerbacks.  This group is arguably one of the worst squads on the team.

Through four games this season, Nebraska has given up an average of 290.5 passing yards per game.  They rank No. 121 in passing yards allowed.

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Illinois will need to attack the Cornhuskers through the air.  This means Wes Lunt will need to be on his game come Saturday.

Both safeties, Kieron Williams and Nathan Gerry, have 2 interceptions on the season.    Gerry has also added in 4 pass deflections as well.

These two safeties are hard-hitting and could be dangerous at times for Lunt and the passing game.  But, I think the Illini needs to establish a running game early to open up the passing game.

The cornerbacks for Nebraska are Josh Kalu and Chris Jones.

Jones has 2 interceptions on the season as well as 11 tackles and 4 pass deflections.  He could be a pain at times for the wide receivers but I think we have enough talent on the outside to beat him.

Kalu has 1 interception, 18 tackles, and 1 pass deflection on the season as well.

The defensive backs are an area that Illinois will need to attack throughout the game.  But, if they don’t establish the run then Lunt could struggle at times.

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