Three straight heart-breaking losses have derailed the momentum the Nebraska Cornhuskers built from a strong 5-0 start to the 2026 season. After failing to capitalize on one of the best atmospheres at Memorial Stadium all season, the Huskers are now on a shortened week to prepare for the Illinois Fighting Illini (5-3, 3-2 B1G), who are on a three-game winning streak.
Here are four storylines for you to watch as the Huskers travel east to Champaign for a date with the Illini.
The final month of the season is here, and it has been a month that has not been kind to Matt Rhule during his time at Nebraska.
While in Lincoln, Rhule has a record of 2-10 in the month of November. His only wins were against Wisconsin in 2024, which ended the seven-year bowl drought, and last season in Los Angeles against UCLA.
It was key that Nebraska took care of business against the Washington Huskies to help grab momentum for the final month, especially with three of four games on the road. With three straight losses, it has increased the pressure to do well in the final month, still looking to get that sixth win for bowl eligibility.
The Huskers will have an opportunity, obviously, this week against Illinois before heading to the East Coast to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. It's an opportunity to build some momentum before hosting the Ohio State Buckeyes and heading east on I-80 to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Black Friday.
In the Huskers' three fourth-quarter implosions, one of the key factors has been the offense struggling to get things going, especially in the second half.
Rhule acknowledged the struggles that the Husker offense has had in the past few weeks and mentioned that he believed that the offense was trying to do too much against Washington.
"Dana (Holgorsen) has a huge part in it. Every assistant coach has a play in it. I have a play in it," Rhule said Monday when asked about the offense doing too much. "I don't want Dana to press too much. I want Dana to keep going out and being him. When Anthony (Colandrea) struggles, it means Glenn Thomas and Dana struggles, which means I struggle."
Anthony Colandrea passes against the Washington Huskies during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Something that has been glaring is the disparity between the Huskers pass game and run game.
Nebraska has failed for multiple weeks in a row to get the run game to match the production it had during the first five games. Holgorsen said last week that he wanted the running backs to play better against Washington.
Now, comparing the game against Washington with the losses against Indiana and Oregon, the Huskers did run the ball somewhat better. True freshman Jamal Rule led the team in rushing with 13 carries for 72 yards. However, Nebraska went away from the run too much, with Colandrea throwing the ball 44 times.
Monday, Rhule said that Holgorsen would stay on the staff despite the offensive struggles. While still keeping his play-calling duties, Holgorsen, along with offensive line coach Geep Wade, will move up to the coaches' box.
"What I decided was that it would be a calmer environment," Holgorsen said Tuesday. "We have enough coaches on the sidelines to handle the players."
He went on to say that he is all for some changes if it results in more points when it mattered most to win games.
Regardless, the offense will have lot of eyes on them on Friday night as Nebraska looks to get its sixth win of the season.
Special teams has been an up-and-down battle for the Huskers this season. Sophomore punter Archie Wilson has been solid as of late, being named the Week Nine Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week.
However, the Huskers have struggled to make field goals this season. Senior placekicker Kyle Cunanan has struggled for the majority of the season, only making 4 of 9 attempts. Rhule announced Monday that senior John Hohl will be the starting kicker moving forward.
John Hohl was announced as the starting placekicker moving forward on Monday as the Huskers take on Illinois on Friday night. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN
Missed field goals have come back to hurt the Huskers during the three-game losing streak. Right before halftime against Indiana, Nebraska had an opportunity to go up 13-3, but Cunnanan missed from 40 yards out.
What sealed the change was Cunanan's missed 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter last week against Washington.
"After that miss, it just felt like we had to make a change," Rhule said postgame on Saturday, which he went on to confirm on Monday.
Hohl is 11 of 16 on field goals for his career, with his longest being from 54 yards out on the road at Ohio State back in 2024.
The margin of error is thin in the Big Ten, and it will be key for the Huskers to figure out their kicking woes, especially going into the final month of the season.
Illinois running back Jordan Anderson (23) is one of three running backs that Nebraska will be challenged to stop on Friday night. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Fighting Illini are on a three-game winning streak. During this streak, the run game has helped the Illini find ways to win the games during the stretch.
Defensive coordinator Rob Aurich said Tuesday that Illinois has three solid running backs that have different strengths that will challenge the Nebraska defense.
"They're really dialed in to what they're trying to do," Aurich said. "No. 21 really gets vertical in their duo game. They have a big back in No. 23... They used a new kid last week who broke a big run in a unbalanced formation against Maryland."
He also said that the three backs do a good job at always gaining positive yardage, which can wear down a defense. However, Aurich then said that he believes that the defense has a tremendous plan for stopping their rushing attack.
Nebraska and Illinois face off at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov.broadcast 6, at Geis Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The game is set to be broadcasted on FOX.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/nebraska as Four Storylines to Watch as Nebraska Takes on Illinois .
