Illinois did everything it could do to lose that game. We know how that works. It was all we saw the first six games of the season.

It sure feels good to be on this side of the street. At least for a little bit. It was nice watching another team making mental mistakes. Big mistakes.

At this point Nebraska has to take a win anyway they can get it. Even if it required to “force” five turnovers by Illinois to do it. Illinois fumbled the ball seven times. They only lost three.

Former Nebraska quarterback A.J. Bush ran for 187 yards and two touchdowns, but he threw two interceptions. The one at the end of the game was garbage time. But the one outside the end-zone was merely a drop by his receiver. Give credit where it is due, Aaron Williams caught the ball. That didn’t happen at the beginning of the year.

Illinois shot itself in the foot too many times.

Nebraska won by three touchdowns, but the Nebraska defense could not stop Illinois from running the ball. But Minnesota couldn’t stop Illinois from running the ball last week. And then that Minnesota team holds Purdue to ten points this week and Minnesota wins by 31. So what does it all mean?

No clue. But when it comes to watching a team make game-losing mental mistakes, it is nice to watch it from this side of the street for once.

---

About Devine...I Mean...Come. On.

So for Friday Flakes I wrote about my current favorite Husker football player. It is fun that this team has so many options. But for me it was easy. Devine Ozigbo.

Here are his highlights against Illinois.

Watch his two long touchdown runs. The first one was 66 yards. And then the second one was 60. Now those are his two longest runs of his career.

He looks like a completely different player. On that 60 yard touchdown run, there were at least two Illinois defenders who had the angle on him and it didn’t matter.

It is so awesome to watch. I hope he gets a chance with a NFL team. But in the meantime lets enjoy him.

---

Stoltenberg's pick and speech sends Huskers home the right way - Brian Christopherson: Nebraska 24/7

The game might aptly be summarized in the signature play for the Husker senior with bad knees who keeps dutifully showing up to work anyway.

There was the the rush of enthusiasm in the stadium when Mick Stoltenberg leaped into the air and picked off a pass, similar to the jolt of goodness felt by fans from Nebraska's first-quarter offensive dominance that included 21 points and 241 yards.

Converting takeaways to points biggest key for Nebraska defense - Mike Schaefer: Nebraska 24/7

Can takeaways be contagious? It certainly feels that way for the Huskers, who forced five Illinois turnovers during a 54-35 win on Saturday.

It’s the third straight game where the Huskers forced their opponent to cough it up three times and the Huskers converted the takeaways into points on four of the five possessions.

High-Scoring Huskers Win Keeps the Cold Out Just the Same | Hail Varsity - Brandon Vogel

It was an insulated coveralls kind of day in Lincoln, and in this part of the country there’s no shortage of camo and canvas in the closets. Nebraska fans would just as soon wear red, of course, and many still did. But you know the Nebraska wind is aggressive and paired with winter temperatures when the coveralls come out. That’s when you need the dense weave of cotton duck. The only good thing about those days is that Husker fans already have the clothes they need, something functional that serves a specific purpose.

Adrian Martinez Hasn't 'Scratched the Surface' Yet at Nebraska | Hail Varsity - Erin Sorensen

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez had a good day for the Huskers versus Illinois. Yet, he focused on the one area he felt he could improve on. That's just how he operates.

Nebraska is Starting to Look the Way It Wants to Look | Hail Varsity - Derek Peterson

Neal was with head coach Scott Frost and the rest of this Huskers’ staff at UCF before grad transferring to Nebraska. He’s not a fan of long sleeves so he had to find other creative ways to stay warm on a frigid Saturday morning at Memorial Stadium. Not a fan of the cold, but he knew it wouldn’t matter because of what he was signing up to be a part of.

Illinois miscues lead to blowout loss at Nebraska, 54-35 - The Champaign Room - Stephen Cohn

Illinois entered the day with a chance to move within one game of bowl eligibility.

And Illinois ended the day looking like anything but the team that demolished Minnesota one week ago.

The Illini missed their opportunity at pulling to .500 on the season with a 54-35 loss to Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. If Illinois still wants to qualify for its first bowl game since the 2014 season this year, it will take wins over a ranked Iowa team and a Northwestern team still looking for a trip to the Big Ten Championship.

Illinois Football: 3 observations from the Illini loss to Nebraska - Rees Woodcock

This Illini team isn’t far away from being a perennial bowl program. They could have easily been in the game against Nebraska but some really dumb turnovers and some bad dropped balls were coupled with a defense that struggled early on, and all of this led to the Illini falling short of a win.

Husker offense heats up in November cold, blows past Illinois - journalstar.com: Parker Gabriel

Nothing about Saturday at Memorial Stadium should have reminded Nebraska senior safety Tre Neal of his former playing days at Central Florida.

Where cozy Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, Florida, stayed warm even as the calendar turned to November, cavernous Memorial Stadium featured a stiff breeze and its coldest kickoff temperature in 25 years.

Where the Knights chased perfection all throughout 2017, the Huskers are chasing only progress.

And yet, early on in Nebraska’s 54-35 victory over Illinois, Neal started to get a familiar feeling.

“This is exactly what it felt like last year,” he said.

Steven M. Sipple: Plenty to nitpick in Husker victory, but positive vibe in program trumps all | Football | journalstar.com

If you're a Nebraska football fan, you could spend a fair amount of time nitpicking your way through the Huskers' victory Saturday.

It would make more sense at this point in the season to emphasize the bigger picture as you contemplate Nebraska's oh-so-predictable 54-35 win against Illinois before 88,316 spectators on a 20-degree day at Memorial Stadium.

---

Great to see A.J. Bush be successful.

What’s next?

Fox has announced that they have selected the Huskers game with Michigan State for broadcast on your local Fox station at 11 am on Saturday, November 17. Frosted Flakes will be your tailgate menu this Saturday