Nebraska Football: 3 reasons why Huskers will beat Illinois
3. Nebraska has the better QB
Both teams return experienced quarterbacks with multiple seasons of being a starter under their belt.
Brandon Peters is back again for Illinois but last season, he completed just 48 percent of his passes and while it could have been an anomaly, Peters has never completed higher than 55 percent in a full season.
Peters is a career 53-percent passer. He tends to do a solid job of protecting the ball, but he’s much less dynamic than Martinez who is a true dual-threat.
The light went on for Martinez down the stretch last season after he was benched earlier in the year. He handled the situation in the best way possible and it earned him respect from his teammates, who responded well to him when he was re-inserted in the lineup.
The old saying is that the team with the better quarterback and the better head coach usually wins. While it’s hard to give Frost the edge over Bielema, this is Bret’s first game and it’s clear that Nebraska has the edge at quarterback.
Next. Nebraska game-by-game predictions. dark
Add in the fact that the Huskers return 10 of 11 starters on defense and there is plenty of reason to believe Nebraska can make a statement Saturday against the Illini.