Bret Bielema bracing Illinois for extreme noise levels at Nebraska

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Fighting Illini will make their first road trip of the season Friday, and it’s going to be at a venue that packs nearly 90,000 fans.

Nebraska is one of College football’s traditional powerhouses, with the most loyal fans in the country and Memorial Stadium is the pride of the program. The Sea of Red can be mesmerizing to some, but intimidating to others, particularly the opposition, and Coach Bret Bielema knows all about the aura in Lincoln.

Bielema visited Memorial Stadium as Wisconsin’s coach in 2012, and the crowd was electric all the way to Nebraska’s final fourth down stop that won the game for the scarlet and cream. Although Bielema led the Fighting Illini to a 26-9 victory in Lincoln in 2022, this time around the stakes will be higher.

After all, it’s going to be the Big Ten opener for both teams, they’re undefeated, ranked and it happens to be the Huskers’ 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. With a game that means so much to No. 22 Nebraska, and a celebration for its’ fans, Bielema anticipates emotions are going to be high, and could be potentially walking into a snakepit.

“Nebraska is an environment, the walk and the way you get to the stadium is unique, you pass through a bunch of people and to hear that, just an awesome experience,” Bielema said. “It’s something that our guys would really love the challenge, we obviously have to prepare and anticipate crowd noise being a factor in the game as you can see it happen.”

For decades Nebraska fans kept it classy and clapped for opponents when they entered and exited Tom Osborne Field. However, the new generation of Husker faithful are taking a different approach, with making life hard for visitors by any means. Deion ‘Coach Prime’ Sanders and Colorado didn’t receive a warm welcome in Lincoln two weeks ago.

Although No. 24 Illinois isn’t a rival, Bielema expects to receive the same treatment. His Badgers’ 70-31 beatdown of the Huskers in the Big Ten Championship Game over a decade ago, is still a wound that hasn’t healed for the fans. There’s no denying the 12th man will be a major factor in this matchup.

The Fighting Illini are approaching this game with extreme confidence though, particularly on offense, thanks to quarterback Luke Altmyer. Illinois’ offense has only turned the ball over once through three games, but those were at home. The Sea of Red will be the first of three daunting road trips for the Fighting Illini. Illinois also travels to Penn State the following week, and Oregon in October.

Altmyer will need to keep his head on a swivel, because the Blackshirts are playing at a high level, and they feed of the crowd’s energy. Bielema is going to need his offensive line to be disciplined, and for Altmyer to use no-count snaps. The Fighting Illini will have a slim margin for error, so mental toughness will be key. Husker fans will try their best to cause false starts, delay of games and miscommunication for Illinois’ offense.

The key to simmering down a hostile crowd is to execute early and often. So Illinois will need to get off to a fast start to eliminate the fans from gaining any traction. No doubt it’s going to be a measuring stick for Bielema’s offense. Like any other student section across the nation, Bielema understands if Husker fans can sense weakness, they’ll jump right on it.

“This week to have front and center attention of Nebraska, who has gained a lot of attention ever since their Colorado game, obviously it’s well-deserved, and something that brings our attention for sure.”