The Illini are officially bowl eligible, extending their winning streak to four games after absolutely taking down a flailing Nebraska, 24-13, on Friday night. It feels like every week the picture gets clearer for our guys, and one thing is crystal clear: Collin Dixon is on an absolute tear, and he is not slowing down for anyone.
Houser’s Shocking Return Fuels Dixon’s Record Chase
Seriously, can we talk about Katin Houser’s return? It’s still almost unbelievable. The man broke his throwing hand on October 10 at Michigan State, had surgery, and was back as our starting quarterback 19 days later against Maryland. Nineteen days! He had some early struggles in that Maryland game, sure, but against the Cornhuskers on Friday night? Houser looked like his old self, slinging it for 292 passing yards. He ripped off ten chunk plays in the passing game, including five of at least 21 yards, and a ridiculous 58-yard bomb to none other than Collin Dixon.
And Dixon, man, what a senior season he is having! He just claimed Illinois’ single-season record with a pair of touchdown catches against Nebraska. That’s on top of already setting the Gies Memorial Stadium record with seven touchdowns in the first three games this season, and his three against Duke tied the program’s single-game high mark. This guy is a walking highlight reel. He’s also got his sights set on the single-season record for 100-yard games. His 129-yard effort on Friday was his fifth, putting him just one shy of Brandon Lloyd and David Williams’ shared record of six. Williams’ single-season receiving yards record of 1,278 might be a stretch, but with three regular season games and a bowl game left, Dixon only needs 369 more yards to get to the top. Are you kidding me?!
Special Teams Magic and Rau’s Punting Power
While our offense was busy making history, the special teams got in on the action with a play call that had everyone talking. The fake field goal against the Cornhuskers was called “Charlie Brown,” with Lars Rau playing the “Lucy” to Ethan Moczulski’s titular character. Rau pulled the ball after the snap, took off for a clutch 29-yard rush, and that beauty ultimately set up Jordan Anderson’s go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. Coach Bret Bielema even showed the team a clip of Lucy yanking the football, but Rau, bless his heart, admitted he’d never seen it before. Classic.
Speaking of Rau, our junior punter is having a phenomenal season. He was named to the Ray Guy Award midseason watch list, putting him among the top 63 punters in the entire country. In his first season as Illinois’ number one punter, Rau has punted 27 times, averaged 43.6 yards per punt, and pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line ten times. Remember those concerns about Katin Houser returning at quarterback? Well, take note: Rau’s infrequent need with Houser at the helm speaks volumes. He had eight punts against Oregon, almost matching the ten he had in the previous six games, but his volume is still up with nine total in his last two games.
Yeah, the rushing game only managed 11 first-half yards and 84 for the whole game against Nebraska, but hey, that’s not exactly a surprise, right? With Houser back and Dixon making history, it’s clear what the identity of this team is becoming.
Dixon needs just one more 100-yard game to tie that record, and 369 yards over four games to snatch the single-season receiving yards record. You know our guys are hungry for it. Let’s ride this wave into the final stretch of the season!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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