Pat Bryant caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Luke Altmyer in overtime to give No. 24 Illinois a 31-24 victory over No. 22 Nebraska in Lincoln to open Big Ten conference play. The Fighting Illini are 4-0 for the first time since 2011.

Dylan Rosiek tackled Huskers quarterback Dylan Raiola on 4th-and-29 to seal the win, Nebraska losing 9 yards. An intentional grounding penalty on the freshman QB then pushed Nebraska to a third-and-42. A 13-yard pass play on third down set up the final, fateful play.

Altmyer passed for 215 yards and four touchdowns, completing 21 of 27 passes. Pat Bryant had five receptions for 74 yards and two scores, with Zakhari Franklin adding five catches for 50 yards. Kaden Feagin rushed for 69 yards on 12 carries.

Illinois tied the score at 24-24 with a 6-yard catch by offensive lineman Brandon Henderson, playing tight end. The 70-yard drive featured a 16-yard run by Feagin, who gained 15 more yards thanks to a facemask penalty on Malcolm Hartzog Jr. Nebraska’s Altmyer followed up with a 15-yard pass to Malik Elzy that moved the Fighting Illini to the Huskers’ 14-yard line.

Nebraska had a chance to take the lead on its next possession, but Raiola overthrew tight end Luke Lindenmeyer for what would have been a 21-yard touchdown on third down. John Hohl then missed a 39-yard field goal.

The Huskers took a 24-17 lead on a 1-yard flip from Raiola to Janiran Bonner early in the fourth quarter. Earlier in the drive, the freshman hit QB Isaiah Neyor for a 44-yard gain. On the next play, Raiola threw his back foot to Thomas Fidone II for 29 yards.

Raiola completed 24 of 35 passes for 297 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Jahmal Banks finished with eight receptions for 94 yards, while Neyor added four catches for 90 yards and two scores. Dante Dowdell led the Huskers in rushing with 72 rushing yards on 20 carries.

Nebraska opened the season 3-0 for the first time since 2016, and the fans at Memorial Stadium were raucous, eager for the Huskers to pull off a statement win in primetime. But the Illini quickly quieted the crowd, completing a six-play, 78-yard drive that included Altmeyer hitting Bryant for a 27-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.

Nebraska squandered a chance to tie the score on its second possession on third-and-goal from the 3-yard line when left tackle Turner Corcoran wasn’t ready to pass block at the snap, forcing Dylan Raiola to rush his throw. Running back Rahmir Johnson was open but didn’t realize he had run out of bounds, resulting in an incomplete pass. The Huskers had to settle for a field goal after an 18-play drive.

Still, the defense quickly got a lift, forcing Hank Beatty to fumble after making a 14-yard catch. Nebraska took over at the Illinois 37-yard line and moved quickly on a 14-yard run by Dante Dowdell and an end-around by Isaiah Neyor for 13 yards. Raiola then hit Neyor in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead.

The Huskers appeared to take a 16-10 lead with 7:57 left in the second quarter when Neyor caught a 36-yard scoring pass. However, Illinois cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. also appeared to catch the ball. On the field, officials awarded Neyor a touchdown, but replay showed Cox had the ball under control for an interception.

Despite the setback, Nebraska still scored the touchdown on its next drive.

Illinois failed to convert a fourth-and-8 from the Huskers’ 33-yard line, though officials missed Jimari Butler grabbing Altmyer’s facemask. Nebraska took over with 3:18 left before halftime and drove 70 yards in nine plays, capped by an 11-yard pass from Raiola to Neyor, who dragged his right foot into the lane to allow the touchdown to stand. Nebraska led 17-10 at the break.

Illinois plays No. 10 Penn State next Saturday. Kickoff time for that game has not yet been announced. Nebraska travels to Purdue for a noon ET start.