Below are the numbers for the Huskers’ overtime loss to Illinois.

Nebraska struggled to run the ball early — 7 yards on its first seven attempts — as Illinois placed extra defenders in the penalty box, forcing the Huskers to throw the ball in the air.

But the Illini began to pull away once quarterback Dylan Raiola got going.

NU’s best runs all came to the rim. Dante Dowdell bounced a few to the sideline as Illinois crowded the line of scrimmage, especially near halftime, and another end around speedy wideout Jacory Barney Jr. took advantage of Illinois’ influence in the middle of the field.

Raiola underwent surgery for most of his Big Ten debut.

Illinois promised to stop the run, and the freshman made it pay off, driving the Illini right up the middle of the field and dropping balls perfectly where only his target could get them, leading to three third-down conversions in one drive.

The boy also showed his much-praised playmaking qualities.

Raiola, on first-and-goal from the 6, rolled forward and scanned the field before finding receiver Isaiah Neyor for six. Raiola then improvised, lobbing another to Neyor, who caught it and toe-toed it into the end zone for another score. And there was the floater to Thomas Fidone late in the third.

Raiola threw his second career interception in the second quarter, but Illinois Torrie Cox Jr. deserves credit for snatching the ball from Neyor’s hands as the two fell to the ground. The 50-50 play was initially ruled a touchdown, but a minute-long review overturned the call.

NU’s strong forward line held off the Illini from the start and never gave up.

The Huskers, much like Illinois did with Raiola, forced Illinois to lean on their quarterback.

Luke Altmyer was responsible for much of the Illini’s offense, which averaged 4.3 yards per attempt.

The Illini’s run game improved in the second half, with Illinois finishing with 166 yards on the ground.

The Huskers were also determined to stop the run. Illinois had no problem turning on Altmyer, who trusted his receivers in tight coverage and used his legs to evade NU’s dominant pass rush. Nebraska was never burned over the top, but Altmyer kept the Illini close all night.

Altmyer completed his first seven passes to five different receivers, including gains of 29 and 27 yards on Illinois’ opening drive with Tommi Hill, who missed the second half with an injury, and Marques Buford Jr. there. Altmyer rarely put the ball in danger.

Kudos to the Husker secondary for Malcolm Hartzog Jr.’s game-changing fumble, which was picked off by DeShon Singleton, and which completely contained the receivers on a key fourth down until the point where Almyer was taken down for the first after having to tap the ball in and run.

Lincoln Southwest graduate John Hohl held steady while replacing kicker Tristan Alvano until he missed a go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter. Hohl hit a 21-yarder to put NU on the board in the first.

Alvano was uncertain in the run-up to the match and missed his first match since the start of last season.

Outside of the kickoff early in the second half, the Huskers struggled with tackling.

Punter Brian Buschini outran his coverage — and made the tackle — on a punt that returned Illinois 37 yards to midfield, though Nebraska’s defense forced him to punt.

Nebraska flourished in a two-minute drill for the third time in four games, scoring before halftime against UTEP and again last week against Northern Iowa.

They took over with three minutes to go, ran the ball to run out the clock and took shots when they had to. Raiola found Jahmal Banks for a big gain, then the quarterback threw the “jackpot” ball that put Neyor in the end zone.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield stayed creative with sweeps around the heart of Illinois’ defense and situational packages that had both Raiola and former starting quarterback Heinrich Haarberg on the field at the same time.

The Huskers — penalized four times for 44 yards in the first half, including a pair that gave Illinois first downs — cleaned up after the break, playing flawlessly when they needed to.

Nebraska had been saying all week that there would be a fight on Friday, and it happened.

Ultimately, it was the Illini who emerged victorious in overtime.