Nebraska's Blackshirts are getting an 'edginess' boost for showdown with Illinois

Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White is pleased to have Jimari Butler and Mikai Gabbayor back in full availability for Friday's football game against No. 24 Illinois.

“Both of them are making plays,” White said after Nebraska's practice Tuesday morning. “More importantly, they're bringing some leverage as well. With those guys coming back and then the things we didn't do well last week, there's guys running around, they know it and they want it. We're going to set the standard and make sure the standard is there every time we step on the field.”

Butler did not play after being listed as questionable for last weekend's game against Northern Iowa, and sat out the first half due to a targeting penalty the previous week against Colorado.

White talked about the challenges of defending against the Illinois offense.

“You have playmakers on the outside,” he said. “Those guys are going up and getting the football. They do a great job of maintaining balance. They know when they want to run the ball, what they look like on the ball and then do different things like RPO, their movement passing out.”

On quarterback Luke Altmaier, White said: “He's playing with a lot of confidence right now. He's not really scared. … He is working at a high level. It will be a challenge to tackle him.”

Also speaking Tuesday were several players, including offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and quarterback Dylan Raiola. Satterfield said the Illinois defense will make it “difficult to move the line of scrimmage, so we have to be ready for a fist fight.”

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