Four times this season, Nebraska has come up on the wrong side of a one score game. That means on four occasions, the Huskers have tasted victory but had to walk away hungry.

Even though they’ve won two of their last three games, offensive lineman Tanner Farmer says the Huskers are “starving” for more wins. That’s the team’s motivation headed into this weekend’s matchup against Illinois.

Meeting with the media on Monday, Farmer previewed Saturday’s contest against the Illini. It’ll be a game that’s a little more personal for the lineman, an Illinois native.

“I always wanted to go to Illinois growing up,” Farmer said, explaining how the Illini wanted him to walk on rather than receive a scholarship. “Once I started looking other places, then Illinois started to come around and said they wanted to offer me. It was pretty much too late by then. If I wasn’t good enough for you then, I’m not good enough for you now.”

Farmer also said he wanted to kick Illinois’ “butt” because of his snub.

Nebraska is opening to feast on Illinois this weekend, a team the Huskers certainly match up well with. And if the offense gets off to another fast start, it’ll prove to be beneficial against an Illini defense that has struggled this season.

“Hungry dogs run fast,” Farmer said when asked about Nebraska’s quick starts. “We’re hungry. We want to win. We’ve been starving all year.”

The Huskers are 2-7 on the year but have lost four of those games by a single possession, including last weekend’s 36-31 defeat at the hands of Ohio State.

Nebraska can also take on the role of spoiler this weekend, as the Illini sit two wins away from bowl eligibility. A loss for Illinois would put its record at 4-6 and one loss away from being eliminated from the picture.

Don’t think that thought won’t be in Farmer’s mind this weekend.