LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah wants No. 21 Nebraska to keep feeding him the ball when the Cornhuskers open Big Ten play against Illinois on Saturday night.

Abdullah has the third-most rushing attempts in the nation and has touched the ball on one-third of Nebraska’s plays from scrimmage. He ran for 229 yards on a career-high 35 carries in last Saturday’s 41-31 victory against Miami.

The more carries for Abdullah, the more exposure he stands to receive.

Nebraska (4-0) is promoting Abdullah more for postseason awards than it has for its previous standouts. His rushing average of 156.3 yards a game is second in the Big Ten and sixth nationally.

Illinois (3-1) is coming off a 42-35 victory over Texas State.