I think without question we win the game whether we get a favorable spot or not.
That 4th down was one play before Newby's go-ahead TD. We had already run a 17-play, ten-minute & 30-second drive at that point. Illinois' defense was gassed. That drive gutted them, took the life right out of them.
But let's say Illinois gets the ball at their 4 yard line. There would have been about 12 minutes of game clock left. Illinois had three possessions after that epic drive. They went:
Three plays, five yards gained, Time of Possession 1:37. Punt.
Three plays, nine yards, TOP 1:35. Punt.
Three plays, four yards, TOP :44. Punt.
Totals: 3:12 TOP, 18 yards, three punts.
Nebraska's next drive following Illinois' three-and-out was another grinder:
Eleven plays, 59 yards, TOP 5:49. Touchdown.
Let's say for the sake of argument Newby doesn't get that first down & Illinois takes over. It's 16-10 Illini, they go three-and-out and punt from inside their 15 yard line. That next drive likely still happens, we likely still score, and we continue to wear that defense down.
At that point it'd be a one-point Nebraska lead with less than five minutes to go, and Illinois had stopped moving the ball. It's unlikely they go down field to score again.
Maybe Newby doesn't get that lightning-bolt long touchdown run, but with a tired Illinois defense, a one-point lead and the ball, and the way Newby was running with authority at the end, I like our chances of winning.
I think it's pretty safe to say that, even if we don't score on the 18-play drive, that drive took the life out of Illinois.