Trailing early in the fourth quarter, Northwestern took advantage of two special-teams turnovers to score two touchdowns in a nine-second span and rally for a 45-43 victory over Illinois in a Big Ten regular-season finale Saturday afternoon at Champaign, Ill.
Ben Bryant threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a third score to lead Northwestern (7-5, 5-4 Pac-12) to a second-place tie in the Big Ten West. The Wildcats turned four Illinois turnovers into 24 points – 17 in the fourth quarter – to capture the Land of Lincoln Trophy.
John Paddock produced 334 passing yards and three touchdowns for Illinois (5-7, 3-6), which needed to win to become bowl-eligible. Casey Washington caught nine passes for 218 yards and 3 scores – all career-highs – capped by an 80-yard touchdown with 55 seconds left that pulled the Illini within two.
Illinois claimed a 31-28 lead with 13:12 to play when wide receiver Isaiah Williams, a converted quarterback, took a toss to the right and flipped a 14-yard strike to uncovered Patrick Bryant for his first touchdown pass since Dec. 19, 2020.
Illinois’ defense held on the next possession, but Williams muffed a punt that Northwestern’s Raymond Niro III recovered at the Illini 24-yard line. Bryant capped the brief drive by scrambling 8 yards for a 35-31 lead with 10:04 to go.
Illinois’ Kenari Wilcher fumbled the subsequent kickoff that Garner Wallace caught at the 17. He broke multiple tackles to get into the end zone for NU’s second touchdown in nine seconds and a 42-31 margin.
The Fighting Illini pulled within 42-37 on Washington’s 1-yard touchdown catch with 7:17 left and regained possession on Tyler Strain’s interception, but Northwestern linebacker Xander Mueller intercepted a ricochet in Illinois territory to set up Jack Olson’s 46-yard field goal for a 45-37 lead with 2:56 remaining.
Illinois had two more possessions to pull even – and Paddock connected with Washington for an 80-yard touchdown that he caught over the middle at Illinois’ 41 and outraced NU defenders to the right corner of the end zone. Paddock’s two-point conversion pass to tie deflected off the helmet of leaping Northwestern lineman Dominic Bastone and fell incomplete.
Illinois scored 17 straight points in the second quarter – capped by free safety Miles Scott’s 55-yard interception return – to take a 20-14 lead with 1:09 left. But Northwestern regained momentum and a 21-20 lead with eight seconds to go in the half – thanks to offensive lineman Dom D’Antonio recovering Anthony Tyus III’s fumble in the end zone.
–Field Level Media