Northwestern runs over Illinois to keep The Hat in Evanston
There’s something about Illinois that brings out the best in Northwestern’s running game.
Last year, the Wildcats ran for 378 yards to post their only Big Ten win over the Illini. On Saturday at a sloppy Ryan Field, they did it again, piling up 411 yards in a 28-10 whipping.
It was the first time the Wildcat hit the 400-yard mark since 2003 against – you guessed it – Illinois.
The win gave Northwestern (6-1) the Land of Lincoln Trophy for a sixth straight season and sent them to next Saturday’s Big Ten championship game against Ohio State with a little momentum.
With the wind and rain wreaking havoc with passing, the Wildcats’ ground game found its footing against an Illinois defense missing six starters. Northwestern came into the game averaging just 130.5 rushing yards per game, which ranked just 96th in the country. Over the previous three games combined, the Wildcats gained just 167 total yards and failed to crack 2.0 yards per carry.
Maybe most surprisingly, it was Cameron Porter and Evan Hull who led the way for the Wildcats against the Illini. Drake Anderson got the start at running back but fumbled on his first carry and didn’t get another snap. Isaiah Bowser, normally the starter, was the fourth back in, leaving the lion’s share of carries to Porter and Hull.
Porter, a true freshman, was a Justin Jackson-like workhorse through the first three quarters, finishing with 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. He came into the contest with eight carries for 32 yards over the previous six games.
Hull, though, took over late and wound up with 149 yards and a score on just 13 carries. He had the Wildcats’ longest play of the day, a 50-yard run, as well as a 32-yarder for a touchdown.
Peyton Ramsey battled the elements and turned in a respectable passing performance, going 7-for-12 for 82 yards and a touchdown. He added 47 yards on the ground.
Illinois, which came into game with the Big Ten’s second-best rushing offense, was held to 155 yards, 55 below their average, and many of the yards came late, with the game decided. Illini QB Brandon Peters couldn’t do anything through the air, finishing 3 of 14 for 21 yards passing. Isaiah Williams came on in relief in the fourth quarter and threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Brian Hightower in the fourth quarter to provide the final points.
It didn’t take long for the slippery ball to make an impact in this one. On Illinois’ first possession, a Peters pass looked like a volleyball as at least three Northwestern defensive backs got their hands on it before it fell to the ground.
Then, after Illinois’ Blake Hayes pinned NU back at its own 1-yard line with a punt, Anderson fumbled on the first Wildcats’ play. The ball squirted through several players’ hands and was recovered by Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon at the NU 6. But the Illini came up empty as an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty set them back and the wind toyed with James McCourt’s missed 32-yard field goal attempt. So, Northwestern dodged a bullet.
The Illinois running game held sway early. The Illini ran the ball 10 straight times to reach the NU 13. But then a Peters backwards throw out of bounds lost seven yards to put them behind the sticks, and they had to settle for a McCourt 39-yarder that knifed through the wind and rain to give the Illini a 3-0 lead with 1:49 left in the opening quarter.
That’s when the Cam Porter Show started.
Porter started the ensuing drive as a Wildcat quarterback, ripping off two runs. Then he busted one for 31 yards up the middle. Kyric McGowan gained 21 on a jet sweep, and then Ramsey went for nine on a keeper and the ball was at the Illinois 2 after a late hit penalty. Ramsey threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Mangieri on the first play of the second quarter to give the Wildcats a 7-3 lead.
Northwestern, which came into the game averaging just 130.5 rushing yards per game, had 91 at the end of the first quarter, setting the tone for the rest of the day.
Illinois responded on the next drive, when, on a fourth-and-10 punt, Hayes rolled out and decided to run for the stick, gaining 20 yards and setting the Illini up in NU territory. The Illini coaching staff made a couple of strange decisions that cost them points.
First, they threw the ball over the middle on third-and-5 when the ground game had been productive. Then, on fourth down, they elected for a 53-yard field-goal try on a terrible weather day. Even with the wind at his back, McCourt’s attempt fell woefully short.
Northwestern drove into Illinois territory but blew its chance to score. A 29-yard TD pass to McGowan was called back because Nik Urban was an ineligible receiver downfield. Then, a fourth-and-10 pass from Ramsey to Riley Lees fell incomplete and the Illini took over, despite a targeting call Jartavius Martin that was ruled a dead ball foul.
The Wildcats got the ball back and took control of the game with a 17-play, 64-yard touchdown drive that took 7:02 and featured three fourth-down conversions. On the first one, Porter’s second effort picked up a yard on fourth-and-1. Ramsey threw to McGowan for 17 yards on a fourth-and-8. Finally, Ramsey picked up a fourth-and-1 on a sneak. Porter punched that one in on a 2-yard run and NU had a 14-3 lead at the half.
Northwestern ended any drama in the third quarter on another Porter-dominated touchdown drive. The Wildcats went 75 yards, with Porter carrying the ball six times for 62 of them, including an 18-yarder for the TD.
On the next drive, the Wildcats blew it open with yet another fourth-down conversion. On this one, Evan Hull burst through the line and coasted 32 yards into the end zone for a 28-3 advantage that effectively ended the game.
With the wind and rain making kicking a gamble, Northwestern went for it on fourth down seven times and converted five.
Northwestern takes on No. 4 Ohio State for the Big Ten title next Saturday in Indianapolis. The Wildcats are 20-point underdogs.