Northwestern's 2022 season came to a close with a 41-3 loss to Illinois. After winning six consecutive Land of Lincoln trophies from 2015-20, the Wildcats have now lost back-to-back games to the Illini.

Illinois drove home the reality of the status of Northwestern as a program with brutal finality. They controlled the line of scrimmage, dominated the turnover battle and had their way with Northwestern for the second straight season.

Here are our takeaways from Northwestern's season finale:

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald needs to take this program back to the drawing board, plain and simple. The Wildcats are 4-20 in their last two campaigns, and 1-17 in their last 18. They have ranked not just at the bottom of the Power Five, but at near the bottom of the entire FBS in offense for both of those seasons. The defense has been marginally better, ranking in the 70s and 80s under defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil.

Fitzgerald emphasized that tonight would be about the seniors and their contributions, and working to get Northwestern back to competitive status would start afterwards.

"That starts next week," Fitzgerald said about assessing the program. "I'll start looking at a macro level where things went wrong, and where things were good that we can build upon."

This team has been uncompetitive for two consecutive seasons. Fitzgerald's status as the all-time winningest coach in Northwestern history has kept his seat cool this year, but 2023 should see something bordering on a line change of his support staff.

Offensive line coach Kurt Anderson should have security after coaching first-round pick Rashawn Slater and presumptive first rounder Peter Skoronski. Running backs coach Lou Ayeni should also be retained after the past two seasons from Evan Hull.

Outside of that, Northwestern and Fitzgerald should conduct a legitimate and thorough audit of its program top to bottom and make serious changes.

Evan Hull announced postgame that he will be declaring for the NFL Draft, and that his Northwestern career is over.

"I'm going to the next level," Hull said.

Hull started at running back for two seasons at Northwestern, each time taking a presumptive committee and wresting away the vast majority of carries. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2021, and finished with 893 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Looking back on his Wildcat career, he said that the team's season opening win over Nebraska in Ireland stood out as his favorite memory.

"Just the environment, the energy in the stadium," Hull said. "What we were able to do as a team, to really put it together, was just so much fun."

Hull's departure drastically shifts the landscape of Northwestern's 2023 offense and running backs. Cam Porter will now be the presumed starter, with Anthony Tyus III and Joseph Himon III vying for carries as well.

For the second straight season, Northwestern's offense failed to score more than 200 points under offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian's leadership. In 2021 the Wildcats scored 199 points, 16.6 per game, and ranked 125th in the FBS. In 2022, those numbers got even worse.

Injuries plagued Northwestern this season, but the results were still inexcusable. They scored 162 points, or 13.5 per game, and will rank even lower than 125th by today's end. Even in 2020, when the Wildcats went 7-2 and won the Citrus Bowl, Bajakian's offense finished 92nd in scoring average.

There are a myriad of factors that go into offensive production, and Northwestern's struggles at the quarterback position have often rendered play calling moot. However, that too is on Bajakian.

Brendan Sullivan showed flashes this season, but Bajakian's inability to recruit and replenish the quarterback room with players capable of winning Big Ten games has been apparent. Northwestern has been forced to rely on the transfer portal, and have been unable to find consistency there either.

If Northwestern and Fitzgerald are serious about turning this program around, there needs to be accountability and there needs to be a new offensive coordinator in 2023.

Even at the end of a 1-11 season, Fitzgerald and the captains were confident in the program's culture.

"I don't think we need to flip the culture," Fitzgerald said. "The culture is strong. What needs to flip is winning."

Hull echoed Fitzgerald.

"Absolutely, the attitude didn't go down, the effort didn't go down," Hull said. "We honestly came together more with the adversity, and I think that's a testament to the type of team we have.

"Our fellowship is more important than wins and losses at the end of the day."

Defensive end Adetomiwa Adebawore emphasized the team's hard work, even in the face of a disappointing season.

"These guys worked hard each and every week to try and have a great year," Adebawore said. "Obviously not the year we wanted, but these guys came to work each and every day. There's no question."

Illinois controlled this game from the opening kickoff, but it was turnovers which enabled them to break it open into a full-scale blow out.

Northwestern turned the ball over six times to Illinois' one. Two came from interceptions as time ran low, one to end the half and another to end the game, but the four that remained were backbreaking.

Quarterback Cole Freeman threw four interceptions and fumbled an exchange with Andrew Clair. One interception turned into a pick-six, another was returned deep into Northwestern territory to set up a field goal. The fumble by Freeman, which was effectively a toss to no one five yards into the backfield, was also returned for a touchdown.

Turnovers haunted Northwestern all season. Fitzgerald harped on the importance of winning the turnover battle since Nebraska, but the Wildcats struggled mightily. After Illinois, they lost the turnover battle by an average of nearly 1.5 per game in 2022.

Several freshmen continued to gain experience in the final frames of the 2022 campaign. Most notably was safety Devin Turner, who has excelled with the opportunities he has been given down the stretch. Turner led Northwestern in tackles again against the Illini and has been a force since his debut against Maryland.

He compiled 30 tackles in the final six games of the season.

Sullivan is the presumed starter in 2023, but freshman quarterback Jack Lausch took over for sophomore walk-on Cole Freeman late in the third quarter, down 34-0. The two-star quarterback from Chicago Brother Rice led Northwestern on its only scoring drive of the night early in the fourth quarter.

Lausch finished with a stat line of 4-for-8 for 68 yards and an interception. The interception came on Northwestern's last play of the game on a fourth down. While the 2023 job is almost certainly Sullivan's, it is always helpful to get guys like Lausch, who might be next year's backup or a starter far down the road, early experience.

Four-star wide receiver Reggie Fleurima and three-star running back Himon, two names to watch for 2023, also got some snaps but did not make much of a dent in the stat sheet.

"It's great to see those guys [get snaps]," Fitzgerald said. "Unfortunately you wish it was in a big win, you wish it was reverse.

"At a certain point, everyone on the roster became eligible, we tried to get as many guys out there as we could. It's good to see a lot of those guys out there, they'll have a future."

That future, and Fitzgerald's program review, starts next week.