With big goals in reach, No. 22 Illinois looks to take out Northwestern at Wrigley Field

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No. 22 Illinois still has some big goals to achieve.

The Illini can match their highest win total in 17 years and move within one of the school record if they beat struggling Northwestern at Wrigley Field to close out the regular season on Saturday.

“There’s still a lot out there, a lot of things to be determined not only by us but the people around us,” coach Bret Bielema said. “I’m super excited to play at Wrigley. I grew up a Cubs fan, sang there a couple of times.”

The Illini (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) squeezed out a 38-31 win at Rutgers last week when Luke Altmyer connected with Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run, 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds remaining. Illinois is now in line for its highest win total since the 2007 Rose Bowl team finished 9-4. The school record is 10, most recently during the 2001 Sugar Bowl season.

Northwestern (4-7, 2-6) has lost four of five, with the win coming against last-place Purdue. The Wildcats have been outscored a combined 81-13 in the two games since beating the Boilermakers. They were blown out 50-6 at Michigan last week after getting thumped by No. 2 Ohio State in the first game this season at Wrigley Field.

Northwestern played its first five home games at a temporary lakefront stadium. A new Ryan Field being built on the site of the old one is scheduled to open in 2026.

(Un)Friendly Confines

Northwestern is 0-4 at Wrigley Field since college football returned to “The Friendly Confines” in 2010 after more than a seven-decade absence.

The Wildcats have been outscored in those games by a combined 121-55, starting with a 48-27 loss to Illinois in 2010. That one is most remembered because the back of the end zone in right field was too close to the wall, so offenses could only go in the other direction. A massive renovation eliminated that issue.

Illinois will be playing at Wrigley for the third time. The 1923 national championship team — led by Red Grange — beat Northwestern 29-0.

Catching on

Bryant was Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week coming off a huge game in which he set a career high with 197 yards on just seven catches. The winning touchdown was his third in the final minute or overtime this season — tops in the nation. It also gave him 2,025 yards in four seasons at Illinois.

QB switch

Northwestern coach David Braun praised quarterback Jack Lausch and insisted he is “very confident” the decision to take over as the starter after Mike Wright struggled through the first two games. He would not say if he’ll look to add a QB in the transfer portal.

Lausch has more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (five). He got picked off twice against Michigan and was sacked five times while completing 10 of 21 passes for 106 yards.

“It can be really easy to point out issues at the quarterback position when our offense is not operating at the level that you want it to,” Braun said. “That’s what makes that position so great. You get to touch the ball on every play. There’s a lot that comes with holding that position.”

Comeback kings?

The Rutgers game was not the first time Illinois rallied in the fourth quarter to win. The Illini also did it against Kansas, at Nebraska and against Purdue. They are 4-1 in one-score games.

Shut down

Northwestern kept things close in the early going against Michigan.

The Wildcats’ Luke Akers kicked field goals on consecutive drives in the second quarter. Things got out of hand after that, with Michigan scoring 40 unanswered points the rest of the way. Northwestern was held to 10 yards rushing in the game, including 33 yards lost on six sacks.