Thorson Helps No. 20 Northwestern Beat Illinois 24-16
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Clayton Thorson accounted for three touchdowns, Isaiah Browser rushed for 166 yards on 18 carries and No. 20 Northwestern beat Illinois 24-16 on Saturday for its seventh straight Big Ten win.
Thorson completed 12 of 18 passes for 110 yards and two TDs. He also ran for a score, and Bowser posted his fourth 100-yard game of the season.
The Wildcats (8-4, 8-1, No. 19 in CFP) will face No. 10 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game next weekend in Indianapolis.
Illinois (4-8, 2-7) lost for the sixth time in seven games. AJ Bush Jr. completed 23 of 39 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown, and Ricky Smalling finished with seven receptions for 72 yards and a TD.
With the Illini driving for a potential tying score, linebacker Paddy Fisher intercepted a Bush pass at the Northwestern 8-yard line with 3:34 remaining. The Wildcats, with TJ Green at quarterback and backups at running back, then ran out the clock.
The Illini have dropped 23 straight and 32 of 33 against teams ranked in the AP poll since beating No. 1 Ohio State in 2007.
Illinois moved the ball effectively — particularly through the air — in the first half, but only managed a pair of Chase McLaughlin field goals.
Northwestern was leading 7-6 when it scored on its final two possessions of the first half.
Thorson capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard sneak. The Wildcats got the ball back with 1:47 left, and Thorson found Riley Lees for a 5-yard TD pass.
Jake Collins added a 25-yard field goal on the opening drive of the second half to make it 24-6.
McLaughlin connected from 26 yards early in the fourth and Illinois made it a one-score game on Smalling's 10-yard TD with just under eight minutes to go.
THE TAKEAWAY
Illinois: The Illini are one of the youngest teams in college football, and they played like it. They had explosive plays throughout, but had to mostly settle for field goals because of mistakes at the wrong time. Smalling is elusive and routinely broke free in the secondary. But he struggled to catch the ball and had nearly as many drops as receptions.
Northwestern: Despite saying they wouldn't overlook Illinois because it was a rivalry game, the Wildcats clearly didn't have the same fire as in previous weeks. Bowser was shut down in the third quarter and Thorson was replaced by Green early in the fourth.
UP NEXT
Illinois: Host Akron in the 2019 season opener on Aug. 31.
Northwestern: The Wildcats have dropped six straight against Ohio State and have beaten the Buckeyes just once since 1972.