Illini Too Much For Northwestern At Wrigley
By Adam Hoge -
CHICAGO -- As it turns out, football at Wrigley Field isn't half bad.
That's not to say injuries would not have happened in the east end zone had the Big Ten not pulled an audible on fourth down Friday and changed the rules. But under the conditions set forth at Wrigley Field Saturday, all we saw was Illinois and running back Mikel Leshoure put on a spectacle as the Illini beat Northwestern 48-27 in front of a sellout crowd of 41,058 fans.
Leshoure started the game by running for 66 yards on just three plays, scoring a four-yard touchdown on the third run to put Illinois ahead 7-0. When it was all over, Leshoure had a single-game school-record 330 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the Illini never trailed.
"Coming into the game we knew what type of stage we were on and what type of atmosphere we were going to be in," Leshoure said after the game. "To do well in front of millions of people on national TV feels good."
Leshoure's 330 rushing yards broke Robert Holcombe's previous record of 315 rushing yards against Minnesota in 1996. More importantly, his effort helped Illinois (6-5 overall, 4-4 Big Ten) become bowl eligible for the first time since 2007.
"Well I would say we got an opportunity," Illinois head coach Rob Zook said about going to a bowl game. "We're bowl eligible. I don't control the bowl games, but we are bowl eligible so hopefully we get that opportunity."
A win at Fresno State Dec. 3 would solidify a bowl berth for Illinois, but even with a loss, the Illini would likely fill one of the Big Ten's many bowl tie-ins.
But on a day where safety was supposed to be an issue, an entertaining football game broke out. Words like "circus" and "embarrassment" were thrown out there Friday when the Big Ten announced all offensive possessions would head west because the wall behind the east end zone was too close to the playing field. Sure, it was a little odd to see most of the game heading in one direction, but it hardly affected the gameplay.
"I really don't think it changed the game," Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "It didn't feel like it. I don't know what it looked like on TV but I thought the flow of the game was really similar."
The only obvious impact was that both teams were on the same sideline, something that was going to happen even if the rules weren't changed Friday. To prevent Illinois from stealing their signs, the Wildcats used a giant flag to block their half of the field.
Meanwhile, Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase said it was difficult at times to communicate with the coaching staff when they were on the far side of the field, but he also said it really wasn't that big of a deal.
"It was just a football game at the end of the day and it wasn't too much to adjust to," he said.
For Northwestern, it was quite obvious that the loss of starting quarterback Dan Persa, who ruptured his Achilles tendon last week, was much more impactful than the dimensions of Wrigley Field. Replacement quarterback Evan Watkins wasn't horrible as he completed 10-of-20 passes for 135 yards, but he never threw a touchdown and his fumble on Northwestern's first possession put the Wildcats in a hole.
Northwestern was already trailing 7-0 and the fumble led to Leshoure's second touchdown in the first five minutes of the game as the Illini built a 14-0 lead.
The Wildcats were able to battle back because of an interception returned for a touchdown by Brian Peters -- scored in the controversial east end zone by the way -- and Northwestern only trailed 27-24 at the half. Unfortunately Illinois held NU to just a field goal the rest of the way as it was obvious the 'Cats just couldn't hang in their without their do-it-all quarterback.
