Before Illinois can break for Thanksgiving week it must take care of business at home against intrastate rival Northwestern to cap a regular season every Illini fan is thankful for.

Head coach Ron Zook said he is confident his team will prepare well during practice this week.

“This is a good football team we’re getting ready to play,” Zook said at his weekly press conference. “Obviously they have an awful lot at stake as well. There’s no one in this room that has beaten Northwestern, our staff hasn’t beaten them, and no one on the team has beaten them. It’s definitely a critical, critical game really for both sides.”

Northwestern has won the last four games in the series and senior defensive lineman Chris Norwell isn’t keeping that far from his thoughts.

“I haven’t beaten Northwestern, so I don’t think anyone is going to take this game lightly,” he said. “We really need this game to make the season special.”

Illinois is searching for its sixth conference and ninth overall victory on the season. And after reclaiming the Illibuck from Ohio State last week, the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk will be on the line against the Wildcats.

Northwestern improved to 3-4 in the Big Ten after snapping a two-game losing streak with a 31-28 victory last week against Indiana in Evanston. The Wildcats found the end zone with 44 seconds remaining in the game.

Second-year head coach and defensive star on the 1995 Northwestern Rose Bowl team Pat Fitzgerald has the Wildcat pass offense rolling. Quarterback C.J. Bacher leads the pass-minded offense, averaging 304 yards a game with a 61.2 completion percentage. The junior has thrown 17 interceptions – equal to his 17 touchdown passes. But despite the potent passing game, the Wildcats rank ninth in the conference in total scoring with 26.2 points per game.

“All through camp we practiced against that type of offense,” Norwell said. “They throw the ball a lot more than we do but I think we’re ready.”

The Wildcats have also struggled on the other side of the ball. Their 30.1 points allowed per game ranks 10th in conference. They’ve allowed more than 40 points twice this season.

“As rivalry games go, a lot of times you can throw stats and throw all the things that may mean something out the window,” Zook said. “It’s going to be a 60-minute game. Both teams I’m sure will lay it on the line and leave it all there.”

Injury update

The only negatives to come from the Buckeye upset were the injuries to Vontae Davis, Arrelious Benn and Russ Weil. Davis and Benn both left the game with first-half concussions and did not return. Both players participated in practice Monday and Tuesday but wore red jerseys as a precaution.

Weil left after spraining his left knee and is questionable for Saturday.

“I worry about Russ,” Zook said. “He tells me he’s going to play. Russ is a pretty tough guy. He was a little gimpy (Monday night).”

On-air sports reporter Adam Harris contributed to this report