After its first loss of the season to No. 5 Ohio State (10-0, 2-0), No. 10 Illinois (7-1, 2-1) completed its homestand by dismantling Northwestern (2-3, 0-2) 33-7 on Sunday. Two major decisions and technical falls contributed to Illinois’ massive lead. Barring a couple of individual losses, the Illini were flawless across the lineup, blowing the Wildcats out of the water.
Opening category struggles
Illinois 125-pound junior Caelan Riley’s laborious season recorded another loss in the opening weight category. This loss was to Northwestern’s 125-pound redshirt freshman Dedrick Navarro, who was 1-3 in duals coming into Sunday’s fixture. With only five duals remaining before the Big Ten championship games in March, Illinois must solve one of the biggest performance gaps in its lineup.
Illinois head coach Mike Poeta has persisted with Riley despite a winless start to the season. Illinois started 125-pound graduate student Ramazan Attasauov in the first dual of the season when Riley was unavailable. With a high-stakes dual against No. 2 Iowa (7-0, 1-0) coming up, Illinois has questions that need answers in the opening weight category.
Byrd keeps flying
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Illinois No. 2 133-pound redshirt senior Lucas Byrd demolished Northwestern 133-pound sophomore Massey Odiotti 22-8. Byrd grabbed a win with a major decision to propel his perfect record to 8-0 in duals.
This win establishes his national prowess before he faces two top-five opponents in Illinois’ upcoming duals against Iowa and No. 1 Penn State (7-0, 1-0). Byrd holds the key to Illinois’ strong lineup, and big wins going into the spring will help Illinois rise to any challenge.
Illinois’ Big Ten opponents
Illinois 149-pound redshirt freshman Kannon Webster has lost consecutive matches for the first time this season. He is now 5-3 in duals. Webster will face two top-four opponents in Illinois’ duals against Iowa and Penn State and will aim to regain his momentum from the start of the season.
No. 27 Illinois 157-pound graduate student Jason Kraisser backed up his performance against Ohio State with a decision win over Northwestern 157-pound sophomore Jacob Bostelman to complete a perfect homestand. Kraisser put on a defensive show and only allowed Bostelman three points, a welcome sight of consistency after Ohio State. It was a statement performance for Kraisser, showcasing the offensive and defensive sides of his game.
Overall, Illinois recorded key wins in the 165-, 197- and 285-pound weight categories.
The big leagues
Illinois now embarks on its toughest road trip of the season. It kicks off in Iowa City on Friday to face a top-two side. The Illini’s performance in the next duals will determine their success this season. Winning against ranked sides will give them a boost, both in rankings and championships.
Illinois’ conference record is currently 2-1. It would like to stitch together a few wins on this road trip before returning home to face No. 29 Purdue (8-1, 1-0) for Military Appreciation Day on Feb. 1. It’ll end the regular season with a top-of-the-table clash with Penn State for Senior Day on Feb. 16.
@KikaniRudraksh
