Grading Illinois’ 42–7 loss to Northwestern

Grading+Illinois+42%E2%80%937+loss+to+Northwestern

By DI Sports Staff

Offense: F

Cam Thomas got the nod at quarterback and looked great on his first drive. The freshman ran for a 21-yard touchdown to give the Illini an early seven-point lead. But after that, Thomas really struggled. Northwestern did not respect his passing game and loaded the box to give Thomas troubles.

The read-option did not fool the Wildcats like it did on the first possession, and there was no flow to the offense whatsoever. The absence of Kendrick Foster did give Dre Brown an opportunity to give Illinois some positives in the run game, but the quarterback play was overwhelming and the team could not sustain any sort of long drive.

Defense: D-

Similar to the offense, the defense started the game with good performances to keep Northwestern off the scoreboard. Bennett Williams had an interception near the goal line on the Wildcats’ second drive. But after that, the Illini were overmatched with a strong offensive line and rushing attack.

Justin Jackson ended his day with 144 yards and a touchdown, finding holes to exploit in the young Illini defense. The middle of the field was wide open for Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson to find. This has been a weakness the entire year for the Illinois secondary. The defensive line did not get much pressure on Thorson either.

Coaching: D

While a few decisions went the coaching staff’s way against the Wildcats, they were not nearly enough to overcome the gap between the Illini and their in-state rivals. Dre Brown paid the coaches back both in special teams and at running back with solid performances, but after the first drive of the game the Illini offense was completely ineffective.

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Cam Thomas’ runs became predictable once Northwestern realized he couldn’t find receivers downfield, and even with the Wildcats routinely loading the box against him, Thomas averaged just 4.5 yards-per-pass. Defensively, the Illini didn’t have an answer for the Wildcats’ rushing attack after the first quarter, failing to slow them  down. Season-long issues like pass coverage over the middle of the field continued to go unaddressed.

Special Teams: B

The special teams unit finished the year with one of its better performances. Dre Brown had two 50-yard kickoff returns and finished the day with 125 return yards in total. The team allowed Northwestern only 10 punt return yards on nine punts and zero kick return yards. And as usual, Blake Hayes’ leg provided plenty of quality in the punting game, with nine punts for an average of 43.7 yards each. The only real blemish on the day was Chase McLaughlin missing his one field goal attempt from 52 yards out.