Illinois throttles Northwestern on Senior Day to recapture Land of Lincoln trophy

The Hat returns to Champaign after six years in Evanston.

The Illini got a historic win on Senior Day, dominating the Wildcats in all areas to secure a 47-14 win.

Illinois’ offense got hot early with two touchdowns in the first quarter. The ball slipped out of the hands of Northwestern quarterback Ryan Hilinski to cause a fumble, which was recovered by Isaiah Gay. Daniel Barker found his way into the end zone on the next play.

Isaiah Williams had two touchdowns of his own. The first was a 39-yard pass from Peters. The second was a 21-yard rush following Quan Martin’s interception. That interception was the ninth of the year for the Illini defense.

Brandon Peters had some of his longest throws of the season, including a 56-yard catch by Casey Washington. The drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from Chase Brown. Brown became the 14th Illini to have 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. He had 112 today.

Josh McCray also got in on the offensive action with a touchdown of his own in the fourth quarter to seal to win for Illinois.

Ryan Walters’ defense also deserves a lot of credit. They held Northwestern to only 241 total yards. Tony Adams, Tarique Barnes and Keith Randolph all recorded a sack.

The special teams unit had a day too. Donny Navarro returned three punts for a total of 68-yards. James McCourt was 4-for-4 with field goals, with the longest being from 49-yards. Blake Hayes set the single-season record for punts inside the 20, a record that was previously held by him. Hayes recorded 33 this season.

SOUND SMART

THIS CENTURY.

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS

WTF LOL.

PLAY OF THE GAME

There were too many to choose from, so here’s a collage.

TWEET OF THE GAME

Ascension.