By Greg Mroz
Punting down 15: Facing a 4th and 3 at their own 43, Pat Fitzgerald decided to punt. The decision proved to be costly as even though Illinois did not score on the ensuing drive, they got inside Northwestern’s 40 and punted the ball down to the Northwestern 6 yard line. The Illini capitalized on the field position with a pick 6, but still, Northwestern had momentum and couldnt keep it moving.
Defense: Illinois did not get sacked once, and Northwestern had injuries hurt their secondary to a point where only Matt Harris and Ibraheim Campbell were left from the original starters to begin the year. Reilly O’Toole burned NU on the read option all day long to the tune of 147 yards on 21 carries.
Whats Next: This article was posted before Coach Fitzgerald spoke at his press conference. His comments upcoming will be very interesting in regards to the performance, which after the wins against Notre Dame and Purdue, has to be considered one of the most disappointing in recent memory.