By Greg Mroz
Illinois 26, Northwestern 7
Turnovers: Coach Fitz always preaches winning the turnover battle, and Northwestern committed four of them in the half alone. Two interceptions from Zack Oliver along with two Oliver fumbles gave Illinois a plethora of scoring opportunities. The Fighting Illini got the football inside the red zone on five consecutive possessions, and scored on 4 of them.
Zack Oliver: Oliver was not good in the first half, and with two fumbles and two interceptions, he was pulled in favor of Matt Alvitti. If this is the end of the day for Oliver, he finished with 9 yards passing on two completions.
Special Teams: Had Illinois not missed a field goal and given up a kick return touchdown to Solomon Vault, the game could be a lot more lopsided than it already is. The wind has played a factor as it is blowing hard south to north. Regardless, with the score where it is, Northwestern is lucky for Illinois’ special teams gaffes.