Northwestern Football: Wildcats fend off Illini’s late rally

Northwestern football is headed to the Big Ten Championship game, but not without first dispatching Illinois to wrap up the regular season.

It was a two-man show for Northwestern football on Saturday. That’s all it took for the Wildcats to control the pace of their game with Illinois and secure their fourth straight win over the Illini.

The first star was running back Isaiah Bowser, who was thrust into more playing time earlier this season when Jeremy Larkin saw his season ended via injury. Bowser has been the workhorse for this offense ever since. Entering Saturday his best game came against Iowa where he rushed for 165 yards and a score. He one-upped himself, toting the rock 18 times for 166 yards including a 55-yard scamper against Illinois.

With Bowser doing the damage on the ground, quarterback Clayton Thorson efficiently picked the Illini apart through the air. The senior has been up and down this season, and while his outing against Illinois wasn’t his best day at the office, his 110 passing yards and two touchdowns were more than enough to carry his team to the win.

The offense operated smoothly with both members of the backfield playing well. It didn’t matter that Illinois outgained Northwestern or converted both of their fourth down tries. Consistent production trumped the sporadic Illini and gave Northwestern their eighth win of the season.

After their win today, Northwestern has the chance to secure a 10-win season with a win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game followed up by a bowl game victory. If Pat Fitzgerald can find a way to win two more he’ll own four of the six double-digit win seasons in Northwestern history. Not bad for a school that frequently does battle with some of the most historic programs in college football.