Chambana Sun

The Illinois Fighting Illini secured a 38-28 victory over Northwestern Wildcats at Wrigley Field, reclaiming the Land of Lincoln Trophy. Aidan Laughery led the charge with a career-high 172 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries. Pat Bryant matched the single-season receiving touchdown record with his tenth score in the third quarter.

Zakhari Franklin moved into the top ten on the FBS career reception list, adding three receptions for 54 yards. Quarterback Luke Altmyer contributed with 170 passing yards and two total touchdowns.

Illinois' defense was instrumental, forcing four turnovers. Xavier Scott recorded his fourth interception of the season, while Mac Resetich and Torrie Cox Jr. each added an interception. Malachi Hood forced a fumble, which Matthew Bailey recovered inside Northwestern's 10-yard line.

The game began with Northwestern taking an early lead through a field goal, but Illinois quickly responded with a touchdown drive capped by Laughery's 30-yard rush. Despite some resistance from Northwestern, Illinois maintained control throughout the game.

Bret Bielema's team finished the regular season with nine wins for the first time since 2007 and six victories in Big Ten play, equaling their best performance since that same year.

Bielema commented on his tenure: "Bielema improved to 27-22 during his Illinois career." He has also achieved nine wins in a season for the first time at Illinois.

The Illini have now won three consecutive games to close out their regular season, defeating both Northwestern and Purdue in one campaign for the first time since 2010. They have also scored at least 38 points in three straight Big Ten games for the first time since October-November 2010.

Illinois' strong defensive performance held Northwestern to just seven rushing yards in the second half, while their offense averaged over nine yards per play across two quarters.