Illinois football came out in the 2021 season finale and dominated the Northwestern Wildcats.
This was a blowout game from about halfway through the first quarter until the final whistle was blown. The Illini put up two touchdowns in the first quarter and doubled that in the second quarter. By halftime, Illinois led Northwestern by a score of 37-7.
The second half was smooth as well. Illinois played stress-free football and extended their lead. The Illini would eventually come away with a 47-14 victory.
Here are four observations from the Illinois football win over Northwestern.
1. Isaiah Williams is going to be a star
When a new coaching staff entered the picture in Champaign, it signified a change in just about everything.
One of the big adjustments was players switching positions. Isaiah Williams made the move from quarterback to wide receiver. This move came as a surprise because it seemed that Williams was set on playing quarterback in college, but the selfless act helped the team and his career.
Williams’ impact on the team in 2021 was huge. Despite lackluster quarterback play, Williams still finished the year first in receptions and receiving yards on the team. His 40 receptions were over double the second place player who had 19 receptions. He also had 412 yards which are nearly double the next best at 226 yards.
On Saturday, Williams capped off his tremendous first year as a wide receiver. He had seven receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t just catch the ball either. Williams also ran for 21 yards and one touchdown.
Williams was the most electric player on the field for the Orange and Blue against Northwestern. This is only the beginning of things to come for this future star. Just imagine the numbers he can put up when Bret Bielema gets more talent into the program.
2. The future of the running game is bright
I mentioned how Isaiah Williams was great against Northwestern and how he is going to be a star. While that is going to be true, I believe the Illinois running game is going to free up Williams and the passing game.
The Illini were able to run the ball better this season than I have seen in the past. It wasn’t just a pound the rock running game either. Our running backs were gaining huge chunks of yards at a time.
Chase Brown led the Illini in rushing for the 2021 campaign. He finished the year with 170 carries for 1,005 yards and five touchdowns. His 5.9 yards per carry is a great number and one of the best rushing averages in recent memory.
Brown wasn’t the only running back for the Illinois football team who ran loose this season. True freshman Josh McCray also showed flashes of greatness. He managed 112 carries for 545 yards and two touchdowns. For McCray’s size, his 4.9 yards per carry is tremendous.
On Saturday against Northwestern, the Illini duo had another great game to cap off the year. Brown had 12 carries for 112 yards and one touchdown while McCray had 12 carries for 42 yards and one touchdown. As a team, the Illini had 38 carries for 217 yards and four touchdowns on the day.
This Illinois rushing attack has such a bright future. Brown is going to be returning, and he is technically still a redshirt junior. So, he has two years of eligibility left for the Illini. McCray will obviously be back, as he is only going to be a sophomore next season. This one-two punch has a chance to be something special in program history.
3. Defense was stellar once again
There are quite a few good things I can mention about the 2021 campaign, but I think the best thing to come out of the season was how good the defense played.
The addition of defensive coordinator Ryan Walters to the Illinois football coaching staff was one of the best moves for the program in the past decade. He has shaped this Illini defense into one of the best units in the Big Ten, and that will only get better with the better talent that joins the team.
Illinois thoroughly dominated Northwestern on Saturday. The Wildcats only scored 14 points the entire game, and seven of those points were with 24 seconds to go in the game.
Northwestern couldn’t get anything going through the air or on the ground. Starting quarterback Ryan Hilinski was 12-of-23 for 123 yards and one interception. He ended the game with a QBR of 29.1, which a 50.0 QBR is average.
On the ground, the Wildcats had 48 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns. I will take an opposing team rushing for 2.5 yards per carry every day of the week. That is a great defensive showing.
The great defensive performance isn’t anything new for this Illini defense, though. They have been great, especially in Big Ten play. In the nine Big Ten games this season, Illinois’ defense has only given up 18.8 points per game. That is a number I didn’t think was possible, and it is the only reason this team finished as strong as they did.
The Illini defense was amazing in 2021. Much like the running game and Isaiah Williams, the future is extremely bright for the defensive unit. Walters has us playing with a fire that I haven’t seen in over a decade.
4. I am so proud of this team
With an overall record of 2-5 and a Big Ten record of 1-3, coming off a 24-0 loss to Wisconsin, I wouldn’t have been shocked if the Illinois football players packed it up and didn’t give it their all the rest of the year.
I mean, things were looking pretty bleak at that point in the season. The offense wasn’t moving the ball, and the team just wasn’t playing well. But the Illini didn’t give up. The players were fully bought into the Bret Bielema era of Illinois football.
A huge win over No. 7 Penn State on the road sent a bolt of energy through this program. Illinois would go on to win three of the final five games for the 2021 campaign. Two of those contests were against top 20 programs, and the third game was on Saturday against Illinois’ biggest rival in Northwestern.
Even through a coaching change and players adjusting to new positions, the Illini didn’t have too many departures. Most players stuck with the team and fought tooth and nail for this program. I wouldn’t have blamed anyone for leaving the program, but most players didn’t depart. They stuck with us.
Illinois wasn’t likely to make a bowl game regardless of the outcome of the Northwestern game. Despite not having a game at the end of the rainbow, Illinois players still came out on Saturday and didn’t just win, they put a whoopin’ on the Wildcats by a score of 47-14.
The 2021 season is over, which makes me extremely sad. I get a little misty-eyed thinking about it. But, man, I am more proud of this 5-7 team than I have with any team in recent memory. The future is so stinkin’ bright for the Orange and Blue.