Asmussen's Review-Preview

Read what Voice of the Illini Brian Barnhart had to say about the loss

Review

Every game has a defining moment when the outcome is established. Here is the play from Saturday's Illinois-Northwestern game:

THE SITUATION

Illinois leads 3-0 late in the first half. Northwestern has just missed on a fourth-and-1 play at the Illinois 43, with Mike Kafka's pass to Zeke Markshausen falling incomplete. The missed opportunity ends a seven-play drive that started at the Northwestern 16 and included three completions by Kafka and a 9-yard run for the quarterback.

THE PLAY

The Illini take over with 1:07 left in the first half and have timeouts if they want to try to add to their lead. And they do. On the first play of the possession, Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Schultz orders a pass in the center of the field to star receiver Arrelious Benn. Quarterback Jacob Charest, after a 4-for-5 start, has struggled the rest of the half, completing only 1 of 8 passes since.

THE RESULT

Initially, Charest has Benn open, but he hesitates to throw the ball. After a short delay, he fires a pass toward Benn, but the Northwestern defense has regrouped. Three players are near the Illinois receiver and linebacker Nate Williams grabs it away, giving Northwestern the ball at its 46 with one minute left in the half.

THE OUTCOME

Instead of adding points, the Illini give the Wildcats a chance to score. And Northwestern takes advantage of the opportunity. Kafka completes two passes to move his team to the Illinois 28. After an incompletion, he finds an open Markshausen for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left in the half. Instead of trailing 3-0 or worse, the Wildcats run to the locker room up 7-3. Northwestern continues to build the lead in the second half, going up 21-3 and holding off a late Illinois rally. The Wildcats take the first-ever Land of Lincoln Trophy game, beating the Illini for the sixth time in seven years.

THE RECORD (3-7)

Missouri 37 Illinois 9

Illinois 45 Illinois State 17

Ohio State 30 Illinois 0

Penn State 35 Illinois 17

Michigan State 24 Illinois 14

Indiana 27 Illinois 14

Purdue 24 Illinois 14

Illinois 38 Michigan 13

Illinois 35 Minnesota 32

Northwestern 21 Illinois 16

Nov. 27 at Cincinnati, 11 a.m. or 6 p.m.

Dec. 5 vs. Fresno St., 11:30 a.m.

PREVIEW

Illinois travels to Cincinnati on Nov. 27 for a nonconference game. A quick read on the Bearcats:

LAST GAME

Cincinnati stayed undefeated with a 24-21 win Friday night against West Virginia. The Bearcats trailed 14-7 but rallied thanks to the combined efforts of quarterbacks Tony Pike and Nick Collaros. Plus the running of Isaiah Pead, who gained 175 yards. Pike, who is returning from an injury to his non-throwing arm, had a pair of touchdown passes. And Collaros completed 17 of 24 passes for 205 yards. He also ran for 44 yards.

WHO TO WATCH

The Cincinnati quarterbacks. We don't know yet if it will be Pike or Collaros as the starter, but count on seeing both of them in the game. Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly has a tricky situation on his hands, trying to keep both guys happy. Bottom line, he will use the guy who gives him the best chance to win now. Pike is the better thrower and Collaros is the better runner.

WHERE TO WATCH

The game will be at one of two times, 11 a.m. or 6 p.m. And the time will determine the network affiliation. If it's 11 a.m., the game will be broadcast nationally by ABC (WICD local). If the game is at night, it will be on ESPN2. The decision is expected today, with the other game under consideration Pitt at West Virginia. We're guessing the Illinois game will be on in the morning.

REASON TO WATCH

The game has huge BCS ramifications for Cincinnati, which is trying to move into the first two spots and play for the national championship. The game has little impact on the Bearcats' ability to play in a BCS game, other than the possibility that it could lose to Pitt on Dec. 5 and still get an at-large berth with an 11-1 record. The disappointment of a bowl-less season would be cut with an upset win against a national title contender.

BY THE NUMBERS

It will be the first game ever between the schools, with a rematch set for Sept. 7, 2013, in Champaign. But Illinois has played 29 games against current members of the Big East, with an overall record of 21-8. Illinois is 10-2 against Syracuse, 6-2 against Pitt, 3-2 against Louisville and 1-1 against Rutgers and West Virginia. Ron Zook's first game as Illinois coach was a win against Rutgers.

THE RECORD (10-0)

Cincinnati 47 Rutgers 15

Cincinnati 70 SE Missouri 3

Cincinnati 28 Oregon State 18

Cincinnati 28 Fresno State 20

Cincinnati 37 Miami (Ohio) 13

Cincinnati 34 South Florida 17

Cincinnati 41 Louisville 10

Cincinnati 28 Syracuse 7

Cincinnati 47 UConn 45

Cincinnati 24 West Virginia 21

Nov. 27 vs. Illinois

Dec. 5 at Pitt

Comments

Add a Comment