Wildcat coach Gary Barnett finally used the B-word Saturday.
Well, he almost said “bowl.”
“I told our players they would be going somewhere warm for Christmas,” said Barnett, after the Cats rallied to beat Illinois 17-14 to remain atop the Big Ten with a 5-0 record.
The Big Ten is tied by contract to five bowl games. Its No. 1 team plays in the Rose in Pasadena, No. 2 in the Citrus in Orlando, No. 3 in the Outback in Tampa, No. 4 in the Alamo in San Antonio and No. 5 in the Sun in El Paso.
Incidentally, Bob Voigts, coach of Northwestern’s 1948 Rose Bowl champion team, watched Saturday’s game from the press box.
Autry express: NU’s Darnell Autry rushed 151 yards in 41 carries, going over 100 for the ninth game in a row and extending his school record. He started the string with last season’s finale against Penn State, next week’s opponent in Dyche Stadium.
Changeup: Illinois bottled up Autry early in the game with a defense that sometimes put both star outside linebackers, Simeon Rice and Kevin Hardy, on the strong side. Rice lined up over the tight end, and Hardy mirrored Wildcat fullback Matt Hartl, who usually blocked for Autry at the point of attack.
“I went with No. 46 (Hartl) every time,” said Hardy. “It worked real well. Then they adjusted, and we couldn’t adjust to what they did.”
Rice, frequently double-teamed on likely passing downs, was held without a sack for the second game in a row. The Illini also failed to sack a quarterback for the second straight game.
0-for-Top 10: Illinois’ record against top 10-ranked teams is now 0-6-1 since the Illini beat Southern Cal in 1989. The Wildcats were ranked No. 8.
Earning hardware: The victory earned Northwestern possession of the Sweet Sioux tomahawk trophy. Illinois holds the edge in Sweet Sioux games 28-21-2, dating back to 1945.
More Top Picks Best Lab Centrifuges