Saturday morning was a frigid one at Wrigley Field as Northwestern football (4-8, 2-7 B1G) failed to heat up against Illinois (9-3, 6-3 B1G).

The Fighting Illini beat the ’Cats 38-28 to take back the Land of Lincoln trophy and secure their first nine-win season since 2007.

On a day that recognized Northwestern football’s seniors and graduate students, two fifth-years stood out: wide receiver A.J. Henning put up a career-high 119 receiving yards on 10 receptions, while running back Cam Porter led the team with 53 rushing yards on 12 carries. Missing from the usual offensive charge was sixth-year wide receiver Bryce Kirtz, who sat out most of the game after sustaining an injury during Northwestern’s first drive.

“Being in my last season, I wanted to empty the tank,” Henning said after the game. “No matter what, I wanted to come out and give 100% effort every day.”

While the ’Cats put together a stronger offensive showing than usual — the team scored at least 28 just two other times this season — their defense was no match for what head coach David Braun called an “explosive” Illinois rushing offense.

Struggles in the red zone also plagued the ’Cats. Northwestern failed to convert touchdowns on four separate trips to the red zone: two ended in field goals, one in an interception and one in a loss of downs.

Northwestern kept it close through the first half, leading 10-7 after the first quarter and never trailing by more than four points. Third-year defensive back Devin Turner made waves, recording a pick six — Northwestern’s only touchdown of the half — and another interception during the first two quarters.

But Illinois came out swinging in the third quarter. Just 45 seconds into the period, Illini running back Aidan Laughery made a 64-yard run into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day.

The ’Cats failed to convert on their next possession while the Illini scored another touchdown on theirs, going up 28-10. Northwestern managed a field goal and a touchdown to keep the game close, but as they entered the final quarter, they trailed Illinois by eight, a gap the Illini would quickly widen.

Offensive struggles on Northwestern’s next two drives, in the form of an interception and a fumble, allowed Illinois to rack up 10 more points and put the game solidly out of reach for the ’Cats.

Although Northwestern closed out the game with a touchdown pass to graduate tight end Thomas Gordon, and made the two-point conversion, they ran out of time for a comeback.

“We gotta figure out what we gotta do better as a team,” Turner said. “Start from ground zero and figure out what we gotta do, have to do, to get better, and get stops, and win the game.”

Last year, Braun, in his first year as head coach, took the ’Cats to an 8-5 record and their first bowl game since 2018. Braun said that last year’s team made visible, tangible improvements every game — something he didn’t see this year, and stressed his own responsibility to evaluate why.

“At the end of the day, as the season continued to go along, the results are far from what we're looking for,” Braun said post-game. “There's spurts of really good football being played, but there's very few things to point to here in the last five weeks of us playing four quarters.”

As Northwestern heads into the offseason, Braun and the rest of the coaching staff will have their work cut out for them — especially with the loss of key players like Henning, who Braun praised for his leadership, along with the rest of the team’s senior and grad class.

“They’re just leaders, they’re humble, they love this program,” Braun said. “Regardless of the results that showed up on the field this year, they have so much to be proud of.”

Thumbnail photo by AJ Anderson / North by Northwestern