Illinois vs. Northwestern: Box Score, Stats and Game Summary feat. Luke Altmyer

The Illinois Fighting Illini traveled to Chicago to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in a Week 14 Big Ten matchup for the Land of Lincoln Trophy. The Illini entered the matchup ranked as the No. 23 team in the country with an 8-3 record for the season. Illinois is coming off a 38-31 win over Rutgers in their last time out.

Northwestern comes into Saturday’s matchup with a 4-7 record, missing out on the postseason in 2024. The Wildcats are coming off a 50-6 blowout loss versus Michigan.

In an action-packed first half, Illinois went into the locker rooms at halftime with a 14-10 lead over Northwestern.

A high-scoring third quarter brought the score to 28-20 in favor of Illinois entering the fourth quarter. The Illini outscored Northwestern 10-8 in the final quarter to secure a 38-28 win, finishing 9-3 in the regular season.

Here are stats, box score and game summaries from this Week 14 showdown.

Illinois vs. Northwestern: Box Score

Team	First Quarter	Second Quarter	Third Quarter	Fourth Quarter	Final
Illinois	7	7	14	10	38
NU	10	0	10	8	28

Illinois Player Stats

Quarterback:

Player	Comp.	Att.	Pass. YDS	Pass. TD	INT	Carries	Rush YDS	Rush TD
Luke Altmyer	10	17	`70	1	2	3	-23	1

Rushing and receiving:

Player	Carries	Rush YDS	Rush TD	Reception	Rec. YDS	Rec. TD
Aiden Laughery	12	172	3	0	0	0
Josh McCray	11	46	0	1	5	0
Ca’Lil Valentine	7	16	0	0	0	0
Pat Bryant	0	0	0	4	70	1
Zakahri Franklin	0	0	0	3	54	0
Collin Dixon	0	0	0	1	38	0
Tanner Arkin	0	0	0	1	3	0
Jordan Anderson	1	4	0	0	0	0

Kicking:

Player	Extra Points	FG	Total Points
David Olano	5/5	1/1	8

Northwestern Player Stats

Quarterback:

Player	Comp.	Att	Pass. YDS	Pass. TD	INT	Carries	Rush YDS	Rush TD
Jack Lausch	25	48	287	2	2	5	22	0
Ryan Boe	4	13	42	0	1	1	-15	0

Rushing and receiving:

Player	Carries	Rush YDS	Rush TD	Reception	Rec. YDS	Rec. TD
Cam Porter	12	53	0	1	28	0
Caleb Komolafe	8	32	0	0	0	0
Joseph Himon II	3	21	0	1	4	0
A.J. Henning	0	0	0	10	119	1
Thomas Gordon	0	0	0	7	53	1
Calvin Johnson II	0	0	0	3	39	0
Hayden Eligon II	0	0	0	2	35	0
Bryce Kirtz	0	0	0	2	25	0
Drew Wagner	0	0	0	2	24	0
Jake Arthurs	0	0	0	1	2	0

Kicking:

Player	Extra Points	FG	Total Points
Luke Akers	2/2	2/3	8

Illinois vs. Northwestern: Game Summary

Northwestern opened the game with a methodical 12-play, 72-yard drive capped off by a 21-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Illinois responded quickly with a 30-yard touchdown scamper from Aiden Laughery to take a 7-3 lead over the Wildcats.

Junior defensive back Xavier Scott picked off a Wildcats pass attempt on the ensuing drive before Northwestern defensive back Devin Turner returned an interception for a touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 10-7 lead.

Illinois answered in the second quarter, scoring the only points of the period with an eight-play, 65-yard drive capped off by a short rushing touchdown from Luke Altmyer, giving the Illini a 14-10 lead going into halftime.

Illinois opened the second half with an explosive two-play drive highlighted by Aiden Laughery’s 64-yard touchdown scamper to extend his team’s lead to 21-10 in the opening minutes of the second half.

After forcing a punt, the Illini scored a second consecutive touchdown as Luke Altmyer connected with Pat Bryant for a 43-yard pitch and catch.

Northwestern responded on the ensuing drive, kicking a 34-yard field goal to cut the lead to 28-13. After forcing a punt, the Wildcats carried their momentum offensively, marching 29 yards in four plays before Jack Lausch found A.J. Henning for an 11-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to 28-20 entering the final period of play.

A 31-yard touchdown run from Aiden Laughery, followed by a 24-yard field goal, sealed a win for Illinois, extending their lead to 38-20. Northwestern mustered one final scoring drive of the season to bring the final score to 38-28.