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After two games on the road, the Northwestern Wildcats are heading back home. The Wildcats and the Illinois Fighting Illini will face off in a Big Ten battle at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Ryan Field. If the nothing to nothing final from the last time they met is any indication, this game will be decided by the defense.
Northwestern came up short against the Purdue Boilermakers last week, falling 17-9. A silver lining for Northwestern was the play of RB Evan Hull, who rushed for one TD and 105 yards on 22 carries.
Meanwhile, Illinois was close but no cigar last week as they fell 19-17 to the Michigan Wolverines. RB Chase Brown put forth a good effort for the losing side as he rushed for two TDs and 140 yards on 29 carries.
Northwestern is the clear underdog, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. Those who got lucky with them against the spread last week might want to hold off on placing bets this time since the squad has yet to string together back-to-back wins against the spread.
The losses put Northwestern at 1-10 and the Fighting Illini at 7-4. A couple defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: The Wildcats rank 17th in the nation when it comes to passing yards allowed per game, with only 187.7 on average. As for Illinois, they come into the contest boasting the second fewest touchdowns allowed in the nation at 14.
