Following Northwestern’s 47-14 season finale shellacking at the hands of in-state rivals Illinois, the Wildcats’ season is officially done. It was an extremely disappointing year all around, with most still thinking in the preseason that the ‘Cats would at least be bowl eligible at this point in the season. However, that’s not the case, with NU finishing 3-9 and in last place in the Big Ten West. Here are five takeaways from not only Northwestern’s loss to Illinois, but their 2021 season as a whole.
There need to be coordinator/positional coach changes
There was expected to be a learning curve for the 2021 Northwestern defense.