CHAMPAIGN, IL — In a commanding, businesslike romp over Illinois, the 2017 Northwestern Wildcats offered yet another example of how far they’ve come and closed out a 9-3 regular season that was both impressive and unfulfilling.
Northwestern went down 7-0 early but responded with 42 unanswered points against the outmatched Illini, extending its winning streak to seven games and keeping the always-important Land of Lincoln (HAT) trophy in Evanston for the third straight year.
But despite the elation of dominating their in-state rivals, despite not having lost in nearly two months, there was a bittersweet element to the final game of this regular season.