Illinois 38 Northwestern 35: A Comeback I Didn't Think Possible

A good portion of my psyche was ready to label the Fighting Illini's 4-0 start a "fraud" and pack in all my hopes and dreams for the rest of the season. Down 18 points midway through the third quarter, I just couldn't see a way the offense was going to be able to mount a comeback, or that the defense could stop Dan Persa from getting it even more out of hand.

I have never been so happy to be wrong. Last week I had all but given up on this team embracing the passing game and the pro-style offense, as the option and the running game worked so well in the WMU win and looked to be the key today. That option attack did little against a Northwestern in the first half. Everyone had seen the Wildcat D picked apart by the triple option of Army, and they sold out against the run to make sure that didn't happen against the Illini. To their credit, Northwestern was able to do just that, holding Illinois to just 82 yards on the ground. 

During that first half, the offense was very difficult to watch, the option resulted in plenty of running backs and Nathan Scheelhaase running into brick walls, and a miscued pitch that Northwestern was able to recover. A goal line interception on one end, and an offensive pass interference at the other denied the Illini two very valuable touchdowns. For all of that, the Illini were lucky to head into half time down just 14-10.

To start the second half though Dan Persa showed why he was garnering Heisman hype this off season. On back to back possessions, Persa engineered jaw dropping drives, showing escapability and poise that were positively unreal. So many times it looked like the Illini defense had Persa dead to rights on a third and long, but time and time again he would elude blitzers and lineman to make a throw for a first down. Persa only threw 14 passes in the entire game, but it was enough for 123 yards and 4 touchdowns. I have nothing but respect for this guy.

At that point though, it seemed like the Illinois offense seemed to finally open things up, and the result was one of the most potent bursts of offense I have seen, well since last year's Northwestern game. Petrino scrapped the option entirely and decided that if the Illini were going to win the game it would be with passing, and Nathan Scheelhaase and A.J. Jenkins were up to the task.

The drive chart tells the tale  of just how rapid the comeback happened.

7 plays for 74 yards in 3 minutes
2 plays for 58 yards in 30 seconds
13 plays for 95 yards in 6 minutes
and the final drive 6 plays, 69 yards in one minute.

This is why it is so good to have a talented quarterback and a great receiver, because even down by three possessions, you can take back a lead just like that. In the second half the Illini fumbled once, punted once, but otherwise scored a touchdown on every possession. A.J.Jenkins was unquestionably the reason why.

Jenkins had a school record day receiving, catching 12 balls for 268 yards and three touchdowns. There was no answer in the NU secondary for Jenkins and Scheelhaase and Petrino went back to that well over and over. As far as I am concerned, this absolutely seals it that he is the best receiver in the Big Ten, I am just glad he plays for the team I root for.

Scheelhaase too must have shaken off the arm stiffness or confidence problem that plagued him last week, because he torched the secondary with his arm on Saturday. A personal best 21/32, 391 yards and three touchdowns were the result. A bad first quarter pass and a dumb option pitch aside, Scheelhaase played about as well as you can ask a quarterback to.

Of course it wasn't exactly all sunshine for the Illini, else they wouldn't have been in the position of having to come back from down 18 points. The offensive line seems to have spurts of excellence in the running and passing game, but then also seem to collapse from time to time, and the low rushing numbers and four sacks taken  are evidence of that.

Turnovers were also nearly the team's undoing, including a crucial fumble in the fourth quarter by Jason Ford on the first play of what could have been a clock killing game sealing drive. It was a bad end to a bad day for Ford, who has not topped 100 yards in a game this year, and hasn't topped 30 yards for two consecutive games. At this point it would seem that both Troy Pollard and Donovonn Young have passed him on the depth chart, due to their speed and reliability.

The worst part of this game had to be the penalties though. Getting away with 8 penalties for 70 yards is pretty rare in college football, and the types of penalties are even more unsettling. Last week Jeff Allen was ejected for apparently shoving a player's head into the ground, and this week Jonathan Brown should have been ejected for this infamous move.

At 5-0, I don't think you can really blame these sort of penalties on frustration, and if the Illini make a habit out of them, they wont be undefeated for much longer.

That said, the road continues to look rosy for the Illini in the coming weeks. Next Saturday will feature the first game away from Champaign as the Illini travel to Bloomington to face the lowly Hoosiers, given the state of that football program right now, the Illini will almost certainly be double digit favorites. The following week Ohio State comes to town, on the heels of an abysmal home loss to MSU that saw them only put up 178 yards of offense and an awful situation at quarterback. The next week the Illini will travel to West Lafayette to face a 2-2 Purdue team.

This team stands one win away from bowl eligibility, and with a road ahead that could easily see them 8-0. Undefeated heading into a home  road game against Penn State. Unreal. This season could be very special, and if the Illini show the sort of resolve and ability that they did in the second half against Northwestern, it will be.