Field Level Media
30 Nov 2025, 09:49 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images)
Ca'Lil Valentine ran for 74 yards and a touchdown Saturday night while the Illinois defense came up with four turnovers to secure a 20-13 win over visiting Northwestern in Champaign, Ill.
The Fighting Illini (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten) forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter to seal the result. Leon Lowery Jr. recovered Preston Stone's fumble on a quarterback sneak at their 10 with 10:17 left in the game, followed by two Miles Scott interceptions in the final 5 1/2 minutes.
Luke Altmyer completed 10 of 15 passes for 136 yards for Illinois, which gained only 284 yards but avoided the major mistakes that have colored some of its losses this year. It committed just one turnover and had only five penalties for 44 yards.
Stone completed 19 of 36 attempts for 163 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. The Wildcats (6-6, 4-5) reached the Illini 44 on their last drive but a 4th-down incompletion with 36 seconds left ended their chances.
The only points in the second half came on field goals. David Alano hit kicks of 47 and 27 yards for the Illini, while Jack Olsen connected from 26 for Northwestern.
The pregame storyline concerned a late-fall storm that dumped heavy snow on central Illinois. The field at Memorial Stadium was covered by the time the teams kicked off the first November night game in the facility's 102-year history.
But the cold weather and poor playing conditions didn't affect the teams' ability to move the ball. Northwestern initiated scoring with a drive of 9:18 that culminated with a 38-yard field goal by Olsen with 16 seconds left in the first quarter.
After being denied on its opening drive that chewed up nearly 5 1/2 minutes, Illinois took a 7-3 lead when Valentine scored on a 6-yard run with 11:27 left in the first half. Stone put the Wildcats up 10-7 via a 13-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Eligon II at the 5:50 mark.
But Stone tossed his first interception after the 2-minute timeout to set up the Illini with a 48-yard field. They cashed it in as Kaden Feagin powered in from the 1 with 30 seconds remaining for a 14-10 halftime edge.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Herald Globe news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Herald Globe.
More InformationBRUSSELS, Belgium: The European Union has reached a political agreement on a new package of regulations designed to strengthen consumer...
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican issued new guidance reaffirming that Catholics are expected to marry only one spouse for life, underscoring...
BRASILIA, Brazil: Brazil's Supreme Court this week ordered former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to start serving a 27-year prison...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A federal judge has dismissed criminal charges against two high-profile critics of President Donald Trump—former...
In an extraordinary statement issued Thursday by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it admits it has carried out about 1,200 diverse...
HONG KONG (ANI/Big News Network): A devastating fire has torn through several high-rise apartment blocks in a Hong Kong housing complex,...
(Photo credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images) Ca'Lil Valentine ran for 74 yards and a touchdown Saturday night while the Illinois defense...
(Photo credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images) Beck Malenstyn and Josh Doan scored in regulation and the visiting Buffalo Sabres won 3-2...
(Photo credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images) Cade Cunningham had 29 points and eight assists as the visiting Detroit Pistons held off...
(Photo credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images) Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley had to be helped off the ice with a lower-body injury after...
(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images) Pittsburgh Steelers starting left tackle Broderick Jones, already ruled out for Sunday's...
(Photo credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images) Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a convincing 116-99...
