CHAMPAIGN, Ill. _ In an otherwise upside-down season for both teams _ Illinois thriving and Northwestern struggling _ things remained the same Saturday at Memorial Stadium for this annual rivalry game.
Northwestern beat Illinois for a fifth straight season, 29-10.
Illinois' seniors left the field without ever having beaten the Wildcats. The Illini (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) are still bowl-bound while Northwestern's season ended in Champaign, but the victory was a sweet finish for the Wildcats' sour season.
Both teams were using backup quarterbacks. Matt Robinson struggled in place of Brandon Peters, who was knocked out of the game last week at Iowa. But Andrew Marty, a fourth-stringer in his first start, looked like the answer for Northwestern, whose previous quarterbacks were duds all season.
Marty rushed for 110 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns and completed 6 of 10 passes for 55 yards with a touchdown and one interception.
Illinois replaced Robinson (8 of 17 passing for 108 yards) with freshman Isaiah Williams with 6 minutes left in the game but he didn't provide much relief, fumbling on fourth-and-1 in Illinois territory.
Northwestern (3-9, 1-8) dominated on the ground, controlling the clock, for its only conference victory. The Wildcats gained 378 rushing yards to only 14 by Illinois. Senior running back Reggie Corbin was held to -10 yards on seven carries.
The Illini had entered the game with four wins in their last five contests, but they looked just like previous years' teams against Northwestern.
Marty scored on a 12-yard run before halftime to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead. He connected with Riley Lees on a 34-yard pass for a 10-point third-quarter lead.
James McCourt's 50-yard field goal cut Illinois' deficit to 17-10 shortly before the fourth quarter, but a 1-yard rush into the end zone by Marty provided enough of a cushion for the Wildcats.
Former scout-team member Coco Azema (7 carries, 123 yards) broke a tackle and rushed 24 yards for the final touchdown with 1:09 left.
