The only thing similar to what David Braun and Alex Golesh inherited at Northwestern and USF, respectively, is that they took over teams coming off 1-11 seasons.
Two fourth-quarter turnovers that resulted in Northwestern touchdowns nine seconds apart hurt the Illini before they made the game close with 55 seconds left.
Line: Illinois by 5 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Illinois must win to be bowl eligible and make back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 2010-11. John Paddock will get his second straight start at quarterback for Illinois.