Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Devin Turner snags pick-6 of Luke Altmyer to give Northwestern early lead over Illinois

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

Northwestern’s defense provided the first touchdown of the day for the Wildcats.

There have already been multiple lead changes in the 1st quarter. Northwestern took an initial 3-0 lead with a field goal on its first possession. The Illini then took the lead, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive.

Illinois was looking to add to its lead after a defensive stop. Devin Turner, however, had other plans. With the Illini backed up deep in their own territory, Turner picked off Illinois QB Luke Altmyer and had an easy path to the end zone to make it a pick-6.

The score and successful PAT gave Northwestern a 10-7. The score would hold through the end of the opening quarter. Illinois, though, answered with a scoring drive of its own, retaking the lead 14-10 early in the 2nd quarter.

Illinois entered the Land of Lincoln Trophy Game as favorites. The Illini are 8-3 overall on the season with a 5-3 mark in conference contests, while Northwestern is just 4-7 overall and 2-6 in Big Ten play. The game is being played at Wrigley Field in Chicago as Northwestern undergoes a massive new stadium project on campus.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.