Ad Disclosure
For the first time since 2014, Illinois celebrates with Land of Lincoln Trophy
Published:
The Land of Lincoln Trophy is back in Champaign.
Illinois left no doubt on Saturday, cruising to a 47-14 win over in-state rival Northwestern to close out the season. The Fighting Illini improved to 5-7 with the win and claimed the Land of Lincoln Trophy for the first time since the 2014 campaign.
So, of course the locker room was fired up to celebrate with the trophy after the victory. Illinois shared video from the postseason celebration following the blowout win:
Owen Carney made sure #illini head coach Bret Bielema got to hold the trophy. pic.twitter.com/lV9bXMljFg
— Joey Wagner (@mrwagner25) November 27, 2021
The moment the Hat was secured.#famILLy pic.twitter.com/U3KLO6reCT
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 28, 2021
𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗚
It’s a hard hat holiday. pic.twitter.com/3Q0OY6skNJ
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 28, 2021
The Hat is back with the #famILLy pic.twitter.com/WZyW10ULKf
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 28, 2021
Took it back!#famILLY pic.twitter.com/CWfru3IYX2
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 27, 2021
Saturday’s win was a great way to close out the season for the Fighting Illini. It was another signature win for the program in Bret Bielema’s first season.
Before beating Northwestern, Illinois also notched upset wins over ranked teams Penn State and Minnesota on the road. There were some ups and downs throughout the year, but the Illini ended the season on a high note.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB