CHAMPAIGN – It’s not the kind of defensive performance – surrendering 34 points on 570 total yards in a one-touchdown loss – that usually leaves a pair of seniors grinning after their last college game.
But Northwestern’s defensive showing against Illinois on Thanksgiving was a positive Kevin Bentley and Napoleon Harris could take with them on their last trip out of a collegiate locker room.
“I’m proud of it,” said Harris, a defensive end. “Illinois is a great team and they came out and executed when they needed to. But at the same time, when we needed a stop, we got it.”
The season-ending six-game losing streak had humbled even Harris, who earlier in the season referred to himself as the best defender in college football. He knew not to ask for too much against the Fighting Illini and was content to return to Evanston having given up only 34 points.
After all, in NU’s previous three losses, the defense had given up nearly 53 points per game, twice taking the Cats offense out of the game by halftime.
“We allowed our offense to have another chance, and that’s something we hadn’t been doing the last couple of weeks,” Harris said after the game. “It was a big stand and a big step up for us today.”
Only three weeks earlier against Indiana, NU’s defense spotted the Hoosiers a 42-0 lead at halftime. A week later, Iowa went up 31-7 in the first half before breaking out for 28 more points in the third quarter alone.
But against Illinois, NU kept the game close, heading into the locker room at halftime trailing by only three points.
Five minutes into the fourth quarter, the Cats were down 34-20 and Illinois had the ball with a 1st-and-10 on the NU 30-yard line and a chance to seal the game. But Illinois quarterback Kurt Kittner was pressured into throwing two incomplete passes and running back Rocky Harvey burrowed up the middle for a one-yard gain.
Illinois kicker John Gockman then missed a 47-yard field goal. NU scored on its next possession to get within one touchdown with almost six minutes left in the game.
The defense took the field and was again able to stop Illinois deep in NU’s own territory. The Illini needed only one yard on third down from the NU 39-yard line, but Bentley dragged Harvey back for a loss of three, forcing the Illini to punt.
The defensive hold left the Cats offense with a comfortable three-and-a-half minutes to take the lead. NU wasted the opportunity, going three-and-out. But the moment still had significance for Harris and Bentley.
“It felt pretty awesome, because we had been relying on (the offense) to win the game for us a couple of times,” Bentley said. “Unfortunately we fell a little short, but it felt really good to get them the ball back.”
Bentley ended the game with a team-leading 15 tackles and closed out his senior season as the Cats’ top tackler with 147.
Cornerback Marvin Ward, one of five freshman in the final defensive starting lineup of the season, came in second to Bentley for the day with 13 tackles and broke up a pair of passes.
The collective effort was one of the best the Cats have put together during the losing streak. And the offense wasn’t above taking notice.
Senior wideout Sam Simmons wouldn’t admit to being frustrated with his defense at times this season — even during the Indiana loss. He instead offered a more diplomatic vision of NU’s scoreboard struggles this season.
“There were games where they kept us in and we didn’t produce, like (Thursday) on that last drive,” Simmons said. “And there were games where we produced and they didn’t. It goes both ways. But they played excellent. They gave us a chance to win, but as an offense, we just couldn’t piece together one more miracle.”
Bentley didn’t seem too concerned about the lack of miracles or the outcome after Thursday’s game. He seemed content to have put up a fight and suffered a moderate loss — a relatively happy ending.
“It was an awesome game,” he said, “one of the most fun I’ve ever been in.”
