Illini Demolish Northwestern, Despite Little from Chase Brown – The Sports Bank

When the Chicago Bears destroyed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, they did so without much from Walter Payton. Sweetness didn’t score, he was held under three yards per carry, and his longest run was only seven yards. The Bears still won 46-10. In utterly annihilating their in-state rivals, the Northwestern Wildcats, on rivalry Saturday in the Land of Lincoln Hat game, the Illini won 41-3 despite only a small contribution from Chase Brown, the man who led the entire nation in rushing, wire to wire. That’s how it goes sometimes- for these blue and orange brethren. The shutdown defense, a dominant unit that can score all on its own, takes over, and your superstar running back takes a back seat. Chase Brown, a favorite for the Doak Walker Award (nation’s best running back), was held to just 61 yards and 13 carries. That’s an average of only 3.2 per carry. However, he did make a big play (43 yards) in the passing game. Interestingly enough, Payton also had exactly 61 yards rushing in Super Bowl XX. The Illini got in done, in a stadium that was about 60% empty, but about 80% clad in Illini colors, thanks
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