After a first quarter that saw Illinois and NU combine for 35 points, the tempo in the second quarter seemed to slow down considerably. Illinois took a 27-24 lead into the break after Derek Dimke kicked a 39-yard field goal as time expired.

Interestlingly, freshman Kain Colter, who had been the Wildcats' third-string backup and moved to No. 2 on the depth chart when Dan Persa got hurt last week, saw some snaps.

NU safety Brian Peters snagged his second interception of the day at the 6:02 mark of the second quarter and running back Mike Trumpy scored his second touchdown of the afternoon on a two-yard run, tying the score at 24.