Northwestern vs. Illinois College Football: Everything You Need To Know

Northwestern aims to finish an up-and-down season with a victory over a moribund Illinois team, bringing the Wildcats to a .500 record and a 5-4 Big Ten mark.

Northwestern has lost three of its last four games, but should find the going easier against the Illini than it did against Minnesota on Saturday. The Wildcats lost 29-12 after falling behind 15-0 before finally scoring on a Justin Jackson 4-yard run. Quarterback Clayton Thorson threw for 276 yards and a score but struggled to get the Wildcats in the end zone. Northwestern’s rushing attack also scuffled as the Wildcats ran for only 63 yards on 33 carries.

Illinois continued its downward slide on Saturday with a loss to Iowa 28-0, dropping its second consecutive game and fourth in five games. Illinois has been outscored 76-3 in the last two weeks and has looked as feeble as those scores indicate. Against the Hawkeyes, the Illini gained only 198 total yards while the defense allowed the Hawkeyes to rush for 262 yards and three scores. Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt completed only 19 of 41 passes for 137 yards and an interception.

Kickoff time: 11 a.m. CT
TV and radio: Big Ten Network, WGN Radio 720 AM
Point spread: Northwestern is favored by 14 points, according to scores and odds.
Tickets: Tickets are available at the Northwestern football website.

ALSO ON PATCH: Northwestern Wildcats 2016 Football Schedule: Where and When to Watch the Games

Parking
Free Campus Parking and Shuttle Map
Public Transportation to Ryan Field
CTA:
Ride the Purple CTA line to the Central Street train station, 2 blocks east of Ryan Field. Parking is available at both the Howard and Linden Stations. Visit the CTA website for more information.
Metra:
The Central Street Metra Station is also located 2 blocks to the west of Ryan Field at 1601 Central Street. Fare varies. Visit the Metra website for more information.

Football Parking & Directions
Parking

• There is no day-of-game parking at Ryan Field. Street parking around the stadium is extremely limited, and violators will be towed.
• The east and west side stadium lots as well as the golf Course parking lots are reserved for those with passes only. If you do not have a season parking permit, proceed to the designated free campus and city parking lots to avoid congestion. For a complete Northwestern campus map with parking lots indicated in purple, click here.

Free NU Shuttle Bus Service

• Free Shuttle Buses provide transportation from the campus and city parking lots to two conveniently located stadium stops.
• Free shuttle buses run continually beginning two (2) hours prior to kick off until approximately one (1) hour after the end of the game.
• After the game, Shuttles going to downtown Evanston lots will pick up on Ashland, north of Walker Way (closer to Isabella). Shuttles going to the NU campus lots will pick up on Ashland south of Walker Way (closer to Central.)

Northwestern University Shuttle Information
Gameday Shuttle Information
Charter Bus Regulations

• Charter Bus Route Map (pdf)

The City of Evanston provides free parking for charter buses for all Northwestern University home football games at Ryan Field. All buses must enter Ashland Avenue from Central Street and proceed north. Discharge passengers on the east side of the street at the stadium.

The major streets at the stadium are closed temporarily to vehicular traffic at the end of the game due to the large number of fans walking east from the stadium. Buses must stay in the lot until 15 minutes after the end of the game. Staff at the lot will release buses at the appropriate time. This allows the majority of pedestrians to clear the stadium area before the buses return (about 30 minutes after the end of the game). Buses returning early are a hazard and will not be allowed in the stadium area.

RV Parking
Due to construction on campus, there is no RV Parking for the 2016 Northwestern football season.