Quick takes from Illinois vs. Northwestern football in the battle for the Land of Lincoln Trophy

CHICAGO - Rivalry weekend in college football features the best of all the rivalries in the sport.

Northwestern vs. Illinois is one of them.

The neck-and-neck, nip-and-tuck or nail-biting games aren't the norm. Since 2000, only seven of the 24 games between NU and the Illini were one-score final score games. It's fair to expect a weird play or two to throw off the vibes.

Devin Turner threw off the vibes early on with an interception returned for a touchdown. It put Northwestern up 10-7 on the No. 23 team in the nation. But, the Illini raced back in front.

Once in front, Illinois cruised to a 38-28 win.

It didn't matter that Illinois quarterback Luke Altmeyer came in with three interceptions on the year and threw two in the game, he connected on a 43-yard score and set up the running game.

That put Illinois up 28-10 halfway through the third quarter.

Here are some takeaways from the Battle for the Hat, as Illinois and Northwestern played for the Land of Lincoln Trophy:

Northwestern kept looking for answers on offense

In the first half, Northwestern went away from starting quarterback Jack Lasuch.

Out went Lausch, in came Ryan Boe.

Boe and Lausch kept splitting drives on offense. One quarterback didn't vastly outperform the other, but Lausch's running ability and his ability to move the ball when in rhytym were clearly better than Boe.

Northwestern football communications told FOX 32 this was part of Northwestern's game plan coming into the game Saturday, and Lausch wasn't injured or hampered by anything.

This was Northwestern looking for answers on offense.

In losses to Ohio State and Michigan, the Wildcats got plays from their defense but the offense struggled to consistently maintain momentum. 

Lausch hit AJ Henning for an 11-yard touchdown. Northwestern stuck with Lausch until he threw an interception on third and 12 in the fourth quarter. Boe came in on the ensuing drive after an Illinois score, and Boe turned the ball over on a sack-fumble.

Illinois got a field goal three plays later to put the Illini up three scores.

Illinois is dangerous when it hits its stride

Illinois, down 10-7, could have shied away in the cold. It was a balmy 17 degrees at kickoff in Chicago, after all.

But, Illinois kept grinding. Bret Bielema trusted the running game, and Aidan Laughery built the momentum.

Laughery scored three touchdowns on the afternoon. Those scores went for 64, 31 and 30 yards apiece. His hat trick also allowed the passing game to reopen.

When it did, Altmeyer was active. He shook off two interceptions to toss a 43-yard touchdown to Pat Bryant, who was the hero in the Illini's win over Rutgers.

There have been plenty of times this year when Illinois' offense needed some kind of spark. They found it in different ways. It was Laughery on Saturday, but in previous games it was Bryant, Altmeyer or Zakhari Franklin.

There's a reason Illinois earned its No. 23 ranking.

Pat Bryant is NFL ready

After the last few games, it's hard to argue against Bryant as one of the best players in the Big Ten.

His winding and scintillating touchdown to beat Rutgers was one example. Another example was his 43-yard score in the third quarter to put Illinois up 28-10.

Bryant used a good move to get open over the middle of the field. Illinois, looking to move the ball on second and four at midfield, had Bryant run to the first down marker. When Altmeyer looked his way, Bryant spun around the NU defender, ran up the sideline and got open.

Altmeyer hit Bryant, and Bryant did the rest. He wove between two Wildcat defenders and zipped into the end zone.

That touchdown tied an Illinois record for touchdowns in a single-season with 10. 

Bryant is a force to be reckoned with and Illinois has used him properly in this revelation of a season for the Illini. Ironically, Franklin was the player many expected to help the Illinois offense break out.

Bryant paced the passing game this year, finishing the regular season as the Illinois team leader in receiving yards. 

With the win, Illinois can look at later bowl games

At 8-3, Illinois had plenty to play for.

The Illini were bowl eligible, but were playing for the right for a higher-profile bowl game.

Entering Saturday, every major outlet predicted Illinois would play in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Eve in Orlando, Fla.

Illinois needed to win Saturday to cement their candidacy for that bowl game. 

The Illini made it happen.

Northwestern had plenty to play for, too. At 4-7, a win would give NU a chance at a bowl game at 5-7 if there weren't enough bowl eligible teams. Teams that finish 5-7 earn bowl games if they have a high enough academic progress rate.

NU would be first on that list. They needed the fifth win, though. Illinois dashed that hope.