Northwestern @ Illinois

Illinois topped Northwestern 33-7 in Champaign on January 12, 2025, at the University of Illinois, cruising to a 26-point victory in the Big Ten dual. The result hinged on Illinois piling up bonus points at multiple weights while limiting Northwestern to a single major decision.

Two decisive technical falls provided the biggest blow. Edmond Ruth turned a matchup at 184 into a 20-2 technical fall for five team points, and heavyweight Luke Luffman closed with a 22-6 technical fall worth another five. Those two outcomes alone supplied half of Illinois' bonus scoring and made it difficult for Northwestern to recover.

Illinois also collected two major decisions that kept the pressure on. Lucas Byrd’s 22-8 major at 133 delivered four team points, and Dan Braunagel’s 18-5 major at 174 added another four. Northwestern’s lone bonus came when Dedrick Navarro downed Caelan Riley 11-1 by major decision at 125, but that was not enough to offset Illinois’ streak of bonus wins.

The turning point was Illinois’ run of bonus-point finishes across the middle and upper weights; the combination of majors and technical falls created a gap that Northwestern could not close. With bonus scoring doing the heavy lifting, Illinois secured the 33-7 victory and the dual win in Champaign.