>>Illini Gain Bowl Eligibility With Win Over Northwestern
Reilly O'Toole passed for 147 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 147 yards, Josh Ferguson had a pair of rushing scores and Illinois took advantage of five Northwestern turnovers for a 47-33 victory over its in-state and Big Ten rival on Saturday.
Illinois (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten) is bowl eligible for the first time since 2011 and the win may end speculation that coach Tim Beckman could lose his job in his third season.
Northwestern (5-7, 3-5) was led by freshman running back Justin Jackson, who had 130 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. The Wildcats, though, couldn't overcome five turnovers by quarterback Zack Oliver, who was starting in place of injured Trevor Siemian.
Oliver finished with 221 yards passing, but much of it came after the outcome had been decided. He had just 9 yards in the first half.
>>Illini To Bring Back HC Tim Beckman
Illini athletic director Mike Thomas says football coach Tim Beckman will be with the team next year.
Thomas made the announcement Sunday afternoon after a season of speculation about whether the Illinois football coach would be fired. But on Saturday, Beckman secured his job with a 47-33 win at Northwestern. That made the Illini (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten) bowl eligible in Beckman's third season and apparently signified the kind of progress Thomas said he needed to see in the program.
Illinois is 12-24 under Beckman. The team's bowl destination is still undetermined.
Beckman took over at Illinois after Ron Zook (ZUHK) was fired following a 6-6 season in 2011. But Zook's team finished with six straight regular-season losses. This year's Illini finished with three wins in their last five games.
>>Nebraska Fires Pelini
(Lincoln, NE) -- Nebraska fired head football coach Bo Pelini on Sunday. The announcement from athletic director Shawn Eichorst came two days after the Huskers finished a 9-and-3 regular season with a 37-34 overtime win over Iowa. The 46-year-old Pelini won at least nine games in each of his seven seasons at the helm, but the Huskers never won a conference title during his tenure. He notched an overall record of 66-and-27 and went 3-and-3 in bowl games after taking over in 2008.
>>Body Of Missing OSU Football Player Found
(Columbus, OH) -- Police say the body of missing Ohio State football player Kosta Karageorge has been found. His body was discovered less than a mile from his apartment. Sergeant Richard Weiner with Columbus Police Department says Karageorge's body and a gun were found in a dumpster and that the player died from what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 22-year-old Karageorge hadn't been seen since leaving his apartment early Wednesday morning. Family members say he had a history of sports-related concussions.
