Illinois and Northwestern earned their first Big Ten wins of the season Saturday, while Notre Dame put together a complete-team victory to blow out Arkansas.

Here are seven takeaways from those and other Week 5 games.

1. Illinois didn’t lose confidence after its 53-point loss to Indiana.

The No. 23 Illini looked poised from the start at Gies Memorial Stadium and calmly responded to USC’s late go-ahead touchdown with the winning drive.

Kicker David Olano, a Naperville North graduate, made a 41-yard field goal as time expired to seal the 34-32 win over No. 21 USC, prompting students to pour onto the field in celebration.

If there was any question about how the Illini would respond after their embarrassment in Bloomington, Ind., in Week 4 , they answered it early.

The Illinois defen

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