CHICAGO - Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald and his team faced plenty of skeptics this fall after coming off back-to-back losing seasons.

Fitzgerald's confidence never wavered. Neither did the confidence of his players, who celebrated the fourth 10-win season in school history after No. 16 Northwestern held on for a 24-14 win against Illinois on Saturday at Soldier Field.

"We don't focus on the haters and the negative," Fitzgerald said. "We knew we had it in us. We just had to get back to who we are and what we value and what we do. We're a 10-win team with a ton of improvement left in front of us. That's what's so exciting."

The main source of Saturday's excitement for Northwestern (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) was running back Justin Jackson, who rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown. Jackson set a career high with 37 carries and surpassed 100 rushing yards for the eighth game this season.

"I've said it before, but it's fun to block for him," right guard Matt Frazier said. "When we came into this game, we said we're going to win it up front and we're going to run the ball inside. We got that done in the first half. We kind of fell off a little bit in the second half, but we found a way to get it done."

Quarterback Clayton Thorson passed for 146 yards and a touchdown for Northwestern. Wide receiver Austin Carr led the Wildcats with three receptions for 61 yards.

On the other side of the field, quarterback Wes Lunt passed for 241 yards and rushed for a touchdown. Running back Josh Ferguson added 140 yards from scrimmage for Illinois (5-7, 2-6), which failed to earn bowl eligibility for the third time in the past four seasons.

Illinois coach Bill Cubit said too many mistakes cost his team in a narrow contest. However, Cubit praised his players for their determination during a turbulent year in which former coach Tim Beckman was fired a week before the start of the season.

Cubit, who stepped in for Beckman as interim coach, was promoted to head coach and signed to a two-year extension before Saturday's game.

"They have faced more adversity than anybody I think I've ever been involved with in terms of distractions all the way through," Cubit said of his players. "It was so difficult to keep their mind focused on everything that's going on. They're 18- to 22-year-old guys. I give those guys a lot of credit to stay the course."

Northwestern led 21-7 late in the third quarter before Illinois sliced the deficit to 21-14 with a defensive touchdown. Nose tackle Chunky Clements deflected a low pass by Thorson, and linebacker Mason Monheim intercepted the ball and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown with 45 seconds to go in the quarter.

A 39-yard field goal by Northwestern kicker Jack Mitchell made it 24-14 with 11:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Fighting Illini's comeback effort fizzled after Lunt threw an interception and kicker Taylor Zalewski missed a 27-yard field goal attempt on back-to-back drives.

Illinois opened the scoring with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Lunt on a quarterback keeper. Lunt's score with 8:59 remaining in the first quarter capped off a 12-play, 47-yard drive.

Northwestern evened the score at 7 on the next possession. Thorson connected with fullback Dan Vitale, who bobbled the football before hauling it in and sprinting toward the right pylon for a 19-yard touchdown.

A 3-yard rushing touchdown by running back Warren Long put Northwestern on top 14-7 with 1:21 remaining in the quarter.

Northwestern increased its lead to 21-7 early in the second quarter. Jackson sprinted untouched into the end zone for a 3-yard score.

The Wildcats soon will learn their bowl destination. Northwestern reached a bowl game for the 12th time in school history.

"I'm just so happy for the seniors," Fitzgerald said. "What these guys have been through, unbelievable. I couldn't be more excited."

NOTES: Before the game, Illinois promoted Bill Cubit to coach and announced a two-year contract extension worth $1.2 million per season. Cubit had served as interim coach since Aug. 28, when he took over for Tim Beckman amid allegations of player mistreatment. "Bill has stepped in during an extremely difficult time and done an outstanding job in leading our football program since August," interim athletic director Paul Kowalczyk said. ... Northwestern CB Nick VanHoose was carted off the field late in the second quarter after colliding with a teammate. ... Illinois RB Josh Ferguson moved into sixth place on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,586 yards, surpassing former players Mikel Leshoure and Juice Williams. ... Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson threw his first touchdown pass since Oct. 24 against Nebraska.