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Rapid Reaction: No. 24 Northwestern trounces Rutgers in a 42-14 home win.
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- Rapid Reaction: No. 24 Northwestern trounces Rutgers in a 42-14 home win.
It was a family affair in Evanston.
No. 24 Northwestern (6-1, 3-1 B1G) seized a parents' weekend victory over Rutgers (2-5, 1-3 B1G) on Saturday afternoon, further proving its AP top-25 dominance.
Including Northwestern's most first-quarter points in a conference game since 2011, Caleb Komolafe and Griffin Wilde made the ultimate duo in the dominant win. Komolafe carried for 150 yards with a 33-yard touchdown. Wilde led the receiving room with nine receptions for 133 receiving yards and a score.
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Aidan Chiles stayed consistent, completing 19 of his 25 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a career-high 83 yards and two scores.
On Rutgers' end, the ball was less favorable. After an early hit to Dylan Lonergan, AJ Surace came in to replace him, going 7-for-18 for 64 yards. Later, Sean Ashenfelder also got a chance under center and did considerably worse at passing. He went 2-for-9 for 36 yards.
The run game was utilized far more by the Scarlet Knights, and Antwan Raymond led the charge with 150 yards on 18 carries. Clay Thevenin was right behind with 116 yards on 14 carries.
After an opening Northwestern sprint toward the crowd, and high fives to the bustling Wildcat Wall, the coin was tossed in favor of Rutgers — choosing to defer the 'Cats received the ball to start the quarter. Things started slowly for the offense, taking six plays to get past midfield. NU faced two third downs, both of which ended with passes completed to Wilde.
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On the Rutgers 49-yard line, Chiles handed off to Komolafe, who broke through the line and hustled downfield for a 30-yard gain — putting Northwestern in the red zone. Two plays later, Chiles found Wilde in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass that had the Wildcat Wall erupting in stomps and cheers. After the extra-point was made, NU led 7-0 with 9:54 left in the first.
The Scarlet Knights' first possession was met with resilience. Starting on their own 25, Raymond rushed up the middle for a first down. Two plays later, Lonergan, narrowly avoiding the sack, scrambled to his left and was hit by Kobie McKinzie at the 46-yard line. Down for a considerable time, Lonergan walked off the field with the training staff and straight into the tent.
AJ Surace replaced Lonergan, and from there, Rutgers chugged downfield. Three first downs were all the red and white could get before three consecutive stops by the defense forced Dane Pizzaro to kick a field goal. A ball through the uprights shortened the Scarlet Knights' deficit to four, and with 4:26 left in the quarter, the score was 7-3.
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Out for blood, Northwestern's second scoring drive lasted just three minutes. It started when Komolafe ran for his second explosive of the day, gaining 56 yards to put his team at the Rutgers 19. A quick 16-yard throw to Wilde and two quarterback keepers from Chiles put six more on the board. Jackson Kleather's extra point made it 14-3.
Deflating any hopes for the Scarlet Knights to answer back, Michael Kilbane sacked Surace from his blindside, forcing a fumble that Jamaal Johnson fell on at the 8-yard line. Getting new players involved, Chiles threw a low ball to Alex Honig, who fell to the ground as he secured it for another score. It was 21-3 at the end of the first.
The second quarter was nothing like the first, characterized by a flatlined offense until the final two minutes. Rutgers had three scoreless drives, including two three-and-outs, while Northwestern had two scoreless drives with a missed field goal and a sack that forced a punt. Despite the scoring drought, Wilde passed the 100-yard mark with seven minutes left.
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Things turned around when Komolafe broke free down the left sideline for a 33-yard touchdown. The crowd looked alive once more, and Kleather's extra point made it 28-3 before Rutgers tacked on a field goal with three seconds left. At halftime, Northwestern was up 28-6 with Rutgers set to receive.
To start the third quarter, Rutgers marched from their own 29 to the Northwestern 33. But its success couldn't last forever. In an ambitious pass from Surace on fourth down intended for Vernon Allen III, NU's Montae Pate leapt into the air and snagged the ball from the red and white, giving the 'Cats a set of downs quicker than expected at their own 22-yard line.
Unable to convert on seven plays, the Scarlet Knights forced the punt, and the interception failed to turn into something big for Northwestern.
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With Sean Ashenfelder in at QB, the Scarlet Knights broke away on back-to-back major gains: 43 yards by Clay Thevenin and 31 yards from Raymond. Northwestern's rush defense may have fallen asleep, but its pass defense certainly did not. On the Northwestern eight, two incomplete passes and a major sack from McKinzie on fourth-and-7 led to a Rutgers turnover.
The ball was now in the Wildcats' paws, and with deja vu from only a drive ago, they started strong with an 18-yard rush from Komolafe. Four plays later, and things ended rather familiarly: no score. On a pass up the middle, DK Gilley intercepted Chiles for the QB's second turnover of the season.
The Scarlet Knights started on the NU 48 and immediately pounced on the opportunity. Raymond took a 46-yard run and gave his team its first touchdown of the game. A successful 2-point conversion shortly after cut the deficit to 14. At the end of the third, Northwestern led 28-14 with trouble looming.
With 15 minutes to go and ground to make up, a pass interference call on third-and-1 bailed Northwestern out of a punt. A six-play drive onto the Rutgers 4-yard line finally gave the 'Cats hope to end the 21-minute scoring drought. On a scrambling pass to his right, Chiles completed to Drew Wagner in the endzone. A nailed extra point extended the score to 35-14 with 10:32 left in the game.
A two-minute drive from Rutgers ended in an ambitious attempt to convert on fourth-and-4, and the clock just kept ticking. Northwestern, ahead by a considerable amount with the ball on its own 39, now had the option to close the game with an additional score, and indeed they did.
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Chiles on the Scarlet Knights' 37 faked out the cameras in Ryan Field and sprinted his way into the endzone untouched for his second rushing touchdown of the day
The final four minutes dwindled on Rutgers final drive, and a Jalen Lewis interception off a tipped pass sealed it. The final score read 42-14, and cowbells rang as the 'Cats jogged off the field.
Next week Northwestern flies west to Eugene, Oregon, in a Halloween showdown at Autzen Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.
