Northwestern
3-3 , 2-1
Michigan State
2-4 , 0-3
Wildcats Hang 54 on Spartans in Huge Big Ten Road Win
10/15/2016 6:32:00 PM | Football
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EAST LANSING, Mich. — Less than seven minutes into Saturday's game at Michigan State, Northwestern found itself down 14 points, but the Wildcats responded with a monstrous 33-3 run over the next two quarters to take command in a wildly entertaining 54-40 victory in East Lansing.
The win evens Northwestern's record on the season at 3-3 (2-1 Big Ten) while Michigan State now is 2-4 (0-3).
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Justin Jackson the Ballcarrier led the Northwestern onslaught with a career-high 188 yards on 34 carries, including touchdown runs of 26 and 29 yards. Clayton Thorson connected on 27 of his 35 throws for 281 yards and three scores.
Austin Carr, who entered the game leading the Big Ten in catches, receiving yards and receiving TDs, will stay atop the conference in those categories after hauling in 11 catches for 130 yards and two more scores.
The Spartans tallied the first 14 points of the game, scoring on their second drive of the game with a 15-yard strike from Brian Lewerke to Josiah Price and a pick-six by Justin Layne.
Northwestern stared the adversity in the eye and responded, marching 61 yards in just 2:43 to cut the deficit in half. Thorson hit senior Carr for 11 yards for a key first down midway through the drive and Jackson scored his 20th career touchdown with a 29-yard scamper with 3:32 to play in the quarter.
After MSU converted a field goal to start the second quarter, the Wildcats scored 26 straight points between the second and third quarters to turn a 17-7 deficit into a 33-17 lead with 6:49 to play in the third.
Thorson found Carr for a touchdown for the fifth-straight game with to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive with 10:04 to play in the second quarter and redshirt freshman Joe Gaziano's first career sack on the Spartans' next drive resulted in a safety to cut the deficit to one, 17-16. Senior Jack Mitchell nailed a 33-yard field goal with 6:42 left in the half to give the Wildcats a 19-17 lead at the break.
Chicago's Big Ten Team made quick work of extending the lead to start the second half, scoring on just its fourth play of the half when Thorson found a streaking Flynn Nagel down the visiting sideline for a 57-yard score to extend the lead to 26-17 with 13:28 to play in the third quarter.
After a defensive stop, Thorson and the offense continued to click as the sophomore went 5-for-6 for 60 yards and capped a 10-play, 86-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 33-17.
The run ended there when Michigan State connected on TD passes of 59 and 86 yards on its next two drives to pull back within two points of NU, 33-31, with 2:08 left in the third quarter.
On the very next football play, Solomon Vault made a huge football play. On an awkward kickoff that bounced in front of him, Vault corralled the ball and picked his way through Michigan State tacklers before cutting upfield and accelerating to the house for a 95-yard return, immediately restoring Northwestern's nine-point lead, 40-31.
NU did not look back from there. Jackson added a 26-yard touchdown scamper with 8:25 left in the game to make the score 47-31. Though MSU immediately answered with another touchdown drive of its own, Northwestern put an exclamation point on the game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
On fourth down and six to go from the MSU 29 yard line, the #B1GCats sent the offense back out on the field, and Thorson found Carr wide open on a corner route toward the front pylon of the end zone for another NU touchdown and a 54-37 lead.
MSU added a field goal with 56 seconds remaining in the contest to account for the final 54-40 score. Its ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, and Northwestern entered victory formation for the second-straight Big Ten road game.
Godwin Igwebuike led NU's defense with nine tackles while Ifeadi Odenigbo tallied two more sacks, including a forced fumble. In addition to his safety sack, Gaziano recovered a fumble and made a crucial tackle on a blocked punt late in the fourth quarter that kept things comfortable for the 'Cats.
Northwestern returns to action at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, for Homecoming against Indiana at Ryan Field. BUY TICKETS NOW!
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Team Stats
NU 0, MSU 7
MSU - Price, Josiah 15 yd pass from Lewerke, Brian (Geiger, Michael kick) 3 plays, 39 yards, TOP 1:21
NU 0, MSU 14
MSU - Layne, Justin 43 yd interception (Geiger, Michael kick)
NU 7, MSU 14
NU - Jackson, Justin 29 yd run (Mitchell, Jack kick), 8 plays, 61 yards, TOP 2:43
NU 7, MSU 17
MSU - Geiger, Michael 41 yd field goal 9 plays, 52 yards, TOP 4:17
NU 14, MSU 17
NU - Carr, Austin 9 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:06
NU 16, MSU 17
NU - Gaziano, Joe 7 yd safety
NU 19, MSU 17
NU - Mitchell, Jack 33 yd field goal 7 plays, 33 yards, TOP 2:37
NU 26, MSU 17
NU - Nagel, Flynn 57 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:32
NU 33, MSU 17
NU - Thorson, C. 9 yd run (Mitchell, Jack kick), 10 plays, 86 yards, TOP 3:28
NU 33, MSU 24
MSU - Shelton, R.J. 59 yd pass from O'Connor, Tyler (Geiger, Michael kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:55
NU 33, MSU 31
MSU - Shelton, R.J. 86 yd pass from O'Connor, Tyler (Geiger, Michael kick) 1 plays, 86 yards, TOP 0:11
NU 40, MSU 31
NU - Vault, Solomon 95 yd kickoff return (Mitchell, Jack kick)
NU 47, MSU 31
NU - Jackson, Justin 26 yd run (Mitchell, Jack kick), 13 plays, 91 yards, TOP 6:18
NU 47, MSU 37
MSU - Corley, Donnie 9 yd pass from O'Connor, Tyler (Shelton, R.J. passfailed) 5 plays, 76 yards, TOP 1:09
NU 54, MSU 37
NU - Carr, Austin 29 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) 6 plays, 47 yards, TOP 2:07
NU 54, MSU 40
MSU - Geiger, Michael 35 yd field goal 7 plays, 11 yards, TOP 1:26
