Saturday, November 11

Evanston, Ill.

6 p.m.

Northwestern

7-3 , 5-2

Purdue (Family Weekend)

4-6 , 2-5

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Purdue	0	0	7	6	13
Northwestern	0	14	6	3	23

Northwestern Wins Fifth Straight, Beats Purdue 23-13

11/11/2017 9:23:00 PM | Football

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern (7-3, 5-2 in the Big Ten) continued its winning ways Saturday night under the lights at Ryan Field, extending its winning streak to five consecutive games.

After becoming the first FBS program in history to win three consecutive overtime games last week, Northwestern did not need overtime as it rolled to a 23-13 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers (4-6, 2-5 in the Big Ten). The five-game winning streak marks the Wildcats' longest since 2015, when it recorded two separate five-game win streaks en route to a 10-3 finish.

For the fifth time this season, junior quarterback Clayton Thorson finished with over 300 yards of total offense on the game. Thorson completed 24-of-46 passes for 296 yards and a touchdown, adding nine yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.

His favorite target throughout the game was sophomore wide receiver Bennett Skowronek, who picked up his second 100-plus yard game of the season as he hauled in seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. With his performance today, Skowronek becomes the second player since the 2013 season to post multiple games of 100-plus yards, joining Austin Carr in 2016 (who finished with six).

Justin Jackson moved into the top 25 in NCAA career rushing leaders, passing Trevor Cobb and Dontrell Moore to move into 24th all-time. Jackson now sits at 4,973 career rushing yards and needs just six yards to pass Darren Sproles for 23rd all-time and 67 yards to pass Mike Hart for fifth place in Big Ten career rushing leaders.

On the Wildcats' second drive of the game, Thorson surpassed the 7,000-yard passing mark in his career on a 12-yard completion to Macan Wilson, making him one of just four Wildcat quarterbacks to reach that threshold. Thorson continued to climb up the Northwestern record books on his fifth completion of the game, an 18-yard pass to Skowronek, when he moved past Len Williams into third all-time in pass completions for a Northwestern QB with 645.

The Northwestern defense made life difficult for Purdue throughout the entire game. The #B1GCats held the Boilermakers to 33 total yards and just one first down after one quarter, with the game remaining scoreless. Saturday's game marked the second time Northwestern held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter this year.

But the Wildcats' offense came to life in the second quarter. After redshirt-first year Riley Lees' 78-yard punt return touchdown was called back on a controversial unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Northwestern was still given excellent field position to start the drive. The 'Cats wasted no time capitalizing as they marched into the end zone in five plays, capping off a 46-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown scramble by Thorson to make the score 7-0. The score marked Thorson's eighth rushing touchdown of the season, tying him with Mike Kafka for the sixth-most in a single-season in NU history, and moved him into a tie with Brett Basanez for third place all-time in rushing TDs by a Northwestern QB with 18.

After the Northwestern defense stood tough on fourth-and-one inside their own territory, the Wildcats' offense took over on its own four-yard line. With 1:49 remaining in the first half, Thorson picked apart the Purdue secondary, completing five-of-six passes for 89 yards, finishing off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Skowronek, his fourth touchdown reception of the season. The touchdown put the finishing touches on a seven-play, 96-yard drive for the Wildcats, their longest scoring drive of the season, and extended their lead to 14-0 heading into the half.

Thorson finished the first half with 173 passing yards on 15-of-23 completions along with two total touchdowns. His leading target was Skowronek, who caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side of the ball, Nate Hall led the team with seven total tackles, while the Wildcats as a team held the Boilermakers to one-of-nine on third-down conversions. The last time Northwestern held an opponent scoreless in the first half was at Wisconsin on Nov. 21, 2015.

Northwestern's offense kept the momentum rolling to start the third quarter. The #B1GCats drove 73 yards in 15 plays, converting on three separate third downs, and took a three-score lead when first-year Charlie Kuhbander converted on a 19-yard field goal to make the score 17-0. On the Wildcats' next drive, Kuhbander drilled a 24-yard field goal to extend the lead to 20-0.

Purdue answered with a 21-yard touchdown from Elijah Sindelar to Jarrett Burgess make the score 20-7 at the end of the third quarter.

To start the fourth quarter, the Wildcats' defense held tough for another fourth down stop, their third of the game, to give NU's offense great field position to start the drive. A 25-yard completion from Thorson to Skowronek moved the Wildcats deep into Purdue territory, and Kuhbander finished the drive with a 36-yard field goal, his third of the game, to extend Northwestern's lead to 23-7. Kuhbander has made 12 field goals on the season, the most for a first-year kicker in program history.

Purdue added a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to make the score 23-13, but was unable to muster any more points against the #B1GCats' defense. With the win, Northwestern has now won its last four matchups against Purdue.

A total of 23 Northwestern defenders finished the night with a tackle, with Hall and sophomore Alonzo Mayo leading the way with eight total tackles. The Wildcats' defense allowed just 40 rushing yards in the game, the lowest total of the season and the fourth-lowest total Northwestern has allowed on the ground since 2000.

Chicago's Big Ten team will be back in action at Ryan Field next Saturday as they play host to Minnesota for their final home game of the season.Tickets are available at NUsports.com or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE.