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 The Wildcats scored 17 unanswered points to open the third quarter,
seizing a lead it never relinquished in a 24-19 nonconference
victory over Ball State at Ryan Field.
"They threw it more for sure, they spread things out and they went a
little bit faster," said Cardinals coach Pete Lembo. "There were
times where we didn't read our keys and the ball got behind us on
defense."
Northwestern (4-0) erased a 10-7 halftime deficit as super back Dan
Vitale hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Clayton
Thorson for a go-ahead score.
The Wildcats extended the lead to 24-10 lead before the Cardinals
scored a touchdown late in the third quarter and added a fourth
quarter field goal.
"When we needed to make some plays we did and found a way to win,"
said Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. "That's what's important."
Thorson threw two touchdown passes to Vitale and one to wide
receiver Austin Carr.
The redshirt freshman quarterback, starting his fourth game, was 18
of 31 passing for 256 yards.
"He just trusted himself and took what the defense gave him,"
Fitzgerald said. "It's a process at quarterback, every rep isn't the
same. ... That's a young man who's growing."
Vitale had five catches for 108 yards in a first career
multitouchdown day that including a 66-yarder in the first half.
Running back Justin Jackson rushed for a career-high 184 yards on 33
carries.
A 21-yard pass to Carr gave the Wildcats a 21-10 lead with 8:01 left
in the third quarter and Jack Mitchell's 21-yard field goal capped
the 17-point quarter Northwestern.
Ball State closed the gap to 24-16 after a 29-yard pass from
quarterback Riley Neal to wide receiver Jordan Williams with 2:06
left. An extra point kick attempt was blocked.
The Cardinals moved inside the Wildcats' 20 with under five minutes
to play but stalled and settled for a 36-yard Morgan Hagee field
goal that pulled Ball State within 24-19.
Saturday's meeting was the first between the programs. Northwestern
improved to 19-10-1 all-time against current members of the
Mid-American Conference.
Neal was 13 of 34 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns for Ball
State (2-2). Williams had both TD receptions, one in each half, and
seven catches for 122 yards.
In the first quarter, a Ball State drive stalled at the Northwestern
13 and the Cardinals settled for a 30-yard Hagee field goal and a
3-0 lead with 9:06 left. Hagee missed a 43-yard try with 3:03 left
in the quarter.
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In the final seconds of the first quarter, a 34-yard James Gilbert
run gave Ball State a first-and-goal at the Northwestern 4-yard
line. But the Wildcats forced a fumble on the next play and
recovered to start the second quarter.
Northwestern went nowhere and Ball State missed a scoring
opportunity when Hagee failed on a 40-yard field goal try with 9:45
remaining in the half.
The Wildcats went ahead 7-3 with 6:30 left in the first half as
Thorson connected with Vitale on the 66-yard touchdown pass,
wrapping up a two-play, 70-yard drive that took 33 seconds.
The Cardinals reclaimed the lead at 10-7 when they recovered a
Thorson fumble at the Northwestern 20 with 1:03 left before halftime
and scored on a 22-yard, first-down touchdown strike from Neal to
Williams.
"It was one of those nights where you felt good about the effort and
how we competed and did some good things," Lembo said. "But at the
end of the day to beat a quality team like this you have to play an
extremely clean football game."
NOTES: Northwestern's win over Duke last week was its seventh
nonconference victory over a Power-5 opponent since the start of
2012, more than any other team in the country. ... The Wildcats
entered Saturday's game among the top defenses in the nation on
third down, limiting opponents to 6 of 43 third-down conversions (14
percent), and their 5.3 points allowed led the country. ... Ball
State QB Riley Neal made his first collegiate start on Saturday
after playing significant minutes in two previous games. He
completed 74.5 percent of his passes in the first two games. ...
Ball State is home next Saturday to face Toledo in a MAC opener.
Northwestern hosts Minnesota to open Big Ten play.
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