[dropcap]N[/dropcap]orthwestern’s (4-0) freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson started slow in the first half as the Wildcats turned the ball over to Ball State (2-2) three times and were down 10-7 at halftime. The Wildcats came back to beat the Cardinals 24-19 under the lights in Evanston, IL.
Ball State controlled the first half as Northwestern offense were looking for an answer. The Wildcats had issues moving the ball in the first half except for a 66 yard touchdown pass from Thorson to wide receiver Dan Vitale. Vitale snagged five receptions for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns Saturday night. Thorson completed 18 of his 31 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
“I think he just trusted himself and took what the defense gave him,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said of Thorson.
Wildcat running back Justin Jackson ran for a career high 184 yards on 33 carries for a 5.6 yard per rush average. The Wildcats as a team finished with 290 yards on the ground and a 5.1 average.
The Wildcats got rolling at the start of half number two. They capped off two 80 yard scoring drives on their first two possessions to jump ahead 21-10. Thorson found Vitale and wide receiver Austin Carr for touchdowns throws.
Wildcat kicker Jack Mitchell booted a 21 yard field goal to give the Wildcats a 24-10 lead late in the third quarter. Ball State made the score closer with a late third quarter scoring pass to put the game at 24-16. The Cardinals finished the scoring with a 36 yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.
“We knew that we hadn’t played exactly how we wanted to the entire game, but we knew that we had to finish,” Justin Jackson said. “What happened before didn’t matter.”
The Wildcats have now started the season 4-0 for the second time in three seasons. The Wildcats share the Big Ten West lead with undefeated an undefeated Iowa squad.
Next up for Northwestern will be the start of the Big Ten schedule as they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday morning.
