[dropcap]B[/dropcap]ig Ten match-ups are usually barn burners and Saturday’s contest in Evanston between No. 18 Northwestern (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) and the Purdue Boilermakers (2-8, 1-5 Big Ten) didn’t disappoint in that manner.
It took a Justin Jackson rushing TD late in the fourth quarter to seal a 21-14 victory for the Wildcats.
“It’s a Big Ten game,” Jackson stated. “It’s gonna be tough.”
Jackson jolted the Boilermaker’s defense for 116 yards on the ground on 24 carries. Warren Long tallied 52 yards rushing on 6 carries and 2 TDs for the Wildcats. Long scampered down the sideline for a 32 yard TD on the opening drive, he also scored from the 1 yard line midway through the second quarter.
Quarterback Clayton Thorson finished the day completing 9 of his 19 attempts for 82 yards and an interception. Thorson also added 48 yards on the ground and as a team the Wildcats had a whopping 250 yards on the ground on 48 carries. Zack Oliver saw some snaps again at QB and completed 2 of 5 attempts for 50 yards and an interception.
The Wildcats now have a three game winning streak after being blown out by Michigan and Iowa in consecutive weeks prior.
“You go into the locker room after games like that — you’re frustrated, you’re not very pleased, but you know that you’ve got a good team,” Wildcat coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “You just got to find a way as a coach to get it out of the guys.”
The Boilermakers were led by quarterback David Blough who completed 26 of his 45 passes for 287 yards with a TD and an INT.
Northwestern with its 8-2 record has the school record for wins and a potential spot in a big bowl game within reach. Northwestern has never won more than 10 games in a season but could reach that mark with remaining victories at #25 Wisconsin next week and the season finale versus Illinois.
