Northwestern faced an uphill battle when fourth-ranked Oregon visited the Lakefront on Saturday. And despite a contest that at times felt closer than the score indicated, the Wildcats couldn’t get the job done as they fell to the Ducks, 34-14.
“We got our butts kicked by a really good football team,” said Northwestern coach David Braun after the game. “We got our butts kicked. And Oregon is yes, a really good football team. Ultimately we set out this week with a mission to find a way to beat Oregon. We failed in that mission.”
After holding the Ducks to a seven play, 26-yard opening drive, Northwestern (1-2, 0-1 B1G) was moving the ball well on their first possession before a third-and-3 became a third-and-8 after an illegal formation penalty was called on the ‘Cats. Quarterback Preston Stone then threw his first of two interceptions on the day, which led to Oregon scoring after five plays on a 1-yard run from Jayden Limar.
Oregon kicked a 42-yard field goal early in the second quarter and added another touchdown later when quarterback Dante Moore found Kenyon Sadiq on a 24-yard pass in which Sadiq evaded defenders for the score. The Ducks led 17-0 at the half.
In between the Ducks’ two second quarter drives, the Wildcats had another drive stall when Stone recovered his own fumble for an 18-yard loss. Northwestern couldn’t make up the loss and punted away.
The Wildcats opened the second half with possession, but that drive stalled out after Stone was sacked on 3rd-and-1 for an 8-yard loss. Stone and his side went for it but the pass fell short.
Oregon scored twice more in the third quarter, including a 66-yard run from Dierre Hill, Jr. The second happened after a second Stone interception.
“We can’t turn the ball over and the ball can’t be on the ground,” said Braun. “We can’t turn the ball over against a team the caliber of Oregon. It’s not part of the equation for us to winning football games.”
The Ducks made it 34-0 early in the final frame with a 25-yard field goal.
Northwestern finally found the endzone when Caleb Komolafe scored on a 1-yard run. The Wildcats added another score when Dashaun Reeder scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 79-yard rush.
Oregon finished with 373 yards of offense to Northwestern’s 313. The Wildcats won the ground battle, 178 yards to 176, but the Ducks had 195 through the air. Moore threw on interception, picked off by Mac Uihlein.
The Cats are on the BYE next week.
