The Wildcats put on an expert performance to close out their tenure on the lakefront Saturday.
Northwestern (5-2, 3-1 B1G) dominated Purdue (2-5, 0-4) on both sides of the ball as the Wildcats shutout the Boilermakers, 19-0, to move within one win of bowl eligibility. It was Northwestern’s first shutout victory since a November 2017 win over Minnesota, 39-0.
Purdue had issues defending against the run all day as Northwestern recorded 50 rushes for 232 yards. Joseph Himon II led ball carriers with 22 carries for 87 yards, including a long 37-yard dash that fell just short of the endzone.
“The beautiful thing that you see over the course of these last few weeks is, like, we know who we are,” said head coach David Braun. “Like, it starts with the run game and is built around that.”
Northwestern running back Joseph Himon II had 22 carries for 87 yards in Saturday’s 19-0 victory over Purdue. (Damien Dennis/TPM)
“I always stay ready when my number’s called, no matter the opportunities, no matter how little or how many I get,” Himon said. “I just continue to prepare every day. And I just wanted to maximize on my opportunities and just help my team win.”
On their first drive, Northwestern took 7:15 off the game clock as the Wildcats drove 66 yards ending in a 27-yard field goal from Jack Olsen. Purdue went three-and-out on their first drive, allowing Northwestern to dissect the Boilermaker defense to close out the first quarter with possession.
Just under two minutes into the second quarter, Northwestern completed their second drive when quarterback Preston Stone found Hunter Welcing short right for 3-yard score (right in front of the Northwestern men’s basketball team who were on the far sidelines). After again keeping Purdue relatively silent on offense, Northwestern added another field goal with 8:31 remaining, this time a 38-yarder from Olsen, the take a 13-0 lead they’d hold into the half.
The final score of the game came with 4:03 left in the third when Stone connected with Griffin Wilde over the middle for a 12-yard score, putting the Wildcats up, 19-0. Stone failed to convert on the two-point conversion, having it picked off in the endzone.
Northwestern’s performance wasn’t perfect, however.
“There’s this balance between, like, okay, you’re up a couple possessions, we want to keep the clock running, you know, really lean into our run game, but at what point are you almost, like, becoming passive in your attack and not truly being balanced?” Braun said when discussing taking the foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. “Sometimes hard to find, but ultimately it’s an opportunity for us to continue to evaluate and assess, like, are these things that are communication issues, execution issues, and if they are, like, doing a better job of challenging our leadership on the sideline, of making sure that our guys have the same urgency in the fourth quarter, up a couple scores that they did in the first quarter.
“Opportunity for us to evaluate those things, but there’s no doubt in the Big Ten, like, you can’t afford to ever take your foot off the gas, and if you do, you’re going to expose yourself to a team finding a way to beat you.”
Dashaun Reeder was hit hard after a 9-yard gain in the fourth, forcing the ball to pop out of his hands into the air for a Purdue defender to grab. Stone threw an interception minutes later.
But while the Purdue offense finally put some drives together, even getting within field goal range, the Northwestern defense didn’t allow Purdue to capitalize on turnovers. And because they were trailing by three scores, Purdue was forced to forego field goals even when within range. Mac Uihlein recorded an interception while Braden Turner forced a fumble that was recovered by Robert Fitzgerald.
“I think we’re starting to really find our identity on defense of what it looks like to close out a game,” said Braun. “You know, Braden Turner’s forced fumble on that explosive pass. … that was a special play by Braden Turner.”
Stone finished 11-of-26 for 132 yards and two scores. Wilde hauled in four of those catches for 47 yards and a score. Hayden Eligon II had a pair of catches for 43 yards. Caleb Komolafe had 12 carries for 67 yards but left the game in the third quarter.
“We know who we are,” Himon said. “We want to run the football, run behind those big boys up front. We trust those guys, and they trust us. And when we just get our opportunity, we try to maximize every single one that we have.”
Next up, the Wildcats travel to Nebraska for a chance to reach bowl eligibility. Preseason polls had Northwestern finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten with just three or four wins.
