Football

Pat Fitzgerald was playing linebacker for Northwestern last time the Wildcats were 4-0 in the Big Ten in 1996. Now, he paces the sidelines. It was Paddy Fisher, this generation’s top linebacker, whose game breaking fumble helped lead NU past Purdue (2-1, 2-1 Big Ten) 27-20 in West Lafayette.

NU (4-0, 4-0 Big Ten) started brightly, jumping into the game with a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that paced their first half. They ran into down trouble early, rescued on third down when quarterback Peyton Ramsey found senior wide receiver Riley Lees for a 16-yard grab and then again after forcing Purdue offside on fourth down four minutes later.

The drive culminated in an eight yard grab and run by senior wideout Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman. He’d score again before the half was out.

From there, the Cats offense seemed to stall. They punted the ball four times in a row, and were sent off after just three downs on three straight occasions. Charlie Kuhbander’s 46-yard field goal, the longest of his career, put them ahead 10-3.

Peyton Ramsey didn’t flinch after his throw to Riley Lees tipped off the wide receiver’s hands and into the arms of Purdue’s Cam Allen at the midway point of the second quarter. The Boilermakers used it to tie the game at 10 points apiece.

Ramsey responded with a eleven-play, 67 yard touchdown drive capped off by perhaps his best throw of the season — an 18 yard moonshot to Chiaokhiao-Bowman. It put the Cats up 17-10 heading into the half.

The Cats defense showed up at the beginning of the third quarter. Fisher’s fumble recovery from and ensuing 24 yard run ended a promising Purdue drive and gave NU the ball with great field position in the middle of the third quarter. Ramsey combined with Chiaokhiao-Bowman in the endzone for a third time, putting the Cats up by two scores.

After a field goal by JD Dellinger took Purdue to within 11, NU responded with a 13-play, 51-yard drive that culminated in a 42-yard field goal by senior kicker Charlie Kuhbander.

That’s when things started to turn. Zander Horvath’s 6-yard run on fourth and four helped take the Boilermakers into the red zone for the second time in the second half. They made no mistake. O’Connell’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Milton Wright took Purdue to within a touchdown.

Takeaways

1. Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman led a resilient Northwestern offense that struggled on the ground. The senior’s three touchdowns were the first of his career since 2017. His eight receptions and 86 receiving yards were the most of his career. Peyton Ramsey needed his wide receivers to be working on all cylinders with the running game held in check by a strong Purdue front seven. Led by wide receiver Kyric McGowan, the Cats ran the ball 39 times for just 83 yards, averaging 2.1 yard per run. The passing game was far more promising. It helped the Cats to 212 yards, an average of 9.2 per play. McGowan caught the ball five times, Riley Lees did so twice.

2. The defense holds another Big Ten opponent in check. Northwestern and Purdue came into the game with undefeated records for different reasons. For the Cats, it was largely because of their defense. Senior linebackers Blake Gallagher and Chris Bergin have led a defense that kept opponents scoreless in the second half of their first three games this season. The Boilermakers’ hot start stemmed from a prolific offense, led by quarterback Adian O’Connell and wide receiver David Bell. For the first time all season, the Cats gave up points in the second half — a 24-yard field goal by kicker JD Dellinger, made possible by a defensive goal line stand. But then again, when they couldn’t stop O’Connell from finding wideout Milton Wright in the endzone in the middle of the fourth quarter. It didn’t matter. The Cats

3. At 4-0, the Wildcats have the it factor this season. With the win, next week’s game again Wisconsin will move into the driver’s seat for an appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game in December. After canceling its last two games due to an outbreak within the team, the Badgers are currently up 14-0 over Michigan. The Cats won’t be worried. They last faced off against the Badgers in Evanston in October 2018, winning 31-17. Led by Ramsey and an electric defense, NU is looking for a repeat of that performance.

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