Brendan Sullivan was about to get rocked.
With 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the junior quarterback felt the pressure from Maryland’s front bearing down on him. As he rolled out of the pocket, he pointed downfield before planting and unwinding on a deep throw. Right as the ball left his hands, he was hammered.
His throw was perfectly placed, connecting with senior wide receiver A.J. Henning, who made a diving catch for a 34-yard gain, down to the Terrapins’ seven-yard line.
“Brendan can make plays with his legs,” Henning said of the late-game linkage. “So (I’m) always being available, always looking to uncover and get open knowing he can make a play at any time.”
Sullivan’s dart was emblematic of his performance Saturday, one in which he absorbed hit after hit en route to a career-high 265-yard passing day, a team-high 56 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Northwestern’s 33-27 triumph — a victory which puts the Wildcats (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) just two wins away from bowl eligibility.
Interim head coach David Braun beamed while discussing Sullivan’s performance postgame, hailing the Davison, Michigan, native as a “warrior.” Coming off a disappointing offensive performance in Lincoln the previous weekend, Sullivan showed his resilience and fight while battling the Terrapins, Braun said.
“Guys just gravitate toward (Sullivan),” Braun said. “We talk frequently about the difference between warriors and mercenaries. Warriors are purpose-driven — they know what they’re playing for. I don’t use that word lightly. He certainly knows what he’s playing for; he knows his purpose.”
On NU’s opening drive, Sullivan was sacked twice — a foreboding sign that Saturday’s game could see a repeat of Nebraska’s eight-sack performance. But, following Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa’s fumble, Sullivan’s 10-yard rush put the ‘Cats inside the one-yard line where senior running back Cam Porter capitalized on the Terrapin turnover.
After a Maryland touchdown, Sullivan completed a trio of throws to senior wide receiver Bryce Kirtz, the last of which saw the wideout haul in a 23-yard pass for six points. Sullivan completed his first seven throws before an incompletion in the red zone on NU’s third drive.
His next pass was anything but errant.
Facing a third-and-goal, Sullivan escaped the gaggle of white jerseys converging on him in the backfield. As a Terrapin defender lunged at his ankles, he floated a pass to Porter who waltzed into the endzone untouched. Porter’s score capped off a 10-play, 97-yard drive from the ‘Cats — their third consecutive touchdown.
Just like that, NU, which entered Saturday’s contest as two-touchdown underdogs, held a 21-14 lead over Maryland at the start of the second quarter, propelled by Sullivan’s play.
“Finally, our offense was playing like we practiced,” Sullivan said. “It finally just started to click today, started to click early.”
Though the offense stalled in the third quarter — their three drives accounted for just three total yards — Sullivan and the ‘Cats made timely plays, including that completion to Henning in the final frame to secure a victory.
Saturday’s win marks NU’s second triumph with Sullivan as their starter. And for the quarterback whose first career start in 2022 was against Maryland, the win meant a little more.
“Yeah, it’s definitely that much sweeter,” Sullivan said. “Knowing that we could’ve had these guys last year, but it was a tough loss — Coming out here and getting this win, it means a lot.”
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