Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
2-0
Eastern Illinois
0-2
Team Stats
EIU 0, NU 3
NU - Mitchell, Jack 22 yd field goal 14 plays, 63 yards, TOP 5:19
EIU 0, NU 10
NU - Jackson, Justin 11 yd run (Mitchell, Jack kick), 10 plays, 51 yards, TOP 3:56
EIU 0, NU 13
NU - Mitchell, Jack 33 yd field goal 9 plays, 43 yards, TOP 3:30
EIU 0, NU 20
NU - Long, Warren 8 yd run (Mitchell, Jack kick), 9 plays, 64 yards, TOP 3:15
EIU 0, NU 27
NU - Thorson, C. 8 yd run (Mitchell, Jack kick), 8 plays, 32 yards, TOP 2:02
EIU 0, NU 34
NU - Carr, Austin 44 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) 6 plays, 89 yards, TOP 2:19
EIU 0, NU 41
NU - Harris, Matthew 71 yd interception (Omilian, Arthur kick)
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Northwestern Shuts Out Eastern Illinois on Heroes Day, 41-0
9/12/2015 6:31:00 PM | Football
Wildcats hold second consecutive opponent without a touchdown
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Postgame Press Conferece: Pat Fitzgerald | Offense | Defense
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern rushed for 344 yards and the defense kept the opposition from reaching the end zone for the second straight game as the Wildcats rolled to a 41-0 win over Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon at Ryan Field.
Justin Jackson ran for 78 yards and Warren Long added a career-high 72 to lead a balanced Northwestern attack. Jackson and Long each scored touchdowns with Long crossing the goal line for the first time in his collegiate career.
Clayton Thorson accounted for 152 yards through the air on 11-of-16 passing and threw his first career touchdown pass in the third quarter – a 44-yard connection with Austin Carr, a former walk-on who was rewarded with a scholarship earlier this week. The touchdown was also Carr's first career TD catch. Thorson, making his second career start, also rushed for an eight-yard touchdown as time wound down in the first half.
The Wildcats got the scoring started in the first quarter with a 22-yard field goal by Jack Mitchell. With time winding down in the first quarter, Jackson finished off an 11-yard touchdown run to push the advantage to 10-0 after the opening stanza.
Another field goal by Mitchell – this time from 33 yards – made it 13-0 prior to Long taking an eight-yard run to the house as he spun his way to the end zone. An interception by Matthew Harris gave NU one more opportunity to put points on the board in the first half and Thorson weaved his way through the EIU defense with only 13 seconds remaining to make it 27-0 at the break.
The Wildcats would tack on two final touchdowns in the third quarter. Thorson connected with Carr with 9:18 remaining in the period before Harris picked off his second pass of the day and returned it 71 yards for the score.
On Heroes Day, 33-year-old former Navy SEAL Tom Hruby got some action in the backfield on the final drive of the game. The linebacker-turned-running back rushed eight times for 25 yards on the drive, picking up a first down in the process and bringing the Ryan Field crowd to its feet.
The Northwestern defense was again a force to be reckoned with, posting a shutout for the first time since Sept. 1, 2007 when the Wildcats beat Northeastern 27-0. After allowing only 240 yards of total offense to Stanford, the stingy Wildcats gave up just 138 yards to Eastern Illinois.
Anthony Walker, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, led the way with seven tackles, including two solo tackles for loss. It was an all-around effort for the Wildcat defense with 22 players registering tackles.
The 41-point victory was the largest by a Northwestern squad since Oct. 10, 1970. Chicago's Big Ten Team beat Illinois that day by a score of 48-0.
The Wildcats head to Durham, North Carolina, next Saturday to play Duke in the team's first road game of 2015. That game is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Central time.
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