Northwestern
4-0
Ball State
2-2
Team Stats
BALL 3, NU 0
BALL - HAGEE, Morgan 30 yd field goal plays, yards, TOP
BALL 3, NU 7
NU - Vitale, Dan 66 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) plays, yards, TOP
BALL 10, NU 7
BALL - WILLIAMS, Jord. 22 yd pass from NEAL, Riley (HAGEE, Morgan kick) plays, yards, TOP
BALL 10, NU 14
NU - Vitale, Dan 21 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) plays, yards, TOP
BALL 10, NU 21
NU - Carr, Austin 25 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) plays, yards, TOP
BALL 10, NU 24
NU - Mitchell, Jack 21 yd field goal plays, yards, TOP
BALL 16, NU 24
BALL - WILLIAMS, Jord. 29 yd pass from NEAL, Riley (HAGEE, Morgan kickblocked) plays, yards, TOP
BALL 19, NU 24
BALL - HAGEE, Morgan 36 yd field goal plays, yards, TOP
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Northwestern Improves to 4-0 With 24-19 Win Over Ball State
9/26/2015 11:33:00 PM | Football
Wildcats rack up a season-high 546 yards of total offense
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Redshirt freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson had the best game of his young career, throwing for a career-high 256 yards and three touchdowns as No. 17/19 Northwestern outlasted Ball State 24-19 Saturday evening at Ryan Field.
The victory allowed the Wildcats to conclude nonconference play with a perfect 4-0 record heading into next weekend's Big Ten opener against Minnesota.
Thorson became the first Northwestern player to throw for three touchdowns in a game since Trevor Siemian tossed four touchdowns against Illinois in 2013. The win takes Northwestern's September record to 20-2 since 2010.
In a first half where both defenses shone, Northwestern's defense showed a bend-but-not-break resiliency. Despite conceding 221 yards, Northwestern kept Ball State out of the end zone for the majority of the first half. Three Cardinal red zone attempts culminated in just a solitary field goal, including a 67 yard Ball State drive to end the first quarter being thwarted by a fumble recovery by senior safety Traevon Henry on the 4-yard line to open the second quarter.
The Wildcat offense looked most likely to strike through the air in the first half, and did when Thorson found senior superback Dan Vitale for a 66-yard strike and a 7-3 lead with 6:20 left in the half. It was a career long completion and reception for Thorson and Vitale, respectively.
While Ball State reclaimed the lead just before the end of the second quarter thanks to a Northwestern turnover, for the second consecutive game the Wildcats took the lead on their first possession of the second half. The Wildcats tore down the field for 80 yards in eight plays, capped off by a 21-yard pass from Thorson to Vitale for the second time on the evening.
The Northwestern floodgates were busted open, as they racked up 10 points and 151 yards with their next two drives. Junior Austin Carr caught his second career touchdown reception on a 25-yard pass to make it 21-10, and sophomore running back Justin Jackson broke off a 62-yard run to start the ensuing drive, setting up a 21-yard field goal from junior Jack Mitchell.
Ball State got back into the game when Riley Neal hooked up with Jordan Williams for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 2:06 remaining. However, Dean Lowry blocked the ensuing extra point as the Cardinals could only close to within eight.
The NU offense took charge of the third quarter, piling up 259 yards, when Jackson ran for 90 of his career-high 184 yards. The effort marked Jackson's second consecutive and ninth career 100-yard performance, and the Wildcats' 546 yards on the night set a new season high.
The visitors got back into the red zone midway through the fourth quarter, but were forced to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Morgan Hagee that make it a five-point game with 4:34 remaining.
The Wildcats were able to virtually run out the clock down the stretch, though, as Jackson rushed for two first downs and Solomon Vault ran for another as NU held on for the victory.
Northwestern's defense reclaimed center stage with another stalwart performance to close the game out. Junior cornerback Matthew Harris recorded a career high three pass breakups and Henry's team-leading seven tackles was one tackle shy of tying his career high.
The Wildcats remain at Ryan Field next week, taking on the Minnesota at 11 a.m. Saturday. Tickets are available at NUsports.com or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE.
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