Saturday, October 24

Evanston, Ill.

6:30 p.m.

Northwestern

1-0

Maryland

0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Maryland

Northwestern

Photo by: S. J. Carrera, Inc.

Northwestern Wildcats vs the Maryland Terrapins during their Big Ten football opener at Ryan Field on Saturday, October 24, 2020 in Evanston, Ill. Photo by John Konstantaras | http://JohnKonPhoto.com

Photo by: photo by John Konstantaras

Fitzgerald Earns 100th Win in Season-Opening Rout of Maryland

10/24/2020 10:58:00 PM | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Watch: Highlights Watch: Postgame Presser (Fitzgerald, Boswer, Ramsey, Pace, Fisher)Postgame Notes Photo Gallery

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern opened up Big Ten play at Ryan Field with Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald's 100th career win. The 'Cats took down the Terrapins in a 43-3 victory with 537 yards of total offense on Saturday night.

Northwestern's offense ran up and down the field, ending the night with 325 rushing yards and 212 passing yards. Four different Wildcats were able to find the end zone, culminating in four rushing touchdowns and one receiving. Redshirt first years Rod Heard and Brandon Joseph led the defense in their first career starts with six and seven tackles, respectively. The Wildcats only allowed 64 rushing yards and just 143 passing yards. The 40 point margin of victory is the largest against a Big Ten opponent since 1970, when the 'Cats defeated Illinois 48-0.

The Wildcat defense came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter. An aggressive Maryland drive was stopped by senior Blake Gallagher and the Terrapins settled for a 33 yard field goal. The 'Cats went on to stop back-to-back Maryland drives with interceptions from sophomore A.J. Hampton and senior JR Pace. This marks Hampton's second-career interception and Pace's eighth.

Work on the defensive end allowed graduate transfer Peyton Ramsey and the offensive line to dominate the field, grabbing two quick touchdowns. Junior Isaiah Bowser opened up the Northwestern scoreboard with a 1-yard touchdown run, his first since 2018. Soon after, Ramsey ran 12 yards for his first rushing touchdown as a Wildcat, bringing the score up to 14-3.

Northwestern's offense kept up the charge in the second quarter. Sophomore Drake Anderson ran 37 yards, the longest run of his career, for the Wildcats' third touchdown. Special teams also had a chance to shine, with senior Charlie Kuhbander completing three field goals in the second quarter. Two of the kicks came from 43 yards away, marking the first time Kuhbander has kicked multiple field goals over 40 yards in a single game.

The 'Cats scored sixteen points in the second quarter while the defense held the Terrapins to the three points they scored in their first drive. Junior Cameron Ruiz recorded his first-career sack early in the second quarter. Northwestern's 27 point lead at the break was their largest after the first half since leading 35-7 against Bowling Green in 2017.

Northwestern opened up scoring halfway through the third quarter with a seven yard pass from Ramsey to Bowser, his first career receiving touchdown after a 75-yard drive in 17 plays. The 'Cats defense once again held the Terrapins scoreless in the third.

Redshirt first-year Coco Azema opened up the fourth quarter with his first-career interception, which put Northwestern's second string offense onto the field. The Wildcats scored their fifth touchdown in the fourth quarter via a 30-yard run from redshirt first-year Evan Hull after a 93-yard drive in only eight plays.

Ramsey ended the game with a 147.0 quarterback rating, completing 23-of-30 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown. Anderson led the game with 103 rushing yards, Bowser followed behind with 70 and Ramsey was next in line with 47. Graduate transfer John Raine and senior Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman were Ramsey's favorite targets, each completing five passes for 53 and 49 yards respectively. Sophomore Malik Washington was not far behind, catching a 23 yard pass from Ramsey, a new career high.

Chicago's Big Ten team will be back in action next Saturday, October 31 when they travel to Iowa City to face Iowa. The Halloween match-up will begin at the 2:30 p.m. kick-off.