Northwestern
1-0 , 1-0
Nebraska
0-1 , 0-1
Northwestern Completes Second Half Comeback to Defeat Nebraska
8/27/2022 4:04:00 PM | Football
DUBLIN - Northwestern put together a six-play, 43-yard drive, culminating in a four-yard rushing touchdown from with 11:34 left in the ballgame to give the Wildcats a 31-28 win over Nebraska on Saturday afternoon at Aviva Stadium.
Ryan Hilinski led Northwestern's passing attack with 314 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Evan Hull totaled 119 yards to lead the NU 's ground attack and added one touchdown in the game, picking up 5.4 yards per carry along the way. Evan Hull also tacked on 55 receiving yards. Cam Porter also tacked on 94 yards and one touchdown on the ground, picking up 4.9 yards per carry.
Hilinski's most prolific target in the ballgame was Malik Washington, who caught eight passes for 97 yards.
Xander Mueller led the Northwestern defensive effort, collecting five tackles, 1.0 TFL, and one interception. Greyson Metz added four tackles, one forced fumble, and one recovered fumble and Cameron Mitchell had six tackles, one interception, and two pass breakups in the win.
The NU won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing three turnovers while coughing the ball up one time, with Northwestern turning those takeaways into seven points. Northwestern also had an outstanding day offensively, racking up 528 total yards, 214 on the ground and 314 through the air, while averaging 6.2 yards per play and out-gaining Nebraska. Northwestern converted on 41.2 percent of third-down attempts on the day. The NU also went 1-for-1 on fourth down.
Defensively, Northwestern held up fairly well against the Nebraska rushing attack, holding the Cornhuskers to 110 yards on the ground. The NU defense disrupted the Nebraska passing game on the way to grabbing two interceptions and breaking up five passes.
How It HappenedNebraska took an early 7-0 lead, but Northwestern responded with 2:13 remaining in the first quarter to cut the deficit to 7-3.Nebraska increased its lead to 14-3, but the NU responded with a touchdown to narrow the advantage to 14-10.
Northwestern followed with a six-yard touchdown reception from Hilinski to at the :25 mark in the second quarter and took a 17-14 lead in the process.Nebraska fought back to take a 28-17 lead, but the NU got on the scoreboard again to narrow the gap and make it a 28-24 game.
Northwestern scored again, a four-yard touchdown run from with 11:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, and took a 31-28 lead in the process. Neither team scored again in the game.
The Wildcats return to the states to play their home opener at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 10 against Duke.CATCH THE 'CATS BACK AT RYAN FIELD. TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Team Stats
NEB 7, NU 0
NEB - Garcia-Castaneda,Isaiah 32 yd pass from Thompson,Casey (Bleekrode,Timmy kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:19
NEB 7, NU 3
NU - Stage,Adam 35 yd field goal 9 plays, 35 yards, TOP 04:28
NEB 14, NU 3
NEB - Thompson,Casey 1 yd run (Bleekrode,Timmy kick), 14 plays, 80 yards, TOP 05:08
NEB 14, NU 10
NU - Niro III,Raymond 41 yd pass from Hilinski,Ryan (Stage,Adam kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:01
NEB 14, NU 17
NU - Navarro,Donny 6 yd pass from Hilinski,Ryan (Stage,Adam kick) 13 plays, 82 yards, TOP 03:15
NEB 21, NU 17
NEB - Grant,Anthony 3 yd run (Bleekrode,Timmy kick), 8 plays, 88 yards, TOP 03:24
NEB 28, NU 17
NEB - Grant,Anthony 46 yd run (Bleekrode,Timmy kick), 2 plays, 46 yards, TOP 00:18
NEB 28, NU 24
NU - Porter,Cam 3 yd run (Stage,Adam kick), 5 plays, 44 yards, TOP 01:15
NEB 28, NU 31
NU - Hull,Evan 4 yd run (Stage,Adam kick), 6 plays, 43 yards, TOP 00:50
