Bryant, Defense Lead ‘Cats Past Utah In Las Vegas Bowl, 14-7

Saturday, December 23

Las Vegas, Nevada

6:30 p.m. CT

Northwestern

8-5 , 5-4

Utah

8-5 , 5-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Utah

Northwestern

Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics

Bryant, Defense Lead ‘Cats Past Utah In Las Vegas Bowl, 14-7

12/23/2023 10:45:00 PM | Football

Box Score Postgame Notes Photo Gallery

Northwestern wins fifth-straight bowl game

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (December 23, 2023) - Ben Bryant threw for a pair of touchdowns, while the Wildcat defense forced three turnovers as Northwestern (8-5, 5-4 B1G) capped off its 2023 season with a 14-7 victory over Utah (8-5, 5-4 Pac-12) this evening in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.

?? 2023 LAS VEGAS BOWL CHAMPIONS ?? pic.twitter.com/Zwic2rkjwX
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) December 24, 2023

Named the game's Most Valuable Player, Bryant led the Northwestern offense, finishing 23-of-34 for 222 yards and two touchdowns in his final collegiate outing. The pairing of Bryce Kirtz and A.J. Henning proved to be Bryant's top targets. Kirtz finished with a game-high 68 yards receiving, 19 of which came on the game-winning touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, while Henning piled up 57 yards on six catches.

On a night when defense ruled, Jaheem Joseph led the charge, coming up with a pair of interceptions during a first half in which Northwestern limited Utah to just 10 yards through the air. Xander Mueller forced a fumble in addition to recording eight tackles, while Rod Heard II closed the night with a team-best 12 stops and a fumble recovery. Northwestern pressured Utah signal caller Bryson Barnes throughout the night, finishing with five sacks, its most in a bowl game since 2005.

How It Happened
Defense ruled for the majority of the first half, as both offenses struggled to settle into a rhythm. Following a 37-yard punt by Hunter Renner that was downed at the Utah two-yard line, the Utes looked to threaten, driving into Northwestern territory. Facing 2^nd-and-7 from the Wildcats' 43-yard line, Barnes took aim at the end zone, only for a leaping Joseph to snag his attempt, bringing an end to the drive and keeping the game scoreless heading to the second quarter.

Joseph dazzled again with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half, picking off a Barnes' overthrow before taking the ensuing return deep into Utah territory, setting the 'Cats up with 1^st-and-goal at the seven-yard line. The Utes answered back, coming up with a fourth-down stop from a yard out as the game remained knotted up.

Coming off another stop from its defensive unit, the Northwestern offense caught fire in the closing minutes of the half, engineering an eight-play, 78-yard scoring drive to break the stalemate. Following back-to-back completions to Marshall Lang spanning 30 yards, Bryant connected with Johnson from 12 yards out to give the 'Cats a 7-0 lead that they would carry into halftime.

The Wildcat defense continued to flex its muscle coming out of the intermission. Mueller forced the second fumble of his career with just over four minutes gone, stripping the ball loose from Jaylon Glover ahead of a recovery by Heard II.

After being held scoreless through the first three quarters of play, Utah pulled even at 7-7 following a eight-play, 60-yard drive, capped off by a six-yard touchdown run from Micah Bernard that tied the game with 12:38 to play in regulation.

With the Utes facing 4^th-and-2 from the Wildcats' 47-yard line, Northwestern's defense stiffened yet again, turning away Glover at the line of scrimmage to regain possession with 7:10 remaining. Bryant wasted no time attacking on the ensuing Northwestern drive, connecting with a diving Henning for 34 yards to set Northwestern up inside the red zone. On the next play, Bryant found Kirtz in the corner of the end zone from 19 yards out to vault the 'Cats back in front, 14-7.

Utah refused to go away quietly, driving down to the Northwestern 38-yard line, where it faced 4^th-and-3 with 1:59 remaining. Garnett Hollis, Jr. starred in one of the night's defining moments shortly after, racing in to break up Barnes' pass to Money Parks, as Northwestern regained possession. Bryant put away any hopes of Utah mounting a late drive three plays later when he scampered 10 yards on 3^rd-and-7 to seal Northwestern's fifth straight bowl game win.

Game Notes
» Northwestern has won five-straight bowl games, the third longest streak in the nation behind Minnesota and Ohio (6).
» Utah's seven points scored are the fewest allowed by Northwestern in a bowl game in program history.
» The Wildcats forced three Utes' turnovers, winning the turnover battle by a 3-0 margin.
» Utah's three turnovers are the most by a Northwestern opponent in a bowl game since the Utes turned it over three times against the 'Cats in the 2018 Holiday Bowl.
» Utah closed the night with only 73 passing yards, marking the second game this season that Northwestern has held an opponent below 75 yards through the air.
» Joseph, who reeled in an interception for the second time in as many games, is the first Wildcat with two interceptions in a game since Brandon Joseph grabbed two picks against Wisconsin on November 21, 2020.
» Johnson's first-half score marked the fifth straight game in which he has hauled in a receiving touchdown.
» Johnson is the first Wildcat to catch a touchdown pass in five-straight games since Austin Carr accomplished the feat during the 2016 season (Sept. 17 - Oct. 22).
» Four Wildcats finished with eight-plus tackles, led by Heard II's 12 stops.

This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.