Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, October 4
Evanston, Ill.
2:30 pm CT
Northwestern
42
vs
7
ULM
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Secures Comprehensive Win Over ULM, 42-7
10/4/2025 6:13:00 PM | Football
'Cats pile up 515 yards of offense in victory
EVANSTON, Ill. (October 4, 2025) — Northwestern picked up its second consecutive victory on Saturday, securing a 42-7 Homecoming Weekend win over ULM at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
"Challenged our football team earlier this week — when you've got a team on the ropes, you have to learn how to put them away," Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. "[I] was proud of the way our guys learned that valuable lesson today. This is the best football team I've been around in terms of preparation."
Behind Preston Stone's 262 passing yards, 49 rushing yards and three touchdowns, the Wildcats (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) closed non-conference play with a convincing result in their clash with the Warhawks (3-2, 1-0 Sun Belt).
"When things were there today in the passing game, he took them," Braun said of Stone. "When things weren't there, he used his feet to be efficient or extend plays."
Caleb Komolafe picked up where he left off from his 119-yard performance against UCLA last week, propelling the Northwestern ground game with 75 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Dashun Reeder led all rushers with 79 yards on the ground.
While ULM opened the scoring on a 34-yard connection from Aidan Armenta to Nic Trujillo with 10:47 remaining in the first quarter, Northwestern proceeded to pile on 18 unanswered points to build an 18-7 halftime lead.
"We knew the game plan; they had a nice start to the game — kudos to them," said Anto Saka, who posted a sack in the victory. "We knew what we had to do. We were calm, composed [and] just reset our breath, went back, and executed the plan."
After the break, the Wildcats recorded touchdowns on three consecutive drives to stretch their lead to 39-7. On the defensive side of the ball, Northwestern maintained its stronghold over Saturday's Sun Belt Conference foe, seldom relenting any opposing momentum.
The hosts amassed 515 total yards in the lopsided victory, while surrendering just 273 yards to the Warhawks.
"We've been able to play really good complementary football these past two weeks," Stone said. "We've done a great job establishing the run game, and teams have to honor that. When we're running the ball like that, it really opens up some lanes down the field. We've done a great job of capitalizing on those."
Northwestern will hit the road for its first game away from Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium since August 30 when the Wildcats take on Penn State in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, October 11. The 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff will air on FS1 and ESPN Radio 1000.
Key Moments:
— Stone and Hayden Eligon II, who established an early rapport in Saturday's contest, connected for a 37-yard passing touchdown with 13:57 remaining in the second quarter. The sophomore has snagged two receiving touchdowns this season after seeing action in nine games as a true first-year in 2024.
—The Northwestern defense hunkered down to shut down a ULM fourth-and-2 just outside the red zone with 9:47 left in the second quarter. Najee Story made the crucial stop on Warhawk quarterback Hunter Herring.
— On the Wildcats' first drive of the second half, Komolafe broke loose for a 39-yard rushing touchdown. The play — his fourth rushing score of the season — set a new career-long rush for the redshirt sophomore.
— Griffin Wilde hauled in a 49-yard receiving touchdown with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter. Wilde's explosive catch and run is a new season-long pass play for Northwestern.
Top Performers:
— Preston Stone: 20-of-31 passing, 311 total yards, three touchdown passes.
— Caleb Komolafe: 13 rushes for 75 yards (5.8 yards per carry), two touchdowns.
— Hayden Eligon II: Three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown.
— Fred Davis II: Two tackles, two pass breakups.
Numbers to Know:
30: Stone's season-long rush, which he broke off on the second play of the second quarter.
7: Third-down conversions from Northwestern in the first half (nine attempts), helping the Wildcats score on their first three drives of the game. The hosts finished 11-of-16 on third down.
8: Consecutive drives where the Wildcat defense held the Warhawks scoreless.
6.5: Yards per carry from Northwestern rushers (38 attempts for 246 yards). Reeder (79), Komolafe (75) and Stone (49) all eclipsed 40 yards on the ground.
1: Number of punts the Wildcats attempted on Saturday — the fewest since November 30, 2019 at Illinois.
"Challenged our football team earlier this week — when you've got a team on the ropes, you have to learn how to put them away," Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. "[I] was proud of the way our guys learned that valuable lesson today. This is the best football team I've been around in terms of preparation."
Behind Preston Stone's 262 passing yards, 49 rushing yards and three touchdowns, the Wildcats (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) closed non-conference play with a convincing result in their clash with the Warhawks (3-2, 1-0 Sun Belt).
"When things were there today in the passing game, he took them," Braun said of Stone. "When things weren't there, he used his feet to be efficient or extend plays."
Caleb Komolafe picked up where he left off from his 119-yard performance against UCLA last week, propelling the Northwestern ground game with 75 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Dashun Reeder led all rushers with 79 yards on the ground.
While ULM opened the scoring on a 34-yard connection from Aidan Armenta to Nic Trujillo with 10:47 remaining in the first quarter, Northwestern proceeded to pile on 18 unanswered points to build an 18-7 halftime lead.
"We knew the game plan; they had a nice start to the game — kudos to them," said Anto Saka, who posted a sack in the victory. "We knew what we had to do. We were calm, composed [and] just reset our breath, went back, and executed the plan."
After the break, the Wildcats recorded touchdowns on three consecutive drives to stretch their lead to 39-7. On the defensive side of the ball, Northwestern maintained its stronghold over Saturday's Sun Belt Conference foe, seldom relenting any opposing momentum.
The hosts amassed 515 total yards in the lopsided victory, while surrendering just 273 yards to the Warhawks.
"We've been able to play really good complementary football these past two weeks," Stone said. "We've done a great job establishing the run game, and teams have to honor that. When we're running the ball like that, it really opens up some lanes down the field. We've done a great job of capitalizing on those."
Northwestern will hit the road for its first game away from Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium since August 30 when the Wildcats take on Penn State in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, October 11. The 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff will air on FS1 and ESPN Radio 1000.
Key Moments:
— Stone and Hayden Eligon II, who established an early rapport in Saturday's contest, connected for a 37-yard passing touchdown with 13:57 remaining in the second quarter. The sophomore has snagged two receiving touchdowns this season after seeing action in nine games as a true first-year in 2024.
—The Northwestern defense hunkered down to shut down a ULM fourth-and-2 just outside the red zone with 9:47 left in the second quarter. Najee Story made the crucial stop on Warhawk quarterback Hunter Herring.
— On the Wildcats' first drive of the second half, Komolafe broke loose for a 39-yard rushing touchdown. The play — his fourth rushing score of the season — set a new career-long rush for the redshirt sophomore.
— Griffin Wilde hauled in a 49-yard receiving touchdown with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter. Wilde's explosive catch and run is a new season-long pass play for Northwestern.
Top Performers:
— Preston Stone: 20-of-31 passing, 311 total yards, three touchdown passes.
— Caleb Komolafe: 13 rushes for 75 yards (5.8 yards per carry), two touchdowns.
— Hayden Eligon II: Three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown.
— Fred Davis II: Two tackles, two pass breakups.
Numbers to Know:
30: Stone's season-long rush, which he broke off on the second play of the second quarter.
7: Third-down conversions from Northwestern in the first half (nine attempts), helping the Wildcats score on their first three drives of the game. The hosts finished 11-of-16 on third down.
8: Consecutive drives where the Wildcat defense held the Warhawks scoreless.
6.5: Yards per carry from Northwestern rushers (38 attempts for 246 yards). Reeder (79), Komolafe (75) and Stone (49) all eclipsed 40 yards on the ground.
1: Number of punts the Wildcats attempted on Saturday — the fewest since November 30, 2019 at Illinois.
Players Mentioned
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WR
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