Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Dominant Ground Game Leads 'Cats Past UCLA, 17-14
9/27/2025 6:30:00 PM | Football
Northwestern piles up 199 rushing yards in first Big Ten victory
EVANSTON, Ill. — Fueled by 199 rushing yards, its most in a Big Ten game since 2022, Northwestern (2-2, 1-1 Big Ten) edged UCLA (0-4, 0-1 Big Ten) by a final score of 17-14 on Saturday afternoon at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
"Excited about some of the improvements we've seen within our football team," Dan and Susan Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. "This is going to be an opportunity for us to celebrate a win, and also very clearly identify things we need to improve upon and get better at. We learned that our football team can withstand some adversity. We showed a great deal of toughness and togetherness."
Caleb Komolafe set career highs with 27 rushing attempts and 119 rushing yards, while adding a touchdown for the second consecutive week. He became the first Wildcat to register both 25-plus carries and 100-plus rushing yards since 2022, when Evan Hull did so. Joseph Himon II also added eight carries for 57 yards.
"Caleb just has continued to grow," Braun said. "A guy like Komo having 27 carries and over 100 yards, that fires me up. That's something that's going to have to show up throughout the season."
Preston Stone completed 66.7% (12-18) of his passes, totaling 115 passing yards and a touchdown. He connected early and often with Griffin Wilde, who finished the game with seven catches for 98 receiving yards, highlighted by a 10-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter.
Robert Fitzgerald posted a team-high nine tackles. Anto Saka tallied a sack, joining up with Braydon Brus for a stop on the Bruins' final drive to help cement Northwestern's victory.
The Wildcats immediately set the tone with the run game, moving the ball to the UCLA 31-yard line by running the ball on seven of their first 12 plays. Facing a fourth-and-4 at that juncture, Stone connected with Wilde for a 20-yard gain to move into the red zone.
Ultimately, Jack Olsen capped off the 17-play, 74-yard drive that spanned 9:09 with a 33-yard kick to put Northwestern on the board first, 3-0. On the drive, Komolafe took seven carries for 34 yards.
"I was just running the ball the best I could — just getting the ball and trying to get downhill and make the most of each carry," Komolafe said.
Following a UCLA three-and-out, the 'Cats moved down the field with a 22-yard grab from Hunter Welcing and a 24-yard rush by Himon II. Komolafe then took a pitch nine yards into the end zone, propelling Northwestern to a 10-0 lead with 13:29 remaining in the second quarter.
After marching over midfield for the first time, the Bruins went for it on fourth-and-3 from the 34-yard line, but a tandem sack by Aidan Hubbard and Michael Kilbane forced a turnover on downs.
Taking the field once again, explosive plays continued for Northwestern. In rapid succession, Himon had another 20-yard dash to cross midfield, followed by a 25-yard reception by Wilde. Stone went on to connect with Wilde on a slant route in the end zone from 10 yards out to put the Wildcats up, 17-0.
UCLA got in the scoring column as time expired in the first half, with a 28-yard Mateen Bhaghani field goal trimming the Northwestern lead to 17-3.
Northwestern registered 212 first-half yards, with 104 coming through the air and 108 on the ground, and converted 12 first downs. Both Himon and Komolafe tallied over 50 rushing yards across the opening 30 minutes. The 'Cats scored on all three of their first-half drives, accomplishing the feat for the first time since at least 2003.
Looking to seize momentum, UCLA put together a 12-play, 73-yard drive that spanned 6:12 in the third quarter. With the Bruins facing third-and-goal from the Northwestern seven-yard line, Ore Adeyi made a critical pass breakup in the end zone to force the visitors to settle for a 25-yard Bhaghani kick that made it a 17-6 affair late in the third quarter.
After blocking a Wildcat field goal, the Bruins engineered a four-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by 29-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava to Kwazi Gilmer. The Bruins went on to convert on the ensuing two-point conversion to pull within three, 17-14, with 6:19 to play in regulation.
With UCLA facing second-and-10 from its own 33-yard line with time winding down, Saka and Brus joined up for a backbreaking seven-yard sack, as Northwestern went on to close out its first Big Ten win of 2025.
"The guys did just a really good job of staying the course and keeping poised," Braun said. "They didn't flinch. They found a way to close out a football game."
Northwestern concludes its season-long four-game homestand next week when it hosts ULM at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 4. The annual Homecoming contest will air on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
"Excited about some of the improvements we've seen within our football team," Dan and Susan Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. "This is going to be an opportunity for us to celebrate a win, and also very clearly identify things we need to improve upon and get better at. We learned that our football team can withstand some adversity. We showed a great deal of toughness and togetherness."
Caleb Komolafe set career highs with 27 rushing attempts and 119 rushing yards, while adding a touchdown for the second consecutive week. He became the first Wildcat to register both 25-plus carries and 100-plus rushing yards since 2022, when Evan Hull did so. Joseph Himon II also added eight carries for 57 yards.
"Caleb just has continued to grow," Braun said. "A guy like Komo having 27 carries and over 100 yards, that fires me up. That's something that's going to have to show up throughout the season."
Preston Stone completed 66.7% (12-18) of his passes, totaling 115 passing yards and a touchdown. He connected early and often with Griffin Wilde, who finished the game with seven catches for 98 receiving yards, highlighted by a 10-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter.
Robert Fitzgerald posted a team-high nine tackles. Anto Saka tallied a sack, joining up with Braydon Brus for a stop on the Bruins' final drive to help cement Northwestern's victory.
The Wildcats immediately set the tone with the run game, moving the ball to the UCLA 31-yard line by running the ball on seven of their first 12 plays. Facing a fourth-and-4 at that juncture, Stone connected with Wilde for a 20-yard gain to move into the red zone.
Ultimately, Jack Olsen capped off the 17-play, 74-yard drive that spanned 9:09 with a 33-yard kick to put Northwestern on the board first, 3-0. On the drive, Komolafe took seven carries for 34 yards.
"I was just running the ball the best I could — just getting the ball and trying to get downhill and make the most of each carry," Komolafe said.
Following a UCLA three-and-out, the 'Cats moved down the field with a 22-yard grab from Hunter Welcing and a 24-yard rush by Himon II. Komolafe then took a pitch nine yards into the end zone, propelling Northwestern to a 10-0 lead with 13:29 remaining in the second quarter.
After marching over midfield for the first time, the Bruins went for it on fourth-and-3 from the 34-yard line, but a tandem sack by Aidan Hubbard and Michael Kilbane forced a turnover on downs.
Taking the field once again, explosive plays continued for Northwestern. In rapid succession, Himon had another 20-yard dash to cross midfield, followed by a 25-yard reception by Wilde. Stone went on to connect with Wilde on a slant route in the end zone from 10 yards out to put the Wildcats up, 17-0.
UCLA got in the scoring column as time expired in the first half, with a 28-yard Mateen Bhaghani field goal trimming the Northwestern lead to 17-3.
Northwestern registered 212 first-half yards, with 104 coming through the air and 108 on the ground, and converted 12 first downs. Both Himon and Komolafe tallied over 50 rushing yards across the opening 30 minutes. The 'Cats scored on all three of their first-half drives, accomplishing the feat for the first time since at least 2003.
Looking to seize momentum, UCLA put together a 12-play, 73-yard drive that spanned 6:12 in the third quarter. With the Bruins facing third-and-goal from the Northwestern seven-yard line, Ore Adeyi made a critical pass breakup in the end zone to force the visitors to settle for a 25-yard Bhaghani kick that made it a 17-6 affair late in the third quarter.
After blocking a Wildcat field goal, the Bruins engineered a four-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by 29-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava to Kwazi Gilmer. The Bruins went on to convert on the ensuing two-point conversion to pull within three, 17-14, with 6:19 to play in regulation.
With UCLA facing second-and-10 from its own 33-yard line with time winding down, Saka and Brus joined up for a backbreaking seven-yard sack, as Northwestern went on to close out its first Big Ten win of 2025.
"The guys did just a really good job of staying the course and keeping poised," Braun said. "They didn't flinch. They found a way to close out a football game."
Northwestern concludes its season-long four-game homestand next week when it hosts ULM at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 4. The annual Homecoming contest will air on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
Players Mentioned
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