’Cats Fall Short at No. 20 Ohio State, 28-19

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Northwestern football fell 28-19 to No. 20 Ohio State on Saturday in Ohio Stadium. 

While the Wildcats (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) battled to bring the game back within one point early in the third quarter, the Buckeyes (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) seized control to stave off the upset effort.

“Credit to Ohio State; they made more plays down the stretch to pull away at the end,” Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. “There’s no other group in the country I’d rather be doing this with right now between our players and coaching staff.”

Redshirt junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol completed 18-of-31 passes for 225 yards and scored two total touchdowns.

“This one stings,” Marchiol said. “This game is a metaphor for life. You’ve got to respond.”

Pacing the Northwestern ground game, redshirt junior running back Caleb Komolafe rushed for 54 yards on 11 carries. 

Redshirt sophomore tight end Luke Dehnicke caught five passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. Graduate student tight end Alex Honig hauled in 49 receiving yards on a pair of receptions. 

The Wildcat defense recorded three takeaways in the contest. Redshirt senior defensive back Braden Turner snagged his fourth career interception and recovered a fumble, while redshirt senior linebacker Braydon Brus tallied a fumble recovery. 

Redshirt senior safety Robert Fitzgerald posted a team-high 11 tackles and a half sack, while senior linebacker Jack Sadowsky V logged nine tackles and a half sack.

Senior kicker Jackson Kleather opened the scoring on a 44-yard field goal, giving Northwestern a 3-0 lead just over 10 minutes into the game. Following a Luke Fahey touchdown pass to Isaiah West early in the second quarter for the Buckeyes, Kleather converted a second kick from 46 yards.

With 2:51 remaining in the first half, OSU’s Bo Jackson punched in a two-yard score to give the hosts an eight-point lead.

After Ohio State built a 14-6 halftime lead, Marchiol led Northwestern on an eight-play, 58-yard drive on the Wildcats’ opening third-quarter possession. Marchiol punctuated the possession with a two-yard rushing score, cutting the deficit to 14-13.

However, the Buckeyes responded on their next possession, with Fahey finding Devin McCuin for an eight-yard passing score to stretch the lead to 21-13 with 2:52 to play in the third quarter.

Just beyond the midway point of the final quarter, Fahey tossed a 10-yard score to Jeremiah Smith, extending the OSU edge to 28-13.

A Turner fumble recovery gave Northwestern a final shot at points, and Marchiol hit Dehnicke for a 17-yard passing touchdown, cutting the deficit to 28-19 as time expired.

“We fell short today,” Braun said. “It doesn’t change the expectation from our guys in that locker room or our program long term.”

The Wildcats will take on Minnesota in Minneapolis on Saturday, Nov. 21. Kickoff from Huntington Bank Stadium is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on FS1.