Rapid Reaction: Northwestern falters at Wrigley Field, falls to No. 2 Ohio State 31-7

The Friendly Confines weren’t so kind to the ‘Cats.

Not a great Homecoming Weekend for Northwestern alumni.

The ‘Cats fell to the Buckeyes on a Saturday afternoon in Wrigleyville, losing 31-7. With the odds stacked against NU, the purple-and-white did little to prove those numbers wrong.

Jack Lausch finished 21-for-35 with 201 passing yards, adding eight yards and a touchdown with his legs. Bryce Kirtz led the ‘Cats with 92 yards on seven receptions, while A.J. Henning notched 42 yards on five catches. The offense had trouble moving the ball for the entire day, averaging just 3.8 yards per play.

For the Buckeyes, Will Howard went 15-for-24 with 247 passing yards and two touchdowns. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined for 150 rushing yards, while Judkins found the end zone twice. Freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith recorded 100 receiving yards on four receptions, including a 68-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter.

Ohio State won the toss but deferred to the second half. Lausch kept the first snap for a three-yard run up the middle, but the ‘Cats were quickly pushed backwards after a sack by linebacker Sonny Styles. On third-and-13, Cam Porter rushed to the right for a first down to save NU from an all-too-familiar three-and-out.

Facing another third down later in the drive, Lausch connected with Kirtz up the middle for a 20-yard gain. The ‘Cats pushed to OSU’s 21-yard line following a 15-yard strike to tight end Marshall Lang to move the chains once again. However, their steady progress was all for naught. After attempting to scramble for the first down, Lausch was stripped by defensive end Jack Sawyer, and the Buckeyes returned it to the 33-yard line.

The Buckeyes wasted no time on offense, as Howard found Judkins for an eight-yard grab. However, they quickly found themselves in a fourth-and-1 situation at the 42-yard line. That didn’t matter for Ryan Day’s offense, as Judkins simply stormed up the middle for a four-yard gain. On third-and-9, Howard fired up a prayer to the end zone that Smith looked to bring in with one hand. After review, the pass was deemed incomplete and Ohio State was forced to punt.

With the ‘Cats in rough field position at the 13-yard line, Kirtz made a twirling grab on the left sideline for a 21-yard gain. One small run later, Lausch hit Henning for another acrobatic catch on the right sideline, this one for 22 yards. The quarterback also showed off his legs, scrambling up the field for a nine-yard gain as time expired on the quarter.

On third-and-1, Porter kept the drive alive with a cutback up the middle. Lausch almost found an open Henning on a post route in the end zone, but his pass sailed just out of reach. Luckily, Kirtz settled into a hole in OSU’s zone defense and grabbed a 12-yard pass to move the chains.

With NU set up on the 19-yard line, Porter burst through the Buckeyes’ front seven for an 11-yard run and another first down. On the next play, Lausch sprinted up the middle into the end zone to complete the 92-yard drive. Less than three minutes into the second quarter, the ‘Cats found themselves up 7-0 on the No. 2 team in the nation.

The Buckeyes would not be denied, however. On third-and-8, Howard stepped up in the pocket and found Emeka Egbuka between the hashes for 20 yards. The next play was equally productive, as Henderson took a pitch for 11 yards to OSU’s 48-yard line. Despite running into trouble on fourth-and-3, Howard was able to find his safety blanket Smith for a 14-yard gain. With seven minutes until halftime, Judkins pushed into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown, and the Buckeyes tied the game 7-7.

NU got the ball back and almost turned it over within 10 seconds, as Lausch rolled right and heaved a throw that was nearly picked by OSU corner Denzel Burke. After a six-yard keeper by Lausch, a third-down fumble forced the ‘Cats to punt. However, the Buckeyes blocked Hunter Renner’s kick, and the ball rolled out of bounds at the 1-yard line. Ohio State immediately capitalized, as Judkins punched it in for his second TD on the day. Just like that, the Buckeyes were up by seven.

The ‘Cats took over with 4:19 to go in the second quarter, but their offense showed no life. After two touches for Henning brought up third-and-2, Lausch scrambled and threw it out of bounds. NU punted it away, and the Buckeyes immediately pounced. Following a four-yard rush by Henderson, Howard put a perfect amount of touch on a 34-yard pass between the hashes to tight end Gee Scott Jr.

With his team set up at the 39-yard line, Henderson found a hole up the middle for a first down. With 49 seconds left in the half, Howard floated a pass to Tate for a diving touchdown grab to cap a sub-two-minute drive and put the Buckeyes up 21-7.

The ‘Cats had one more opportunity to score, but they couldn’t get anything going. Lausch almost put the ball on the ground at the 27-yard line, but he was ruled down. After a false start by Thomas Gordon, Porter fell forward to bring up third-and-10. One more Porter run later, NU retreated to its locker room through a gap in the outfield ivy down 14.

Lausch entered halftime having gone 9-for-14 for 105 yards, adding 25 yards with his legs. Kirtz led the way with 58 yards on four receptions, while Porter rushed for 36 yards on seven carries. For Ohio State, Howard went 9-for-14 for 138 yards and a touchdown. Tate led the Buckeyes with 44 yards and a touchdown on three receptions.

To start the third quarter, the Buckeyes set themselves back with a holding penalty on the kickoff return. With the offense set up at the 10-yard line, Judkins broke off two small runs to set up third-and-5. Then, Howard found Smith between the hashes, who flashed his speed and broke free from half of NU’s defense for a 68-yard gain. Howard threw a quick pass to Tate for his second touchdown on the day, putting Ohio State up 28-7.

NU’s offense picked up at the 25-yard line — after Porter rushed for no gain, Lausch fired a pass towards Gordon that the Buckeyes nearly picked off. But Henning came to the rescue on third-and-10, taking a short pass to the left sideline for a first down. The ‘Cats gained a free 15 yards after tackle Ty Hamilton took Porter down by his facemask, bringing them to OSU’s 39-yard line.

With eight minutes left in the third quarter, NU gambled by keeping its offense on the field on fourth-and-2, and it paid off — Lausch rushed up the middle for three yards to move the chains. After a defensive pass interference call on Buckeyes corner Davison Igbinosun, the ‘Cats moved up to the 21-yard line. Down by three scores, David Braun decided to keep his offense out there on fourth-and-10, but Ohio State forced a turnover on downs.

The Buckeyes came back swinging, as the two-headed monster of Henderson and Judkins gained a combined 65 yards on their first five touches of the drive. After an injury timeout for Scott Jr., NU’s defense brought up third-and-6 at the 10-yard line. Howard threw a floater out of the corner of the end zone, and Ohio State kicked a 28-yard field goal to go up 31-7.

Lausch and the offense trotted back on the field with 44 seconds left in the quarter. Following a three-yard run by Joseph Himon II, Lausch fell on another fumble off a mishandled snap to bring up 3rd-and-11 as the clock hit zeroes on the first 45 minutes of action. After a one-yard checkdown to Himon, the ‘Cats punted and set the Buckeyes up at the 22-yard line.

Both teams traded punts on their next possessions, punctuated by a third-down sack by Sonny Styles. With 9:14 to go in the final quarter, the Buckeyes started a drive with a five-yard dish to Egbuka, followed by a 15-yard rush by Henderson to reach NU’s 44-yard line. On first down, Henderson caught a pass and hurdled Braden Turner for a spectacular seven-yard gain.

Despite the highlight play, the Buckeyes faced fourth-and-2 following a missed pass interference call. Howard rolled left and lofted a pass towards Tate, but Josh Fussell was there for the breakup to force a turnover on downs. NU’s drive looked dead in the water, but Lausch found Kirtz up the middle on fourth-and-8 for a 20-yard gain. On another late-down situation, Calvin Johnson II nabbed a rare catch for 23 yards, taking the ‘Cats to the 6-yard line.

Unfortunately for Northwestern, the Buckeye defensive line continued to provide pressure and the Wildcats failed to convert on fourth and goal. That failure would end the game, as Ohio State just ran out the clock to seal an easy 31-7 victory.

The ‘Cats will head to Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on FS1.