It was a game that could have gone either way. In the end, though, No. 6 Ohio State made the couple plays they needed to, limiting Northwestern to a field goal late in the fourth quarter and then running out the clock to preserve a hard-fought 24-20 decision over a Wildcat team gunning for the upset.
There were plenty of bright spots for Northwestern, as the defense limited big plays, for the most part, and Clayton Thorson and Austin Carr had impressive performances. At the end of the day, however, the Wildcats couldn’t get that big touchdown or big stop when they needed to.
The loss drops NU to 4-4 (3-2 Big Ten), with a huge matchup against Wisconsin next week. Ohio State, on the other hand, is 7-1 (4-1) but has a key matchup with Michigan looming that will likely decide the Big Ten East race.
Here are our six points:
Northwestern couldn’t finish: Trailing 24-17 in the waning minutes, Northwestern had a first-and-goal at the OSU 3-yard line. After driving 72 yards and needing a touchdown to tie the score, the Wildcats ran four plays after and lost 12 yards (they got a fourth play after getting called for holding, which pushed them back 10 yards). They had to settle for a field goal to pull them to within four and then never got the ball back. The Northwestern defense actually matched up fairly well with Ohio State’s offense for most of the day but, needing a stop to have one last shot at a win, the defense let the Buckeyes drain the last 3:31 off the clock. OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett hit Noah Brown to convert a third-and-8 and then, on a third-and-10, he delivered the big blow, a 35-yard run to the NU 22-yard line. Game over.
Thorson growing up quickly: A switch went off for Thorson at Iowa a couple of weeks ago. In the weeks following he had an even better performance against MSU and played very well against Indiana last week. How would he respond against an elite opponent in Ohio State? Thorson proved that he can hang with the best of competition, completing 22-of-42 passes for 256 yards, with one touchdown and one interception on a ball that was tipped at the line of scrimmage and wasn’t his fault. He consistently made good decisions, he did not telegraph his throws, and, most importantly, he displayed excellent pocket presence. In the past, Thorson would bail way too early and roll out to his right, ending plays prematurely and often leading to a loss of yards. Today, he stepped up in the pocket, surveyed the field, and did an excellent job distributing the ball. And he got rid of the ball when necessary to avoid a negative play. A play that illustrates his maturity and growth was in the fourth quarter: facing a third-and-7 at the OSU 44, Thorson ran the read option to perfection and pulled the ball, running for 10 yards and a first down to keep the drive going.
Fitz was aggressive: Sometimes Northwestern fans are hard on head coach Pat Fitzgerald -- sometimes rightfully so -- for conservative playcalling. That was not the story today, however. Northwestern was 2-for-2 on fourth down, extending multiple drives that led to scores. He came out with guns blazing, going for it on fourth-and-2 at the OSU 4 in the first quarter, and again in the third at the OSU 46. Fitzgerald also used his timeouts to get Northwestern an extra drive to end the half, a spot in which he sometimes reverts to conservatism. A penalty forced Northwestern to settle for a field goal late in the fourth quarter, but I’d imagine that if NU was a little bit closer than fourth-and-goal at the 15-yard line, Fitzgerald probably would have pulled the trigger again and gone for it. Fitzgerald called the game to win today, not keep it close.
Insert Austin Carr pun here: I am sorry I can’t come up with anything creative, as wide receiver Austin Carr has totally exhausted my pun-ability due to his fantastic performances every week. It is astounding the Big Ten coaches continue to rely on single coverage to try to stop him. Today was no exception as he provided security to Thorson on third downs and exploded on a 35-yard reception that “looked” like it could’ve been a touchdown. He would’ve had even more catches and yards had a reception called back due to a penalty and another play called incomplete. All in all, Carr finished with 158 yards on eight catches. If there is a better, more valuable receiver in the Big Ten than No. 80, we haven’t seen him.
Third-down stops and missed tackles: While NU only allowed 24 points and generally accomplished its mission of making Ohio State run a lot of plays to score, the defense certainly had the opportunity to cut many drives short and get off the field earlier. They missed a lot of tackles, especially on the outside, letting Ohio State receivers and runners scamper for multiple yards after contact. Furthermore, they did not get stops on third down when they needed to. Ohio State finished 10-for-16 on third downs for the day and they held the ball for over 32 minutes.
Shout out to Garrett Dickerson: Dickerson was excellent today coming off a week that he missed due to injury. He hauled in a 2-yard fade catch for Thorson’s only passing TD on the day and also snagged multiple crossing route receptions that kept Northwestern drives moving. If Big Ten teams ever figure out how to guard Carr, it could be Dickerson that benefits in third-down situations, as he has proven he is a reliable target over the middle. He finished with eight catches for 43 yards and a TD.
