Cats let one slip away

EVANSTON-It was a game of monumental firsts for Northwestern.

The Wildcats got their first touchdown in more than three games and first takeaway in more than four.

But they couldn’t get their first win in almost two months.

JD Dellinger hit a 39-yard field goal into the wind with three seconds left to give Purdue a stunning, come-from-behind 24-22 win over the still-reeling Wildcats. It was the seventh straight loss for Northwestern, which hasn’t tasted victory since a Sept. 14 victory over UNLV.

Northwestern jumped on Purdue early and took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The Wildcats lost the lead in the third quarter but got it back in the fourth before Dellinger knocked them out for good.

The Wildcats’ losing streak is the longest since a seven-game slide in 2013. They are still looking for their first Big Ten win of the season, in November, and have yet to beat a Power Five opponent in eight tries. The loss also snapped a five-game winning streak over Purdue.

Here are our takeaways from the loss that leaves Northwestern 1-8 overall and 0-7 in the Big Ten.

The defense couldn’t get the stop they needed: Charlie Kuhbander clanged a 32-yard field goal attempt off the left upright with 2:30 left that would have extended Northwestern’s lead to 25-21. So instead of a touchdown, all the Boilers needed was a field goal to win it.

Purdue drove to the NU 39-yard line and faced a fourth-and-4 with 1:08 left. With the game on the line, Aidan O’Connell’s pass to David Bell was picked off by JR Pace, but cornerback Cameron Ruiz was called for pass interference after tackling Bell with the ball still in the air.

The flag gave Purdue an automatic first down at the Northwestern 24-yard line. The Boilers ran the ball two straight times before Dellinger drilled the game-winner.

In crunch time, going into the wind with a third-string walkon at quarterback, the Boilers drove 58 yards in 11 plays for the victory.

The first quarter was cathartic for the Cats: Northwestern exorcised some demons in the first quarter, undoubtedly the best quarter the Wildcats have played in quite some time.

The Wildcats got two monkeys off their back in the opening period. They scored their first touchdown in 13 quarters when Kyric McGowan burst right up the middle for a 79-yard touchdown run on their second play from scrimmage. That was the first time the Wildcats crossed the goal line since the third quarter of the Nebraska game on Oct. 5.

Then, on the ensuing Purdue drive, Cameron Ruiz picked off a Austin O’Connell pass deep in NU territory for the Wildcats’ first takeaway in more than four games. They hadn’t snagged a single turnover since the Wisconsin game on Sept. 28.

As if that weren’t enough, the Wildcats’ offense doubled-down, going on a 12-play, 83-yard drive to take a 14-0 lead with 3:47 left in the quarter. Two touchdowns, not only in the same game, but in the same quarter. It was almost too much to take.

By the end of the quarter, Northwestern’s beleaguered offense, which averaged 200 yards in each of the last three games, had racked up 194 yards, 9 first downs and 10.2 yards per play.

Smith found his rhythm in the first quarter...then lost it…then got it back: Smith looked different in this game right from the get go, throwing a sideline pass to Riley Lees for 13 yards on the first play from scrimmage. Then, on the Wildcats’ second touchdown drive, he went 5-for-6 for 56 of the 83 yards through the air, including a 16-yard strike to Jace James for the score.

Smith was getting rid of the ball quickly, as he often does, but he was also accurate, which he sometimes isn’t. He looked comfortable and confident in the pocket, and he was getting good protection. His most eye-opening throw may have been a long out to Lees from the opposite hash mark that showed off the strength of his arm.

Smith, who came into the game completing 47.2% of his passes, finished the first quarter 8-of-10 passing for 89 yards and a touchdown.

After that, however, Smith looked more like the quarterback we’ve seen for most of the year and was up-and-down the rest of the game. He threw a third-quarter interception that resulted in the touchdown that gave the Boilers a 21-16 lead. Later in the period, consecutive plays illustrated his inconsistency: he bounced a simple flare to the sideline five yards in front of Lees, and on the next play threw a strike to Lees over the middle on third-and-5 for a first down.

In the fourth quarter, Smith got his mojo back, hitting Berkeley Holman for 33 yards over the middle and then Lees for an 8-yard touchdown.

Smith finished 19 of 31 for 184 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. It was by far his best performance as a Wildcat, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.

Purdue dominated the second and third quarters: After enduring the first-quarter barrage from Northwestern, Purdue took control in the middle quarters. The Boilermakers outscored Northwestern 21-2 and outgained them 206 to 152.

Purdue was forced to start third-string quarterback O’Connell against Northwestern after injuries to their top two QBs. The walkon had a shaky beginning in his first career start – he was 5-for-12 and threw an interception in the first quarter – but after that he settled down and made some plays. His third-quarter TD pass to Amad Anderson on a corner route was a thing of beauty, dropped over Trae Williams to give Purdue its first lead of the game. O’Connell went 22 of 27 for 178 yards in the second and third periods, led three touchdown drives and threw two scoring passes, along with an interception.

In all, O’Connell went 34 for 50 for 271 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Northwestern’s defense made some big plays: In addition to Ruiz’s pick in the opening quarter, the Wildcat defense made several momentum-turning plays.

The biggest one was an unusual safety in the second quarter. Joe Gaziano was chasing O’Connell in the end zone and the quarterback panicked, throwing the ball to no one in particular in the middle of the field. Since O’Connell was still in the pocket, the play drew a flag for intentional grounding and, because it was in the end zone, it resulted in a safety to give the Wildcats a 16-7 lead. The sack gave Gaziano 27.5 career sacks and pulled him to within a half a sack of Casey Dailey for the all-time Northwestern record.

In the third, Blake Gallagher came up with an interception to stop a Purdue drive after Northwestern had given up the ball on downs. O’Connell threw the ball to Brycen Hopkins, who was hit by Paddy Fisher and tipped the ball into the air. Gallagher plucked it for the interception at the NU 40.

Defensive end Eku Leota also had a strip-sack in the first quarter, but O’Connell recovered the fumble.

The Wildcats’ defense surrendered yardage – Purdue wound up with 345 total yards and 271 through the air – but they made plays when they had to. Until the final drive, that is.