For the first time in a while, Northwestern looked like its old self on Saturday against Rutgers.

The Wildcats played strong, fundamentally sound defense, and the offense was efficient enough to beat Rutgers 21-7 and notch their first Big Ten win of the year.

It was in many ways the same formula that head coach Pat Fitzgerald had used to claim two Big Ten West titles over the last three seasons. But it had been largely absent through three previous games this season against Power Five opponents, which all ended in losses.

The Wildcat defense, especially, looked much more like the 2020 unit that finished fifth in the nation in scoring than the one that got eviscerated for 657 yards in a 56-7 loss to Nebraska on Oct. 4, their last time out. Whatever the Wildcats did during the bye week, it worked against Rutgers, which managed just 222 yards of total offense.

Yet, despite dominating the line of scrimmage defensively and controlling play for most of the game, Northwestern held just a one-score lead halfway through the fourth quarter, until Andrew Clair scored on a three-yard touchdown run right up the middle to give them the 21-7 lead that decided the outcome.

The defense, which totaled four sacks and 11 tackles for loss, took over from there. Adetomiwa Adebawore, in particular, was everywhere for the Wildcats, finishing with seven tackles, a game-high four TFL, a sack and two quarterback hurries. He also forced a fumble.

Ryan HIlinski threw for 267 yards and two TDs to lead the Wildcats, who got 63 yards and a score on the ground from leading rusher Clair.

Noah Vedral led Rutgers with 152 yards and the team’s lone score through the air. The Knights managed just 63 total rushing yards on 34 carries, an average of 1.9 yards per attempt.

Big plays early in games had been Northwestern’s Achilles heel all season, but on Saturday, the Wildcats turned the tables by making big plays in the passing game to set up scores.

On the second play of the game, Hilinski hit Stephon Robinson Jr. for a 47-yard gain after he blew past Max Melton on a post pattern. The completion might have gone for a touchdown if the strong headwind not knocked down the pass. But the Wildcats failed to cash in on the drive because that same strong wind knocked down Charlie Kuhbander’s 44-yard field goal attempt.

Later in the quarter, Hilinski hit a streaking Malik Washington on a slant, and Washington did the rest of the work, breaking through a Najee Jones tackle at the Rutgers 35-yard line and taking it to the house for a 64-yard touchdown. It was Northwestern’s longest pass play since 2018 and it gave the Wildcats a 7-0 lead to cap a 98-yard drive.

Northwestern missed a golden opportunity to add to its lead late in the first quarter after Aaron Young muffed a punt that was recovered by Cam Mitchell at the Rutgers 35-yard line. But the Wildcats went in reverse, losing 11 yards on a fumbled exchange, and failed to convert a fourth-and-12 to come up empty.

Rutgers came right back to even the score at 7 when wide receiver Bo Melton got loose behind Mitchell in the secondary twice. The first time for a 46-yard completion to the NU 38-yard line to flip the field, and the second one, an 18-yard touchdown pass when a wide-open Melton tiptoed on the end line.

Hilinski, though, had another big play up his sleeve. He hit the seldom-used J.J. Jefferson – playing because star WR Bryce Kirtz was a late scratch – for 32 yards. It was Hilinski’s third 25-plus yard explosion play of the half.

Hilinski wound up going 7-for-7 on the 79-yard drive, which he topped off with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Marshall Lang with 3:15 left in the opening half.

Northwestern amassed 288 yards in the first half, but the third quarter turned into a slog, with both teams combining for just 117 yards and neither side getting on the scoreboard.

Northwestern got into Rutgers territory to start the third quarter, but on fourth-and-4 at the Rutgers 36, the Wildcats attempted an ill-advised fake punt and Derek Adams was thrown for a five-yard loss.

That set up the Scarlet Knights on a short field, but they weren’t able to convert, either. After getting down to the NU 15-yard line, Vedral ran for five yards on a pivotal third-and-8. The Knights lined up to go for it on fourth down, but they were late getting personnel into the game and were whistled for a delay of game for the second time on the drive.

Then, to add insult to injury, Valentino Ambrosio missed a 33-yard field goal to the left.

That was really the Knights’ last chance to score as the Wildcat defensive front dominated play and got in the Rutgers backfield all day. Adebawore, Samdup Miller, Jeremy Meiser and Bryce Gallagher all wound up with sacks, while Gallagher also racked up 2.5 TFL.

Northwestern (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) travels to Ann Arbor to take on idle, No. 8 Michigan next Saturday in its most difficult test of the season.