Skowronek's performance a product of practice

Practice, they say, makes perfect. It can also make touchdowns.

When Northwestern wide receiver Bennett Skowronek leaped in the corner of the end zone and came down with a touchdown pass with just 16 seconds to go in the second quarter of Northwestern’s 23-13 win over Purdue on Saturday night, it wasn’t the first time last week that he and quarterback Clayton Thorson had connected on that play. The two had worked on it a few days earlier.

“That’s something Clayton and I actually worked on Wednesday after practice for a couple minutes,” said Skowronek after the game. “It’s something we do every day, almost. Clayton threw a great ball, perfect spot, so all the credit to Clayton.”

Well, not all the credit. Skowronek high-pointed the ball with two hands over cornerback Josh Okonye and came down with two feet, not just one foot, in the end zone before falling onto his backside out of bounds. It didn’t hurt that Skowronek stands 6-foot-4, four inches taller than Okonye.

Skowronek wound up with seven catches for 117 yards to lead Northwestern in both categories, and one TD. It didn’t match his career high in receptions or yardage (he caught eight passes for 123 yards against Nevada) or even touchdowns (he caught three against Bowling Green). But in terms of impact on the game, it may have been Skowronek’s finest performance.

“Productive, had some yards after the catch, had a big catch in the corner of the end zone for a big touchdown,” said head coach Pat Fitzgerald, naming Skowronek’s achievements against the Boilers.

“You know, Bennett’s been a guy who’s been really consistent throughout the whole course of the year. Maybe he hasn’t gotten the catch totals to have you (the media) ask me questions, but I think he’s been really consistent.

“He’s run good routes, he’s blocked physically out on the perimeter and I think he’s been really locked in during the week. It’s a by-product of his preparation and just the consistency that he’s going throughout the year.”

Skowronek is Northwestern’s leading receiver in terms of yards (544) and touchdowns (4), and he trails only Flynn Nagel in the receptions department 41 to 39. But it’s been a sneaky-good season for Skowronek. He had the big games against Nevada and Bowling Green early in the year but didn’t catch more than five passes (against Wisconsin) or gain more than 49 yards (Nebraska) in any single game before Saturday night.

“He’s playing great. He’s been playing well all season,” said Thorson, who has built a strong chemistry with his sophomore wideout. “He’s aggressive, which is nice. When the ball goes up in the air, I’m pretty confident he’s going to come down with it or get a call. It’s nice to have a guy like that. We haven’t had someone like that in a while. He’s worked hard throughout the week, and every week he does that, so I’m really happy with how he’s playing, and we have to just keep it going.”

Skowronek’s touchdown catch against Purdue came on the drive of the game for Northwestern, an almost perfectly executed two-minute drill that eventually enabled the Wildcats to win their fifth straight game.

The Wildcat defense had just stuffed Purdue on a fourth-and-1 at the NU 4-yard line to preserve a slim 7-0 lead and give the offense the ball 96 yards away from the end zone with 1:49 left in the half. Seven plays and 1:33 later, Skowronek caught the touchdown pass and Northwestern had a 14-0 lead right before the marching band hit the field.

“Big momentum swing right there,” said Fitzgerald of the drive. “That’s like a 14-point swing. And I thought (offensive coordinator) Mick [McCall] put together some great calls, we go out and execute the two-minute drive and some big plays down the stretch by our guys. It was an outstanding flip of momentum.”

Skowronek’s touchdown was his second catch on the drive; on the other one, he turned a short pass into a 27-yard gain, the longest catch of the night, with some yards after the catch.

Skowronek was happy about his performance against the Boilers but he was by no means satisfied.

“It feels great (to have a big game), but you know, as an offense, I thought at times we left some plays on the field,” he said. “But overall, it’s great to get a Big Ten win. Clayton played great, the offensive line played great, and our defense played great. All around, I thought it was a good night.”

Just like they practiced.