Northwestern came out for its season opener with a new head coach, a new quarterback and a new defense. But the Wildcats still looked a lot like last they did last season.
The Wildcats extended their nation-high losing streak to 12 games with an ugly 24-7 loss to Rutgers on Sunday in Piscataway, N.J., that was much worse than the score might indicate.
Expectations were low for a Northwestern team that endured a hazing scandal and the loss of 17-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald, a program icon. They had an interim head coach in David Braun coaching his first game at any level on Sunday and were coming off of a disastrous 1-11 record that was the program’s worst in 33 years.
But no one expected the Wildcats to get dominated by a Rutgers team that also went 1-8 in Big Ten play last year and had almost as many question marks as Northwestern. Worse, Sunday’s drubbing offered little hope for the rest of the season.
Northwestern’s offense, which scored a Power Five-low 13.8 points per game last season, didn't score until 19 seconds were left in the game and generated just 201 total yards, including 12 rushing. They narrowly avoided what would have been the program's first shoutout loss since Oct. 26, 2019.
The defense couldn’t stop anything early as the Scarlet Knights scored on their first three possessions and built a 17-0 lead by the halfway point of the second quarter. The Wildcats eventually settled in and slowed the Knights down, but it was too little, too late.
It was a demoralizing performance in a game that Northwestern thought it had a reasonable chance of winning, even if they were 6.5-point underdogs.
Northwestern’s defense got off to a cold start on a hot day as Rutgers took the ball on the first drive and marched 75 yards on 16 plays for a touchdown. The Scarlet Knights’ drive included two fourth-down conversions and ate up 6:56 of the game clock. It resulted in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Wimsatt to Ian Strong, who got his left toe down in the back of the end zone on a play that was reversed by replay.
It was a sign of things to come, as Rutgers controlled the ball early and took command of the game.
The Wildcats’ first drive under grad transfer quarterback Ben Bryant consisted of five plays, all passes, two completions and one first down. It used all of 1:37 and gave the ball right back to Rutgers.
What did the Knights do with their second offensive opportunity? Put it on repeat. This time they drove 80 yards, again on 16 plays and again converting a fourth down. They cashed in with a Wimsatt 6-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 13:26 to go in the second quarter.
So after two drives, Rutgers ran 32 plays for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and had the ball for 15:08. That was unsustainable for NU’s defense on a sunny day with temperatures in the 80s.
Sensing the game was quickly getting away from him, Braun made his first gutsy decision, calling for a fake punt from his own 38-yard line, trailing by two scores. Punter Hunter Renner completed the pass to Rod Heard II, but he was stopped a yard short of the first-down marker.
Rutgers added a 32-yard Jai Patel field goal on the ensuing drive to make the score 17-0, but it was a victory for Northwestern’s defense, which stopped the Scarlet Knights short of the end zone for the first time.
Northwestern finally put together some semblance of an offensive drive, reaching the Rutgers 40. But there, a third-and-4 run by Cam Porter lost a yard. Braun decided to go for it on fourth down, but Bryant’s throw to AJ Henning fell incomplete.
The Wildcats forced the first Rutgers punt of the day late in the second quarter, but even that backfired on them. Bryant, under pressure, threw an interception to Max Melton that gave the Scarlet Knights the ball right back at the NU 28-yard line with 1:16 left.
Thankfully, Patel’s 38-yard field-goal attempt hit the right upright and bounced back, keeping the score 17-0 going into the half.
Northwestern’s offense had the ball just 8:16 in the first half, compared to 21:44 for Rutgers.
The Wildcat defense gave them a little bit of hope on both sides of halftime. While the first three Rutgers’ drives resulted in two touchdowns and a field goal, the Knights’ next three ended with two punts and a missed field goal on a drive that started deep in NU territory.
But Rutgers mounted another scoring march, and when Kevin Monongai scored on a 15-yard run with 4:05 left in the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights had a 24-0 lead and the game was effectively over.
Bryant’s first game as a Wildcat, after spending the last two years starting at both Eastern Michigan and Cincinnati, was a dud. He finished 20 of 39 passing for 169 yards and two interceptions. In his defense, he was under pressure most of the afternoon and was sacked five times. He also didn’t have a running game to support him, as Northwestern managed just 12 yards on 22 attempts, including sacks.
Bryant was relieved by backup Brendan Sullivan late in the fourth quarter, and he led the Wildcats on the touchdown drive, hitting freshman running back Caleb Komolafe on a one-yard touchdown pass. The Wildcats didn't get inside the red zone until less than a minute was left in the game.
Rutgers’ offensive numbers weren’t impressive, either – they had just 293 total yards – but they were efficient and did what they had to do early to put the game out of reach. Wimsatt went 17-of-29 passing for 163 yards and a touchdown.
It was a demoralizing debut for Braun and the Wildcats, who have a lot to work on before they take on UTEP in the home opener at Ryan Field next Saturday.
