Inside NU - Northwestern vs. Purdue Gameday CentralRoll Damn 'Catshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52532/insidenu_fav.png2016-11-14T10:47:13-06:00http://www.insidenu.com/rss/stream/133731232016-11-14T10:47:13-06:002016-11-14T10:47:13-06:00John Moten named Big Ten co-freshman of the week<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/B1Gfootball/status/798187738642214912">John Moten named Big Ten co-freshman of the&nbsp;week</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>Northwestern backup running back John Moten has been named Big Ten co-freshman of the week along with Iowa cornerback Manny Rugamba. Moten was impressive in his most extensive action this season versus Purdue, carrying the ball 16 times for 119 yards. He is the first Wildcat to win the award this season.</p></p></div>
https://www.insidenu.com/2016/11/14/13624724/john-moten-named-big-ten-co-freshman-of-the-weekZach Pereles2016-11-14T10:01:01-06:002016-11-14T10:01:01-06:00FILM: Northwestern’s run game opens up play-action, puts Purdue to rest
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Northwestern at Purdue" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OCYYIuArOEZ1k6yibL6-MWcHNMY=/0x0:2550x1700/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51819149/usa_today_9671120.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Once the Wildcats established dominance on the ground, it was over for the Boilermakers.</p> <p id="sXxTtl">It is often said that if you can’t stop the run, you can’t win football games. In the Big Ten, that maxim becomes especially true as teams batter you until the clock hits zero.</p>
<p id="H1ozw2">But for Northwestern, stopping the run is essential because the Wildcats have a dangerous play-action game led by a dual-threat quarterback and a bevy of players on the outside who can get open, especially in the right scheme. </p>
<p id="We039i">After a disjointed and disappointing first half, the Wildcats came out and utterly dominated. They scored touchdowns on their first four drives of the half and probably could have scored on every single drive of the half if they had wanted to.</p>
<p id="qbQF1L">But for the meaningful part of the second half — before Tom Hruby got carries on Veteran’s Day weekend and before Northwestern left West Lafayette with a convincing win — Northwestern pulled away. It all <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2016/11/12/13608742/northwestern-purdue-final-scores-stats-analysis-justin-jackson-john-moten-career-high-45-17">started with the first drive</a> of the second half and from there unfolded to utter dominance.</p>
<p id="S6LEfz">But how did Northwestern become unstoppable? You can point to Purdue’s ridiculous struggles in the second half — the Boilermakers have been outscored 114-17 in second halves in Gerad Parker’s four games as interim head coach — but you can also analyze the film to attain a better understanding of Mick McCall’s strategy.</p>
<p id="s6Pycm">The answer was simple: running the ball setting up easy play-action opportunities.</p>
<p id="rpyRGd"><em>NOTE: All video courtesy of the Big Ten Network.</em></p>
<h2 id="eoX5aW">Drive 1: Establish the run</h2>
<p id="oF4RFJ">After a pass-heavy first half, McCall smartly established the run on the opening drive of the second half. The Wildcats went 71 yards in seven plays, with 66 yards coming off five runs. Here are four of them:</p>
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<p id="bNfCAg">Each play is important. Northwestern shows the ability to gain chunks of yardage on both stretch runs — a staple of McCall’s system — but also up the middle. As Northwestern dominates up front up the middle and Purdue’s tackling ability falls apart on the outside, it becomes easier and easier to just pound the dilapidated Boilermaker defense.</p>
<p id="QYCmDi">But it also sets up the play-action pass, which Clayton Thorson took full advantage on the very next drive.</p>
<h2 id="PXihfZ">Drive 2: One play, seven points</h2>
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<p id="MvJ3kE">Garrett Dickerson is wide open on this play because Purdue had seen this type of play before — on the last drive, in fact — and been gashed by it. It’s the second play in the sequence of runs above. Here’s a look at them side-by-side.</p>
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<p id="I6DHwB">They are two completely different plays, but they have very similar set ups. At half speed, the offensive line movement looks very similar. It’s easy to see how the Purdue defense would be confused.</p>
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<p id="cdi80A">Notice how in both clips, Northwestern pulls an interior lineman around to the right, acting as a lead blocker for the running back. In one case he gets the ball, in the other, he doesn’t. That puts Purdue linebackers Jimmy Herman (No. 29) and Markus Bailey (No. 21) in big, big trouble.</p>
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<p id="85oh5K">It’s not as if Dickerson’s the fastest guy on Earth. Here, McCall dials up a great play. But this great play only works if the Moten stretch run works on the previous drive. It did, so Purdue had to expect the run on this similar-looking play. That reaction resulted in one of the easiest pitch-and-catches Thorson and Dickerson will enjoy all year.</p>
<p id="k4BWQ7">The floodgates were opened not by this play, but by the success of a simple stretch run. When Northwestern can execute run plays, it can find success downfield, a key piece of keeping a balanced and successful offense churning out yardage like it did against Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana in October and Purdue in the second week of November.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2016/11/14/13619294/film-northwestern-run-game-opens-up-play-action-puts-purdue-to-rest-thorson-jacksonZach Pereles2016-11-14T08:03:01-06:002016-11-14T08:03:01-06:00Player grades from Northwestern’s 45-17 win over Purdue
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<figcaption>Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Jackson, Moten IV and Hartage lead the pack</p> <p id="nER2IY"><em>Every week after a Northwestern win or loss, we'll be handing out player grades as a way to analyze the Wildcats' performance from an individual perspective. Rather than rush out the grades on Saturday, we'll sleep on them, and wake up ready to accurately evaluate NU's players, coaches and opponents.</em></p>
<p id="rXhuLs"><em>After a slow start, Northwestern dominated a hapless Purdue team, leaving Ross-Ade Stadium with a resounding 45-17 win. The Wildcats put up over 600 yards of offense and forced four Purdue turnovers, meaning high marks for (almost) everyone.</em></p>
<h2 id="64KNYw">Clayton Thorson: B+</h2>
<p id="kQqCsd"><em>23 of 36, 356 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions; 1 rush, 2 yards, 1 touchdown</em></p>
<p id="Bt2lOn">Clayton Thorson set a career high in yards and was responsible for four touchdowns. How, then, could we give him anything other than an A? Well, for starters, his two first-half picks were very ugly. On the first, the sophomore signal caller missed his man high and wide for an easy pick that led to Purdue’s first touchdown. On his second pick, he stared down Austin Carr, and the pass never had a chance. Even worse, it happened in the red zone and cost Northwestern a chance to extend its lead near the end of a rough first half.</p>
<p id="tmSoWA">Still, Thorson was outstanding the rest of the game and usually took what the defense gave him. He completed over 60 percent of his passes and spread the ball around to nine different receivers. He did a solid job getting off his primary route when he had time to, and he didn’t take a single sack.</p>
<h2 id="x5sKUi">Justin Jackson/John Moten IV: A</h2>
<p id="AtUmRr"><em>Jackson: 22 rushes, 127 yards, 2 touchdowns; 1 reception, 8 yards</em></p>
<p id="hKcS0D"><em>Moten: 19 rushes, 116 yards; 1 reception, 20 yards</em></p>
<p id="fD8aso">Against an atrocious Purdue run defense, both Jackson and Moten were fantastic. Jackson was his usual patient self, picking his spots wisely and ripping off chunks of yardage as the margin began to widen. He’s not 100 percent — both he and Pat Fitzgerald admitted as much — but he looked good and took advantage of what the defense game him. He was also afforded basically all of the fourth quarter off thanks to the big lead and the emergence of Moten IV. The talented redshirt freshman showed his great speed and cutback ability, and if not for several plays that ended in shoestring tackles, he would have had his first career score. The future of the running back room looks bright.</p>
<h2 id="2zmNdq">Austin Carr: A</h2>
<p id="mDr24H"><em>5 receptions, 92 yards, 2 touchdowns</em></p>
<p id="wcJ9Qf">Next.</p>
<h2 id="gar4uK">Andrew Scanlan: A-</h2>
<p id="BSAjBP"><em>5 receptions, 78 yards</em></p>
<p id="syjBrl">Scanlan continues his ascent in this offense, setting a career high in yards. He’s stronger than most opponents’ defensive backs, and it shows when he’s able to break tackles to turn short throws into big gains.</p>
<h2 id="IfgKUU">Anthony Walker: B+</h2>
<p id="4lnSep"><em>12 tackles, 1 interception, 17 return yards</em></p>
<p id="Vv9Bo3">The Franchise posted double digit tackles and added his first interception of the year. The Wildcats threw a lot of different schemes at the Boilermakers, so Walker had to play a lot of coverage against a team that like to air it out, and that’s not exactly his strong suit, but he was solid regardless. He also made some tackles on special teams — the fact that he has to play in this aspect is concerning, but his play there was solid.</p>
<h2 id="5Bi7AP">Montre Hartage: A-</h2>
<p id="39kSWB"><em>1 tackle, 2 interceptions, 4 return yards, 2 pass breakups</em></p>
<p id="lf5lTm">Hartage was fantastic after a bit of a slow start. DeAngelo Yancey used his size/speed/strength combination to get space for some first-quarter catches, but he was severely limited after that thanks to Hartage, who was physical at the line for much of the game. His first interception was outstanding; he simply beat Yancey to the spot and the ball. The second one was a poor throw from David Blough. The true sophomore also added two passes defended. It was a solid game for Northwestern’s top corner.</p>
<h2 id="80qdqY">Brett Walsh: B+</h2>
<p id="3XHXwO"><em>9 tackles</em></p>
<p id="fnw9Dl">Walsh once again racked up a lot of tackles in the place of injured starter Jaylen Prater, but in this game he looked much more comfortable and got off blocks much quicker. Given, playing Purdue is nowhere near like playing Wisconsin, but it was still a nice game from Walsh in his second career start.</p>
<h2 id="o7eArl">Joe Gaziano/Trent Goens/Alex Miller: A-</h2>
<p id="y1LJY3"><em>Gaziano: 2 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks</em></p>
<p id="j4hjZx"><em>Goens: 1 interception, 23 return yards</em></p>
<p id="jSYJeU"><em>Miller: 3 tackles</em></p>
<p id="DZ7X4W">The group of freshmen defensive linemen (Gaziano and Goens redshirt, Miller true) played very solidly and show a bright future for the position as a whole. Gaziano was a wrecking ball and collected two sacks. Miller had a ewf important tackles, including one on a play in which it looked like Blough would escape the pocket and run for considerable yardage. Goens collected an interception after dropping into coverage and thoroughly fooling Purdue backup Elijah Sindelar.</p>
<h2 id="XXdU60">Mike Hankwitz and Mick McCall: A</h2>
<p id="r7NxPA">McCall was aggressive at times but also didn’t stray away from his running game, which was refreshing. At times, it’s seemed like McCall wanted to put the weight of the comeback effort on Thorson’s shoulders and Thorson’s shoulders alone. Instead, he remained committed to the run and it paid dividends.</p>
<p id="7NibI1">Against an explosive Purdue attack, Hankwitz chose to play a variety of coverages and it worked with great success. When Northwestern manufactures pressure with just four pass rushers, Hankwitz is a wizard on the backend.</p>
<h2 id="asA4w4">Pat Fitzgerald: B+</h2>
<p id="5Dtmnf">The way Northwestern started this football game was unacceptable, but the adjustments made after halftime were impressive. Northwestern cannot get off to bad starts like these against better teams — the head coach himself noted that in his press conference notes — but whatever he changed at halftime clearly did the trick.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2016/11/14/13611786/northwestern-purdue-fotbball-score-2016-clayton-thorson-justin-jackson-john-moten-anthony-walker-jrZach Pereles2016-11-12T20:47:30-06:002016-11-12T20:47:30-06:00On the Turf: NU demolishes Purdue 45-17
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<p>Zach Pereles and Will Ragatz discuss the big Wildcat win.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2016/11/12/13611868/northwesterns-purdue-final-score-football-big-ten-analysis-zach-pereles-will-ragatzZach Pereles2016-11-12T16:36:46-06:002016-11-12T16:36:46-06:00Northwestern-Purdue postgame press conference notes
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<figcaption>Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Fitzgerald and his players were happy to get back on track.</p> <h1 id="5Tqd6a">Pat Fitzgerald</h1>
<ul>
<li id="Ss3ptQ">On the start of the game: “Didn’t start the way we wanted to obviously and you have to credit Purdue for that. We knew we were going to get a fast start from them and obviously we turned the ball over on a fourth down situation and to not pick them up defensively on a fourth down situation was a bit disappointing.”</li>
<li id="WyqktT">On the offense: “Pretty good balance offensively, 253 rushing and 350 passing was great from a balance standpoint. I thought we made some really big plays, especially as the game went on”</li>
<li id="fwT186">On the second half outburst: “I thought our response in the second half was exactly what we needed to put the game away.” </li>
<li id="E01TCm">On Tom Hruby: “This was the first game he was healthy to play in and my hope was it would go down this way. Not trying to do anything negative towards Purdue, just really trying to do something for an American Hero. Tom Hruby is truly what our country is all about.”</li>
<li id="uDG2TQ">On Purdue’s lack of defensive depth: “The depth is an issue for Purdue, especially when you see a couple of their defensive starters out today. Saw them in street clothes pre-game and you just feel for those guys.”</li>
<li id="SKqewE">On the four turnovers: “We haven’t done a very good job taking the ball away the last few games, especially against Wisconsin. What I saw today was that with the amount of passing we were going to see, that getting tips and getting picks was going to be really important and we were able to do that.” </li>
<li id="OW2dmL">On Austin Carr tying D’Wayne Bates’ single season record: “We saw signs in spring ball and camp. The maturity of Clayton this year too, knowing the system, much more confident in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it and you saw that today” </li>
<li id="7QBlan">On the improved run game: “We couldn’t run the ball the length of our nose a week ago. Today we were balanced. We go as our offensive line goes and that’s what I challenged them about on Thursday.”</li>
<li id="9edBRS">On Minnesota: “They’ve got an outstanding front seven, so we’ll have our hands full, but we’re going to enjoy tonight.”</li>
<li id="qkxBMk">Fitzgerald also lauded Austin Carr about how far he’s developed due to his hard work throughout his entire career. He added “it’s absolutely great to see that kind of success” for a player like Carr.</li>
<li id="fDywyM">On the Garrett Dickerson TD: “All year we had not been great creating turnovers, and then scoring touchdowns. Our points off of turnovers was very low and I think today was one of the high points.” </li>
<li id="a59ejj">On the possible bowl berth: “At the end of the day we have to find a way to get ourselves into the postseason. If you had watched us earlier in the year we we’re a very good football team, we had to make some changes and I think the guys are responding. We’ve got to find a way to go 1-0 again.” </li>
<li id="TDtZVB">On John Moten IV: A lot of growth (for John Moten) absolutely. I’m really proud of his work. With the ball in his hand he’s pretty good, but it’s when the ball isn’t in your hand, a thing called being a running back, that’s the same maturation that Justin went through.”</li>
<li id="7ejHpM">Fitz also mentioned that Justin Jackson has been banged up over the last couple of weeks and having John Moten there for depth has been very important.</li>
<li id="R20njS">Fitz also joked that he almost broke my sixth headphone of the year when Purdue scored a long touchdown in the third quarter. Said “that’s who we are, we do fun things to keep things exciting.”</li>
<li id="cR4cOv">On the slow starts: “I guess we just feel better playing from behind I guess? But we’re not emphasizing it enough as coaches. We were trying to be aggressive today.”</li>
</ul>
<h1 id="sSQwcp">Justin Jackson</h1>
<ul>
<li id="laKJJ8">On the win: “The last two games we came up short, we definitely needed this game. This was the start of a three game playoff for us”</li>
<li id="Zf0kYx">On the second half turnaround: “We just made plays, we had a lot of great calls, the play that Garrett scored on, great call. We didn’t get complacent like we did against Indiana, we just kept playing and kept going and we really wanted to have a statement game”</li>
<li id="qmD1j7">On the bumps and bruises: “I’m a little banged up, but just tried to stay in the training room last week and it was pretty cool to have another guy come in and take some reps away from me.” </li>
</ul>
<h1 id="fwsFUa">Austin Carr and Clayton Thorson</h1>
<ul>
<li id="H9U1fE">Austin Carr started by saying that D’Wayne Bates was truly one of the greats and that he’d love to meet him at some point. </li>
<li id="oqur48">Thorson on what went well: “Receivers were getting open, and the o-line was going well so I had a lot of time back there. There were only one or two times where I was rushed to make a throw.”</li>
<li id="TImPW9">Thorson on the Garrett Dickerson TD: “I think some of the linebackers came down for play action and the safeties were wide and he was just wide open.”</li>
<li id="gcQWNE">Thorson on the Fourth quarter fun: “It’s nice to see some of those guys play, like Tom Hruby. It was fun to watch.”</li>
<li id="OGPoxz">Carr on a potential bowl game: “Huge motivator I’d say, we viewed these last three games as a three game playoff. Focusing on the first game and it was just about going 1-0. So one down, two to go and we want to win out, we want to get a quality bowl game.”</li>
</ul>
<h1 id="wuRWBg">Anthony Walker and Montre Hartage</h1>
<ul>
<li id="C2tmTf">Walker on his interception: “I just played the defense that Coach Hank called, I went back to my position and good things happen when you’re in position.”</li>
<li id="NVN6t1">Hartage on his interceptions: “The first one I jumped the route and made a great play on it, the second one the guy ran a comeback route and I was just blessed to catch that.”</li>
<li id="w54Zz3">Walker on the four turnovers: “The defense playing together as one, if everybody gets back to their position then the turnovers will come. You get tired of coach Fitz yelling at you in practice.”</li>
</ul>
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https://www.insidenu.com/2016/11/12/13609946/northwestern-purdue-postgame-press-conference-notes-pat-fitzgerald-clayton-thorson-austin-carrIan McCafferty2016-11-12T16:30:00-06:002016-11-12T16:30:00-06:00Northwestern gets back to basics in second half to dominate Purdue
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Northwestern at Purdue" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/H2mwmNgqXVZRa29EFlpuzfdTLGQ=/0x450:2238x1942/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51804345/usa_today_9671111.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Wildcats grounded and pounded and converted four turnovers into 17 points on their way to lock up a victory.</p> <p id="WIwjCt">The noon, half-full black and gold setting was dreary. The outlook was even worse.</p>
<p id="PN5KVU">Northwestern was down 10-0 to a Purdue team that hadn’t led by double digits since Halloween 2015. Having allowed an 11-play, 61-yard scoring drive to start the game down 3-0, the Wildcats fell had fallen further behind after a brutal interception from Clayton Thorson that led to a short Boilermaker touchdown.</p>
<p id="xNAlQg">Wake-up call.</p>
<p id="q1pk1L">The Wildcats, as they have all year, responded, but this time it was the defense leading the way. Montre Hartage came away with his third pick of the year, stepping in front of Purdue standout receiver DeAngelo Yancey to put the offense in business. Four plays later, Northwestern found itself on the board, courtesy of a Clayton Thorson pass to a somehow wide open Austin Carr. Two drives later, the Wildcat defense once again stood tall on fourth down, and Northwestern took the lead on the ensuing drive with Carr breaking open deep.</p>
<p id="OvCq7l">Still, it wasn’t quite the full response we’d seen Thorson pull off throughout the season. With a chance to really take control versus a clearly inferior opponent, Thorson instead threw a second ugly pick. Staring down Austin Carr on a 3rd-and-goal, Thorson was completely oblivious to Purdue’s Markus Bailey sitting on the route. After an ugly, underachieving half, the Wildcats led 14-10, but they were far from in control in West Lafayette.</p>
<p id="c5ecuG">Coming out of halftime, the message was clear: Dominate.</p>
<p id="PkywaV">And the way the Wildcats would do that would be on the ground, where Purdue’s defense is among the worst in the nation. After throwing 26 times and running it just 14 times in the first half, Mick McCall dialed up runs on five of the next seven plays as the offense marched 71 yards down the field for a score. The ground game — a combination of Justin Jackson and John Moten IV — accounted for 66 of those yards.</p>
<p id="fuUf9Z">“I think we liked a lot of our run game in the first half,” Jackson said. “We went back to some base stuff too, and it just came down to executing (in the second half).”</p>
<p id="7YUzdN">For the first time, Northwestern was in control, up 21-10. The Boilermakers never got any closer. Even after a long Purdue touchdown pass brought the hosts to within 28-17, the WIldcats squashed any hopes of a comeback Gerad Parker’s team may have had in mind, dominating up front during a seven-play, 74-yard drive that culminated in a Thorson touchdown. The sophomore gunslinger walked into the end zone on a keeper from two yards away. Especially after a poor performance against a very good Wisconsin team, it was encouraging to see the offensive line dominate in the second half: Of Northwestern’s 253 rushing yards, 125 came in the third quarter where Northwestern essentially put this one to bed.</p>
<p id="1VizuJ">“We couldn’t run the ball the length of our nose a week ago,” Pat Fitzgerald said. “We go as our offensive line goes, and that’s what I challenged them with on Thursday. This is Big Ten football. You’ve gotta win the game up front... I thought that group really responded well today.”</p>
<p id="GyTwTd">But it wasn’t just the offense, which racked up 603 total yards by simply playing dominant, balanced football in the second half. The defense, ravaged by injuries in the secondary, held David Blough, the Big Ten’s leading passer yardage-wise, to 184 yards on 36 attempts. And after giving up nearly 400 yards combined on the ground the last two weeks, the Wildcats held the Boilermakers to 130 yards on 32 attempts, an average of only about 4 yards per carry.</p>
<p id="cANKSt">But most importantly, after two weeks of zero forced turnovers, the Wildcats produced four: Montre Hartage twice and Anthony Walker and Trent Goens once each. The Wildcats interchanged a ton of different coverages against the talented but mistake-prone Blough.</p>
<p id="1bNXk1">Walker pointed to “the defense playing together as one” as the main reason behind the takeaways.</p>
<p id="gRe92H">“If everybody’s getting back to their position, opportunities will come. You get tired of Coach Fitz yelling at you at practice about getting turnovers,” Walker said.</p>
<p id="Zh3G7H">No sequence was more representative of the second half as a whole than Purdue’s first drive after halftime when Walker’s interception was immediately followed by a 42-yard strike to a streaking Garrett Dickerson down the seam, Northwestern’s second touchdown in a span of one minute and 21 seconds.</p>
<p id="1lQlHy">“I think it was really important (to capitalize),” Fitzgerald said. “All year, we had not been great creating turnovers and then scoring touchdowns. Our points off of turnovers was very low, and I think today was one of our highest outputs, so that was a great thing to see.”</p>
<p id="PIJ5A2">As Northwestern progresses through what Austin Carr described as a “three-game playoff” coming into today, it will need to continue to do the basic things right: Run the ball, mix in big pass plays and create turnovers.</p>
<p id="FoAwRo">In the second half, the Wildcats did just that.</p>
<p id="9uD54C">And they were dominant.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2016/11/12/13608742/northwestern-purdue-final-scores-stats-analysis-justin-jackson-john-moten-career-high-45-17Zach Pereles2016-11-12T14:07:14-06:002016-11-12T14:07:14-06:00RAPID REACTION: Thorson sets career high, Wildcats demolish Purdue 45-17
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Northwestern at Purdue" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/R3sf_73Z-iljyms2mdbyB1r338g=/0x0:3300x2200/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51803421/usa_today_9671116.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Wildcats’ high-powered offense was too much for the Boilermakers</p> <p id="JoQLcw">LAFAYETTE, IN -- Never in doubt.</p>
<p id="2tuz7P">The Northwestern Wildcats started slowly against the Purdue Boilermakers, but a huge second half on the ground, a career day from Clayton Thorson and four turnovers forced allowed Northwestern to coast to an easy 45-17 victory. </p>
<p id="IQj9vX">The game got off to an uninspiring start for the Wildcats, as they allowed an 11-play, 61-yard drive and a field goal to give Purdue the early 3-0 lead. The drive was highlighted by a couple of big connections from David Blough to DeAngelo Yancey.</p>
<p id="OpUoM7">The Northwestern offense responded almost immediately with a 31 yard catch and run to Andrew Scanlan, but the drive stalled at the Purdue 26. Then, when Northwestern decided to go for it on fourth down, Clayton Thorson badly overthrew his receiver and it landed right into the hands of defensive back C.J. Parker.</p>
<p id="oDoPNE">After Parker returned the pick to the Northwestern 33, Purdue pounded the ball up the middle with running back Markell Jones and David Blough on the option. Blough scored on a one yard rush on fourth and goal to extend the lead to 10-0. It was just about the worst possible start Northwestern could have had and forced the visitors to begin yet another comeback.</p>
<p id="hItgh0">Unlike most of the season, though, the defense would be the ones to get the comeback started. After a Northwestern punt, Montre Hartage picked off an errant pass from Blough on third-and-7, and the Wildcats were in business. A few plays later Northwestern was in the endzone on a two yard pass to Austin Carr. It was Carr’s 11th TD of the season, tying him for second all-time in single season Northwestern history with Jeremy Ebert in 2011.</p>
<p id="t3Oli4">After forcing a turnover to set up the touchdown, the defense did its best to keep the defect at three, forcing a Purdue punt from around midfield. Northwestern offense promptly went three-and-out though and a Hunter Niswander shank gave Purdue great field position at the NU 34. Purdue simply refused the Wildcat gift, quickly going four-and-out and turning it over on downs. </p>
<p id="9giw5z">After a relatively slow start, the offense finally picked it up midway through the second quarter. Northwestern went 74 yards in eight plays and ended the drive with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Carr. It was Carr’s second TD of the game and 12th TD of the year tying him with D’Wayne Bates for the school record. Despite the early 10-0 deficit, Northwestern had a 14-10 lead. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Austin Carr ties the <a href="https://twitter.com/NUFBFamily">@NUFBFamily</a> record for TD catches in a season with # 12. More video >> <a href="https://t.co/Afb2pFbefb">https://t.co/Afb2pFbefb</a> <a href="https://t.co/tbs2PGbCEq">https://t.co/tbs2PGbCEq</a></p>— Northwestern On BTN (@NUOnBTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/NUOnBTN/status/797499978205700096">November 12, 2016</a>
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<p id="Vm5l2q">Purdue punted on its next possession, but Northwestern squandered a scoring opportunity as Clayton Thorson threw an interception in the redzone. Thorson stared down Carr and threw it into double coverage, allowing Markus Bailey to jump the route and pick it off at the Purdue six yard line. It was Thorson’s second interception of the day. </p>
<p id="6YW2Ax">The Boilermakers managed to get out of the shadow of their own endzone, but not much farther as they were forced to punt from their own 40. Northwestern was pinned on its own 13, but couldn’t run a effective enough two minute drill to get any points before the half. The start was not good, but Northwestern managed to take a 14-10 lead into the halftime locker room. </p>
<p id="VXY81f">Northwestern came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders. On the backs of Justin Jackson and John Moten IV, Northwestern marched down the field going 71 plays in seven plays and finishing it off with a 14-yard touchdown from Jackson. It was exactly what the Wildcats needed to start the half, and it extended their lead to 11. </p>
<p id="IYT9mv">It only got worse for the Boilermakers from there. After Anthony Walker picked off David Blough at midfield, the offense showed it quick strike capability with a 42 yard touchdown to Garrett Dickerson up the seam. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">QUICK STRIKE! <a href="https://twitter.com/NUFBFamily">@NUFBFamily</a> scores on the first play of the drive. More video >> <a href="https://t.co/Afb2pFbefb">https://t.co/Afb2pFbefb</a> <a href="https://t.co/y7UvzfE088">https://t.co/y7UvzfE088</a></p>— Northwestern On BTN (@NUOnBTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/NUOnBTN/status/797514550794809344">November 12, 2016</a>
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<p id="kjRk5b">The Dickerson score made it 28-10, but the drama wasn’t over yet. Purdue answered with a long touchdown of its own, a 49 yard pass to Bilal Marshall, to keep the deficit at 11. Marshall simply got behind the coverage and was wide open for an easy score.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Catch was strong, reach made it stronger. Also made it a <a href="https://twitter.com/BoilerFootball">@BoilerFootball</a> TD. More video >> <a href="https://t.co/ZaggsVKbxt">https://t.co/ZaggsVKbxt</a> <a href="https://t.co/5EwMxTyybp">https://t.co/5EwMxTyybp</a></p>— Purdue On BTN (@PurdueOnBTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/PurdueOnBTN/status/797516290088833024">November 12, 2016</a>
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<p id="q63JJs">Still, it was becoming obvious that the visitors would not be stopped. Northwestern quickly drove 74 yards down the field, punching it in on a two yard run from Thorson. The drive was only 2:22 and just seven minutes into the quarter, it was the fourth touchdown scored. It was also Thorson’s fourth score of the day.</p>
<p id="bO0AtE">The action slowed a bit when Purdue had a long drive that wound up ending in a punt, but Northwestern came right back down the field. The Wildcats executed a perfect nine-play, 91-yard drive capping it off with an easy nine yard rushing touchdown from Justin Jackson. </p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's <a href="https://twitter.com/NUFBFamily">@NUFBFamily</a> again as Justin Jackson takes it in again. More video >> <a href="https://t.co/Afb2pFbefb">https://t.co/Afb2pFbefb</a> <a href="https://t.co/uxO7GUdyuR">https://t.co/uxO7GUdyuR</a></p>— Northwestern On BTN (@NUOnBTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/NUOnBTN/status/797523112300449792">November 12, 2016</a>
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<p id="rk4dWl">Blough came back with yet another interception, his third of the day, and at this point things got ugly. Northwestern drove down the field and Jack Mitchell kicked a 23 yard field goal to extend the lead to 45-17 Northwestern. Purdue brought in a new quarterback, Elijah Sindelar, but it didn’t matter as he was immediately picked off by Trent Goens. At this point Northwestern brought in the bench mob, and tried to get veteran Tom Hruby the touchdown. Unfortunately Hruby wasn’t able to punch it in and Northwestern turned it over on downs. </p>
<p id="4NzedB">Purdue managed to drive out of its own endzone and cross midfield, but it was to no avail as the offense was unable to get points. Northwestern got the ball back and just knelt on it completing its domination of the Boilermakers and winning 45-17.</p>
<h1 id="yfyyJa">Takeaways</h1>
<ul>
<li id="bBQWiC">Clayton Thorson had a couple of shaky throws early on in the first half, but overall had another great game. Thorson set career high numbers across the board finishing 23-36 for 352 yards and 3 TDs. He still has troubles with staring down receivers and Purdue’s defense is pretty bad, but either way it was a great day from the quarterback. </li>
<li id="lF775J">The defense continues to be a bit leaky against both the run and the pass. Some timely sacks helped minimize the damage, but Purdue was able to move the ball most of the day. However, David Blough threw three interceptions which basically negated anything that Purdue was able to do. </li>
<li id="xvdhzG">One of the surprises of the game was the play of John Moten IV. Moten ran for a career high 119 yards on 16 carriers. He showed his strength and explosiveness throughout the game as he broke off more than one big run against the Purdue defense. </li>
<li id="L2GShB">Offensive balance was much better in the second half. After throwing the ball 27 times in the first half and only running it 18 times, the strategy flipped as they ran the ball 26 times to 10 passes. While much of that has to do with the amount of garbage time in the fourth quarter, it was still trending this way before that. </li>
</ul>
https://www.insidenu.com/2016/11/12/13608690/northwestern-purdue-final-score-stats-recap-clayton-thorson-austin-carr-justin-jacksonIan McCafferty