NU strikes late again
They had a questionable game plan on offense and a defense that backslid into hands-off mode.
The quarterback and the top big-play receiver looked like they were reading different playbooks. The star running back got hurt and removed himself with his team down 10 points.
After the game's first series, it was Northwestern, not Nevada, that looked like a team that had practiced Friday at 6 a.m., flown 2,000 miles and missed the walk-through because its plane was delayed. The Wildcats couldn't fall on fumbles or get cleat-in-the-throat first downs.
But when Northwestern took the field trailing 31-27, with 80 yards to negotiate and no timeouts, the victory, somehow, seemed in the bag. Nevada had every advantage, but Northwestern had history on its side.
The Wildcats added another last-minute thriller to their video library Saturday, stunning Nevada 36-31 at Ryan Field. Quarterback C.J. Bacher found a diving Ross Lane for a 13-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left, preserving Northwestern's record (2-0) and its reputation for late-game heroics.
"We really haven't had any close victories in the past, I don't know, 16 games," Bacher said. "You really find who you are when you have to respond to adversity. We definitely had adversity today."
Northwestern trailed 24-10 at halftime after Nevada's Nick Graziano found an unattended Kyle Sammons on a 48-yard Hail Mary as the first-half clock expired.
The Wildcats' defense, coming off its first shutout in a decade, hemorrhaged for 337 yards in the half. Northwestern's offense had six times as many pass attempts (30) as rushes by running backs (5), despite facing a Nevada defense that had allowed 413 rushing yards the week before against Nebraska.
"A lot of emotions," defensive tackle Adam Hahn said of the halftime locker room, "but none of it was negative."
Negativity swept Ryan Field after Northwestern came up short on fourth-and-1 with 2:04 left. One more stop seemed unlikely for a defense that had caved moments earlier, allowing an easy 27-yard Luke Lippincott touchdown run.
But Northwestern somehow held, sending the offense out for one final drive with 1:12 remaining.
After looking shaky for 59 minutes, Bacher suddenly locked in, finding Kim Thompson for a 23-yard gain. Not known for his foot speed, the junior scrambled for 20 yards and 15 yards, reaching the Nevada 13.
Then Bacher and Lane, oil and water for the entire contest, connected for the game-winner.
"They were going in Cover-4, and the philosophy of Cover 4 is that field safety has got to take (the No. 2 receiver)," said Bacher, who completed 20 of 45 passes for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns. "Ross had to beat that guy, it was 1-on-1 coverage, and he did."
The touchdown ruined a solid effort by Nevada (0-2), which outgained Northwestern 541-431 and held the ball for 34:15.
"When you are a minute away from winning the ballgame, you have to win," Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault said. "You don't let a team drive 80 yards."
NU rallied in the second half without running back Tyrell Sutton, who left the game in the second quarter with a right ankle injury. Reserve Brandon Roberson turned in a career performance (128 rushing yards), though the running backs got only 18 carries.