Rapid Reaction: Northwestern dominates Colorado 41-7 in the last game on the lakefill
· Yahoo Sports
PURE DOMINATION.
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Northwestern (2-0) took care of Colorado (2-1) 41-7 in the last-ever game to be played on the lakefill. Short fields early and explosive plays in the second half were a recipe for success for the Wildcats, all while the rain was coming down throughout.
Aidan Chiles went 17-for-22 with 241 yards and three touchdowns, as well as two touchdowns on the ground. All of his three touchdown passes went to Joseph Himon II, who scored on all of his receptions and tallied 46 receiving yards. Northwestern’s defense benefitted from three first-half Colorado turnovers as the score quickly became lopsided.
Julian Lewis was 19-of-29 for 168 with one TD pass and two interceptions. Colorado did rush for 180 yards as a team and gained 348 total yards (Northwestern had 429 total), but it wasn’t enough.
Northwestern couldn’t get anything on its first drive, and neither could Colorado. The Wildcats’ next drive ended in a punt after a false start took away a fourth-and-one play. Micah Welch then fumbled the ball back to Northwestern, giving the Wildcats the ball in Buffalo territory. Ezomo Oratokhai went down with an injury and was carted off the field, but Northwestern got into the red zone quickly after a big Drew Wagner run. Two plays later, Chiles ran it in to put the Wildcats up 7-0. The first quarter ended with that score.
Colorado got into the red zone to start the second quarter, but the Buffaloes coughed up the football a second time, handing the ball right back to Northwestern as the rain began to fall. Joseph Himon II broke off for a massive run that was called back due to a hold, and then a false start halted the drive, forcing a ‘Cats punt.
After back-to-back flags on the Buffaloes, Braden Turner picked off Julian Lewis and ran it back into the red zone. On second down, Chiles found Himon II after a play-action fake for six, which extended the Northwestern lead to 14-0.
DeKalon Taylor got Colorado into Northwestern territory, but the Wildcats stopped the Buffaloes on fourth down to get the ball back. On a third-and-long, Chiles evaded defenders and found Griffin Wilde for a first down. Out of the two-minute timeout, Chiles scored his second touchdown of the game on the ground to put Northwestern up 21-0. The first half ended with the Wildcats holding the Buffaloes scoreless and Chiles accounting for all three Northwestern touchdowns.
To start the second half, Jaquail Smith flipped field position with a 35-yard run, but the Wildcats’ defense forced a turnover on downs with a Kobie McKinzie fourth-down-sack. Caleb Komolafe fumbled the ball back to Colorado though just a few plays later. The Buffaloes capitalized on the turnover as Julian Lewis dumped it off to Joseph Williams for a 50-yard touchdown.
Northwestern answered right back with a touchdown drive of its own, with Chiles finding Himon II for the pair’s second touchdown of the night and Chiles’ fourth total to take a 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter. On its next drive, Colorado was stopped on fourth down: the third time this game. The Wildcats got into a goal-to-go situation in two plays with a big gain from Wilde, with Chiles connecting with Himon II for the third time. Northwestern took a 35-7 lead with the offense looking better as the game progressed.
Colorado’s offense stalled once again and was forced to punt, giving NU the ball as the third quarter came to an end. The ‘Cats continued to gain chunk plays as the fourth began, but the drive stalled in the red zone. Northwestern did get a field goal out of it to extend its lead to 38-7.
The Buffaloes once again got to midfield, but Ore Adeyi picked off Lewis for Colorado’s fourth turnover of the game. Northwestern put in its second-stringers up 31, with Nicco Marchiol in at QB. The Wildcats added another three points to take a 41-7 lead. Colorado started to run the clock out when it got the ball back, making the late field goal the last score of the game.