Illinois State @ Northwestern preview
Ryan Field
Northwestern has been known for playing close games over the years.
And it looks like the Wildcats are already in midseason form, if their 23-21 victory at Vanderbilt in their opener is any indication.
Although Northwestern led the entire game, the outcome was still in doubt until late in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats stopped a two-point conversion that would have tied the game with 2:25 to play.
Northwestern took advantage of a controversial personal foul penalty called against Vanderbilt, allowing it to maintain possession of the ball and run out the clock.
The Wildcats benefited from a horrendous performance by Vanderbilt's special teams, which missed an extra point, came up short on a pair of two-point conversions and also missed a 48-yard field goal. The Commodores didn't play a very smart game, committing nine penalties for 91 yards.
A road win against a Southeastern Conference team on the road, however, signals a good start for the Wildcats, even if it wasn't a thing of beauty and the opponent made several mistakes.
Quarterback Dan Persa was the star of Northwestern's offense. He completed 19-of-21 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Persa was also the Wildcats' leading rusher with 82 yards on 17 carries, including a long run of 22 yards.
An overall inability to run the ball did create a problem. While the Wildcats rushed for 143 yards, well over half came from Persa. Establishing some type of ground game will be one of Northwestern's goals this week.
Illinois State, an FCS (1-AA) opponent, didn't have many dull moments in its 55-54 win over Division II Central Missouri in its opener.
Illinois State rallied with a late touchdown for the win. Trailing by seven, the Redbirds scored on quarterback Matt Brown's third touchdown pass, a 26-yarder to Corey Shandrick with 2:22 left. Illinois State lined up for a game-tying extra point, but decided to go for two after Central Missouri was offsides. Ashton Leggett ran in the conversion, giving the Redbirds the win.
Northwestern shouldn't have any problems with Illinois State's defense, which allowed 605 total yards and was picked apart by Central Missouri's passing game. Quarterback Eric Czerniewski completed 39-of-61 passes for 493 yards and five touchdowns.
Brown had a big day running Illinois State's offense. He threw for 303 yards while completing 24-of-31 passes. The Redbirds’ special teams also made an impact as Ben Ericksen returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.