Ramsey still perfect with Cats
NU off to 4- 0 start in Big Ten play for first time since ’ 96
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey took advantage of his expertise Saturday.
He used his nimble feet to evade pass rushers, remained poised under pressure and kept the Wildcats moving down the field. NU ( 4- 0, 4- 0 Big Ten) needed a solid performance from him and got it.
Ramsey, a graduate transfer from Indiana, made up for a stymied rushing attack by throwing for 212 yards and three touchdowns to lead the No. 23 Wildcats to a 27- 20 victory against Purdue.
‘‘ I don’t want to speak for him, but, man, it seems like he’s having a lot of fun,’’ said NU coach Pat Fitzgerald, who played on the last Wildcats team to start 4- 0 in Big Ten play in 1996. ‘‘ I don’t know what it looks like on TV, but on the boundary, this guy is awesome.’’
The Boilermakers have seen enough of Ramsey in the last two seasons. Last November, Ramsey threw for three touchdowns and ran for two others in Indiana’s overtime victory against Purdue.
This time, he was equally poised. Ramsey finished 23- for- 36 with one interception and hooked up with Ramaud Chiaokhiao- Bowman on all three of his touchdown passes. He also ran six times for 21 yards, routinely extending plays on his way to improving to 8- 4 as a starter in the last two seasons.
‘‘ That’s what he’s known for,’’ Boilermakers linebacker Derrick Barnes said, referring to Ramsey’s mobility. ‘‘ We have to do a better job against those types of quarterbacks.’’
NU’s defense was strong yet again. It held Purdue to two yards rushing and made two late stops to preserve the Wildcats’ fourth victory in as many games.
But Ramsey was the biggest key — right from the start.
His eight- yard touchdown pass on NU’s first possession ended Chiaokhiao- Bowman’s three- year scoring drought. After the teams traded field goals and Boilermakers quarterback Aidan O’Connell tossed a tying 40- yard touchdown pass to Garrett Miller on fourth- and- one, Ramsey went back to work.
He completed all seven passes on the ensuing drive, the last to Chiaokhiao- Bowman for an 18- yard touchdown that gave the Wildcats a 17- 10 halftime lead. Chiaokhiao-Bowman finished with eight catches for 86 yards, helping make up for a running game that managed only 80 yards on 40 carries.
‘‘ When Peyton made the decision to come here, he and Ramaud were in constant communication,’’ Fitzgerald said. ‘‘ That’s what older leaders do.’’
Ramsey cashed in again with a five- yard touchdown pass to Chiaokhiao- Bowman after NU recovered a fumble by O’Connell in the third quarter. And then he burned more than six minutes of clock time while setting up a 42- yard field goal by Charlie Kuhbander for a 27- 13 lead.
Purdue ( 2- 1, 2- 1) made it 27- 20 on a 14- yard touchdown pass from O’Connell to Milton Wright with 7: 35 left, but the Boilermakers never reached scoring territory again.
O’Connell was 28- for- 51 for 263 yards and two touchdowns, and Zander Horvath had nine catches for 100 yards for Purdue. David Bell had nine catches for 78 yards, stopping his school- record streak of consecutive 100- yard games at five.