WILDCATS’ COMEBACK FALLS SHORT
Safety in last minute ends Northwestern’s comeback chances
Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. — What looked like another second- half runaway turned into a nail- biting final few minutes for No. 10 Wisconsin.
But the Badgers’ defense caught its breath and came up with one more big play.
Jonathan Taylor ran for two touchdowns to help the offense overcome a sluggish start, and Wisconsin swarmed Northwestern before holding on for a 33- 24 victory Saturday.
‘‘ We knew it was going to be a hard one,’’ Badgers coach Paul Chryst said. ‘‘ There [ are] a lot of lessons to be learned in this one.’’
Alex Hornibrook threw for 197 yards and a touchdown, settling down after two interceptions on deep balls in the first half. Garrett Dooley had three of Wisconsin’s eight sacks.
The Badgers ( 4- 0, 1- 0 Big Ten) led 31- 10 with 9: 54 left after safety Natrell Jamerson’s 36- yard interception return for a touchdown. It looked good for Wisconsin at that point because its defense hadn’t allowed any second- half points all season.
But the Wildcats ( 2- 2, 0- 1) finally got their offense going, scoring two quick touchdowns to close the gap to 31- 24. The Badgers then went three- and- out, but Anthony Lotti’s perfect pooch punt was downed by Jamerson at Northwestern’s 2.
Two plays later, Wildcats quarterback Clayton Thorson couldn’t find a receiver out of the end zone and was sacked by D’Cota Dixon for a safety with 58 seconds left.
‘‘ I was a little shocked,’’ Dixon said about how long Thorson held on to the ball.
The mobile Thorson was outside the pocket, where he can do damage. Unfortunately, he was working from his own end zone.
‘‘ There [ are] no ifs, ands or buts about it,’’ Thorson said. ‘‘ I’ve got to throw it away.’’
Northwestern’s fourth- quarter flurry overshadowed what was an otherwise- dominating day for Wisconsin’s defense. Jamerson finished with two interceptions, the Badgers’ front seven applied withering pressure most of the afternoon and Wildcats running back Justin Jackson was held to 25 yards on nine carries.
The takeaway
Northwestern: Things looked good for the Wildcats, who led 10- 7 at halftime, but momentum changed in the third quarter. Their offensive line couldn’t pick up Wisconsin’s pressure, their running game was bottled up for minus- 10 yards in the quarter and their defense got burned by big plays.
‘‘ It was a combination of our protection, it was a combination of our throwing, it was a combination of our [ play] calls,’’ coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ‘‘ Credit Wisconsin. They did a nice job.’’
Wisconsin: Coordinator Jim Leonhard spiced up his defense just in time for Big Ten play, throwing different stunts and looks at Northwestern to get to Thorson for three sacks in the pivotal third quarter. The secondary was active all afternoon, breaking up short timing patterns.
Chryst said both sides of the ball could have prevented the late letdown. Dixon said he thought the defense might have relaxed a little after the Badgers went ahead by 21.
‘‘ We got a little bit too lax,’’ Dixon said. ‘‘ That was the only thing I was disappointed about.’’