Northwestern bounces back to rout Western Illinois, 42-7

EVANSTON-Northwesterns 42-7 demolition of an overmatched Western Illinois squad from the FCS doesnt erase last weeks dismal season-opening loss to Tulane.

But the Friday night romp at Martin Stadium allowed the Wildcats to build some confidence for next Saturday, when No.

6 Oregon comes to town.

Quarterback Preston Stone, who turned the ball over five times in the 20-3 loss to Tulane in his Northwestern debut, was a completely different player against the Leathernecks.

Facing little pressure, he was an efficient 21-of-29 for 245 yards and three touchdowns, without an interception.

The Wildcats offense, so stagnant against the Green Wave, exploded for 526 yards, the first time they cracked 500 yards under offensive coordinator Zach Lujan.

The defense, which surrendered 269 yards rushing a week ago, limited the Leathernecks to less than 200 total yards and lost a shutout with just 2:47 left in the game.

They had a remarkable eight PBU and came up with their first turnover of the season.

It wasnt a perfect day, and you have to take an emphatic win over an FCS team with a grain of salt No.

11 Illinois throttled Western, 52-3, in the season opener.

But it was still a dominant performance that you dont see very often in Evanston, regardless of the opponent.

Head coach David Braun doesnt care if the win came at the expense of an FCS opponent.

As he said after the game, Im pretty sure this program has lost to FCS teams before, referencing the three losses to lower-division opponents since 2006.

Hes happy that his team showed some toughness and proved that they could do it in the arena after failing so miserably last week.

Toughness doesnt show up when its 72 and sunny, he said.

It shows up when adversity hits...

Adversity hit us last week.

The difference between Week 1 and Week 2 was evident right off the bat.

Instead of trailing 20-3 at halftime, this time the Wildcats held a 22-0 advantage at the break after racking up 277 yards.

Cam Porter, who had six carries for 46 yards down in New Orleans, got four carries on the first drive and scooted 43 yards for the Wildcats first touchdown of the season, busting through a few would-be tacklers on the way.

Porter, who led NU with 91 yards rushing, left the game in the third quarter with a lower body injury and didnt return, one of the few dark spots on the night.

Stone, who threw four interceptions against the Green Wave, went 7-for-7 for 99 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter.

He stepped up in the pocket to elude pressure and zipped a five-yard touchdown to Hayden Eligon II on the second drive.

The Wildcats then surprised everyone and went for two, with Lawson Albright running it in for a 15-0 lead after just 8:16.

The Wildcat defense, which got pushed around by Tulane, swarmed to the ball.

They forced Western Illinois to punt five times in six first-half possessions, four of them three-and-outs.

The other Leatherneck drive ended with Mac Uihlein intercepting a pass in the first quarter.

Northwesterns offensive express slowed down in the second quarter as the Wildcats punted on three straight possessions.

But the train started rolling again right before the half.

The Wildcats converted two fourth-downs on a 12-play, 83-yard touchdown drive.

The first one came courtesy of an offside penalty on WIU.

The second one was near the goal line, when Stone threw a perfect fade to Hunter Welcing, who made a leaping grab along the sideline with 28 seconds left in the half.

WIU got their best chance for a score early in the third quarter when wide receiver Christian Anaya threw a 31-yard completion to Demari Davis.

But the drive stalled and the Leathernecks failed to dent the scoreboard as Antonio Chadhas 48-yard field goal try dented the left upright instead and bounced away.

The Wildcats responded by marching down into the WIU red zone on three straight possessions.

They resulted in Luke Akers 35- and 25-yard field goals, and then a four-yard shovel pass from Stone to Drew Wagner, who ran around the left end to the corner of the end zone to make it 35-0.

The final Northwestern score was the most memorable.

Backup quarterback Ryan Boe scored on a 58-yard run and delivered a wicked stiff arm in the process that launched defensive back Justin Richardson through the air and onto his back.

That was awesome, said Stone after the game.

The Leathernecks didnt get on the scoreboard until garbage time, when backup quarterback Carson Creswell threw an eight-yard TD pass to Amaya.

Stone said rebounding from last weeks disappointment was important, but at the same time they cant let it go to their heads.

We gain confidence with the win we got tonight, he said.

But dont drink the Kool-Aid.

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