Northwestern vs. Ball State Score, Recap & Analysis

Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson passes against Ball State during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill., Saturday, September 26, 2015.

– Northwestern outgained Ball State 546 yards to 359.

No. 17 Northwestern had arguably the most impressive résumé of anyone in the Big Ten, with key wins over Stanford and Duke in the first three weeks.

The first words from Ball State coach Pete Lembo in his radio interview with WLBC 104.1 FM just moments after the game illustrated that disappointment. He did throw a long, 66-yard touchdown pass to Dan Vitale in the second quarter to get on the board.

Despite an ugly first half and still not a huge amount of points, it was the best showing of the season – excluding a 41-0 romp of Eastern Illinois – for the Northwestern offense.

Second half Thorson wasn’t finished, cutting through the Cardinals like butter once again, orchestrating another 80-yard drive and finding Austin Carr streaking along the sideline for a 25-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-10 with 8:01 left in the third quarter. Late in the game, the Cardinals added another field goal, making it a five-point game. NU was only able to force one turnover-a first half fumble that likely prevented a touchdown-and had a lot of trouble getting off the field. But the Wildcats forced a fumble on the next play and recovered to start the second quarter. They just need him to force the defense to honor the run – which opens up the passing game – and he did more than that tonight. He finished 17-for-30 with 247 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. The Wildcats have yielded a total of 16 points through three games – matching the fewest the school has given up since 1948 when they went on to win their first and only Rose Bowl. But Northwestern sat on the ball and milked the clock to pull out the win.

Thorson, a redshirt freshman quarterback, was 18-of-31 passing for 256 yards and running back Justin Jackson rushed for a career-high 184 yards on 33 carries as the Wildcats improved to 4-0. Williams had both TD receptions, one in each half, and seven catches for 122 yards. It did not seem like its usual dominant self.

“We knew that hadn’t played exactly how we wanted to the entire game, but we knew that we had to finish”, Jackson said.

Northwestern is 4-0 against the number in its last four non-conference games, which includes a cover on the road last week as a 5-point underdog versus Duke. Freshman Morgan Hagee put Ball State on the scoreboard first with a 30-yard field goal after Northwestern’s first turnover.