Chicago native Carnell Tate caught two touchdown passes, and Quinshon Judkins ran for two short scores as No. 2 Ohio State shook off a sluggish start to defeat Northwestern 31-7 at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Saturday.
Tate, who finished with four receptions for 52 yards, caught an 8-yard touchdown pass on the Buckeyes’ first drive of the second half, extending the lead to 28-7 in front of a largely pro-Ohio State crowd.
The score was set up by a 68-yard catch-and-run by Jeremiah Smith, who had four catches for 100 yards.
Ohio State capped its scoring with a 28-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding with 44 seconds remaining in the third quarter, securing its 11th consecutive win against Northwestern dating back to 2004.
The victory sets up a high-stakes matchup next Saturday at home against No. 5 Indiana. The undefeated Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0) were idle this week.
Northwestern (4-6, 2-5) controlled the game early, holding Ohio State to just one possession in the first quarter while dominating time of possession with a 10-minute drive. The Wildcats gained 118 total yards in the first quarter compared to just 30 for the Buckeyes.
Northwestern struck first early in the second quarter when quarterback Jack Lausch capped a 92-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run, giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead. Lausch finished 21-of-35 passing for 201 yards, with Bryce Kirtz leading Northwestern receivers with seven catches for 92 yards.
Ohio State responded with an 85-yard drive in 12 plays, culminating in Judkins’ 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.
A blocked Northwestern punt after a bad snap set up Ohio State’s next score, with Judkins punching it in from the 1-yard line again to give the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead.
The Buckeyes extended their advantage to 21-7 just before halftime when quarterback Will Howard connected with Tate on a 25-yard touchdown pass. Howard finished 15-of-24 for 247 yards, with his aerial attack complemented by Judkins’ 76 rushing yards and TreVeyon Henderson’s 74 yards on the ground.
Ohio State pulled away in the second half, scoring 31 unanswered points to secure the win.
Source: Field Level Media
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