Northwestern football escaped East Lansing, Michigan with a 24-21 road win in Week 7 action, moving to 5-1 on the season and firmly in the College Football Playoff chase with six games remaining on the team's 2026 schedule. 

A wild sequence late in the game ultimately led to Michigan State's demise as the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs after a botched fake field goal attempt, before blocking a Spartans kick and driving for the game-winner. 

NU Kicker Jackson Kleather's 34-yard-field goal proved to be the difference on a wild, and ultimately successful, day in the Great Lakes State. 

Here are four takeaways from Northwestern's second Big Ten win, which places them in a logjam toward the middle of the conference: 

The Wildcats have gotten a lot better in the last few years, but so has the Big Ten Conference with the inclusion of former Pac-12 teams and NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) payments. 

Michigan State looked like an easy win headed into Saturday's game but the Spartans kept it competitive. The emotions flowing through former the Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald helped Michigan State to keep this game close, as did the play of QB Alessio Milivojevic, who is peaking for the Spartans. 

The fact that Northwestern fans were underwhelmed about a winning result in a road win in hostile territory shows how far coach David Braun's program has come. 

The Wildcats' offensive coordinator-quarterback connection of Chip Kelly and Aidan Chiles was on full display after the game as the duo embraced each other at midfield and walked off together. 

Chiles completed 18-of-27 passes for 226 yards and didn't panic in the face of intense MSU pressure. He wanted this game just as bad, or more, than Pat Fitzgerald and it showed throughout as he continued to plug away. 

The result was a huge win for the Northwestern program on a day of upsets around the country. 

Running back Caleb Komolafe led the stacked Northwestern backfield in yards with 67 on 15 carries including a touchdown. Joseph Himon II was held to 27 yards while Chiles got more carries than usual with 16 for 25 yards and a touchdown. 

Kelly's decision to lean into the running game kept the dangerous MSU passing game on the sidelines and proved to be the right one as Northwestern pulled out a close win. Northwestern held the ball for 34 minutes compared to 25 for MSU, a huge factor in their three-point win. 

The Wildcats missed their captain, also known as 'The Wildcat,' Robert Fitzgerald as he was seen on the sidelines in a walking boot. He has an undisclosed injury and is expected to be out until the Rutgers game, but the injury looked worse than many fans expected considering the equipment he was sporting on the sidelines.

Northwestern's pass and rush defenses aren't the same without Fitzgerald. 

His health has become a paramount storyline of interest with Northwestern still yet to face strong passing teams Oregon, Ohio State and Illinois later this season.