It was a tale of two sides of the ball on Saturday. Northwestern's (1-2, 0-1 B1G) defense managed to hold its own for much of the game, but the Wildcats' offense was stifled as the No. 4 Oregon Ducks (3-0, 1-0 B1G) came away with a resounding road win, 34-14.
Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone struggled for the second time in three games, going 11-for-21 with 135 passing yards and two interceptions. Both of his turnovers came in Oregon territory.
Running backs Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II were efficient on the ground in the absence of Cam Porter, who was ruled out for the season with a leg injury on Monday. The two combined for 112 yards and Komolafe notched his first career rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats put plenty of pressure on Oregon QB Dante Moore, but the Ducks' starting passer still managed to find his receivers when it mattered. Moore went 16-for-20 with 178 yards and a touchdown, along with a late interception to NU linebacker Mac Uihlein.
After forcing a punt on the opening drive, the 'Cats marched into enemy territory on their first possession, thanks to a fourth-down sneak from tight end Lawson Albright. However, the drive stalled at midfield after linebacker Bryce Boettcher picked off a deflected pass from Stone. Boettcher returned the interception to Northwestern's 23-yard line and Jayden Limar got the Ducks on the board first with a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Northwestern once again neared midfield on its next possession following a big kickoff return from Himon, but couldn't capitalize. Oregon took over and worked its way into field goal range before strong coverage from DB Josh Fussell forced the Ducks to settle for three. As Northwestern's defense embraced the 'bend, don't break' mentality, though, the Wildcats' offense found itself unable to score on Oregon.
The Ducks added another score before the half, making it 17-0 via a 24-yard touchdown catch from tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
Northwestern finally found some offense to start the second half, reaching Oregon's 25-yard line. However, the success was short-lived, as Bear Alexander and Teitum Tuioti combined to sack Stone on a surprising third-and-1 dropback. The 'Cats turned the ball over on downs when Ricky Ahumaraeze dropped a pass that would've resulted in a first down on fourth-and-9, although the throw was slightly behind the redshirt sophomore receiver.
Dierre Hill Jr. made the Wildcats pay, as the Oregon running back punished Northwestern for a 66-yard touchdown scamper on the ensuing play. The 'Cats once again took the ball into Oregon territory, but Stone threw a second interception at the 32-yard line and linebacker Jerry Mixon's return set the Ducks up with good field position. Freshman Jordon Davison ran it in from the two to give Oregon a 31-0 lead.
Trailing 34-0 in the fourth, Northwestern finally found paydirt. Former walk-on receiver Drew Wagner high-pointed a 40-yard catch, then Komolafe punched it in on fourth down at the goal line. Redshirt freshman Dashun Reeder took advantage of garbage time snaps to run for a 79-yard touchdown on his first touch of the day and fourth career rush.
The Wildcats have a week off before resuming Big Ten play against UCLA (0-3, 0-0 B1G) on September 27.
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