Northwestern Wins Homecoming

In an exciting come from behind win in front of their home town fans in Evanston, IL, the Northwestern Wildcats defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 34-31 in overtime in their homecoming game.

The crowd was evenly mixed with Nebraska red and Northwestern purple.

Nebraska drew first blood on a 42 yard TD pass, leading 7-0 less than 2 minutes into the game, drawing ominous silence from the assembled crowd at Ryan Field.

Northwestern tied the game 7-7 in the 2nd quarter with a 21 yard TD from QB Clayton Thorson to Flynn Nagel. Less than 4 minutes later, Northwestern recovered a fumble and ran it back 10 yards for a 14-7 lead and Ryan Field was jubilant!

Nebraska then closed the gap to 14-13 with a TD with under a minute to go until halftime.

The third quarter began with Nebraska going ahead 20-14 with a 1 yard rushing touchdown and PAT.

Nebraska then extended the lead to 28-14 with a 3 yard rushing TD and PAT. The Northwestern contingent at Ryan Field was feeling less than optimistic at this point.

Nebraska further padded the lead to 31-21 with a field goal with 5:41 left in the game.

Northwestern then went on a tear to tie the game in regulation 31-31 with 31 yard field goal, followed by a 5 yard TD pass and PAT with only 12 seconds left, after having converted a 4th and 10 with a 16 yard pass play. The Northwestern contingent in the Stadium Club was on pins and needles as the 'Cats ran their 4th and 10 for the 16 yard gain.

Northwestern won the coin toss for O/T and elected to have Nebraska go first. The Cornhuskers came up empty on their offensive set, then Northwestern hit a field goal, but Nebraska called a time out, so the field goal had to be lined up again and Drew Luckenbaugh kicked a 37-yard field goal, to attone for his previously missed field goal in the first half and was mobbed as the hero of the day by his grateful, jubilant teammates as Ryan Field lit off fireworks in celebration of a come from behind win on their 2018 Homecoming game.