Northwestern vs. Ball State

Final Score: Northwestern 24, Ball State 19

1. Clayton Thorson threw three touchdown passes with strikes from 66 and 21 yards to Dan Vitale, and a 25-yard play to Austin Carr on the way to a 24-10 Wildcat lead. But NU had to hang on.

2. Ball State got a 29-yard touchdown catch from Jordan Williams and a 36-yard Morgan Hagee field goal for nine unanswered points, but Northwestern held on in the final moments, barely getting a punt off to help run down the clock.

3. Williams caught two touchdown passes for the Cardinals, also scoring on a 22-yarder in the second, but the NU defense barely broke despite having a rocky game by its current high standards.

Northwestern

– Justin Jackson ran 33 times for 184 yards. Dan Vitale caught five passes for 108 yards and two scores.

– Clayton Thorson completed 18-of-31 passes for 256 yards and three scores with a pick, and ran nine times for 45 yards.

– Northwestern outgained Ball State 546 yards to 359.

Ball State

– Riley Neal completed 14-of-35 passes for 178 yards and two scores, and ran 16 times for a team-high 74 yards.

– Jordan Williams caught eight passes for 133 yards and two scores.

– Ball State turned it over once and committed two penalties. Northwestern turned it over three times and was penalized eight times.