No. 24 Northwestern beat Rutgers 42-14 at Ryan Field on Saturday as quarterback Aidan Chiles accounted for five total touchdowns, three through the air and two on the ground. The Wildcats improved to 6-1 while the Scarlet Knights fell to 2-5.
Northwestern scored on its first four possessions, building a 21-3 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 28-3 cushion by halftime. Rutgers running back Antwan Raymond ran for 150 yards and a 46-yard touchdown in the third quarter that cut the margin to 28-14, but Northwestern answered with two more touchdowns in the fourth to put the game away.
Takeaways From Northwestern’s Win Over Rutgers
Chiles controlled the game from the opening drive
Chiles opened the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Wilde at the 9:54 mark of the first quarter. He added a 1-yard rushing score and an 8-yard touchdown pass to Alex Honig before the first quarter ended, putting Rutgers in an 18-point hole before the Scarlet Knights ran a single offensive snap in the second period. Chiles finished 19 of 25 for 219 yards with three passing touchdowns and one interception, and he rushed for 83 yards and two more scores on 12 carries.
Northwestern dominated the ground game
The Wildcats ran for 283 yards on 41 carries, a 6.9 yards-per-carry average. Caleb Komolafe led the way with 150 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries, including a 33-yard scoring run in the second quarter that made it 28-3. Chiles’ 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter closed the scoring.
Turnovers and third downs buried Rutgers
Rutgers committed three turnovers, including two interceptions by quarterbacks AJ Surace and Sean Ashenfelder, against one giveaway by Northwestern. The Scarlet Knights also converted just 6 of 16 third-down attempts compared to Northwestern’s 9 of 13, and Northwestern held the ball for 33:15 to Rutgers’ 26:45.
Player Of The Game: Aidan Chiles
Chiles finished 19 of 25 passing for 219 yards and three touchdowns through the air, adding 83 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground. His five total touchdowns accounted for every point Northwestern scored except the two field goals it did not need, as the sophomore quarterback touched the end zone on both of Northwestern’s first-quarter drives and again twice in the fourth quarter.
Northwestern Vs. Rutgers By The Numbers
Northwestern outgained Rutgers 502 yards to 344 and finished with 26 first downs to Rutgers’ 18. The Wildcats averaged 8.8 yards per pass attempt compared to 3.7 for Rutgers, whose quarterbacks combined to go 9 of 27 through the air. Rutgers actually outrushed Northwestern on a per-carry basis at times, finishing with 244 rushing yards on 39 attempts for a 6.3 average, led by Raymond’s 150 yards and Clay Thevenin’s 116. But the three turnovers and the time-of-possession gap kept Rutgers from threatening the outcome.
What’s Next
Northwestern, ranked No. 24, improved to 6-1. Rutgers fell to 2-5.
More College Football news from Total Apex Sports.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
