EVANSTON, Ill. – Aidan Chiles threw for three touchdowns for the third time this season and rushed for two others to lead No. 24 Northwestern past Rutgers 42-14 on Saturday for a fourth straight victory.
Caleb Komolafe rushed for 150 yards and a TD, including a 56-yard dash. Griffin Wilde, who finished with 133 receiving yards, Alex Honig and Drew Wagner caught passes for scores as Northwestern (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) raced to a 28-3 lead late in the first half.
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Explosive starts are becoming a trademark for the Wildcats, who cashed in on their first three possessions.
“I think what you saw out of our football team and our offense specifically was there is, that there was urgency, there was focus, there was execution and it was a great way to start off,” Northwestern coach David Braun said.
Rutgers starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan left after sustaining a blow to the head 6 minutes, 25 seconds into the first quarter and didn’t return. He was initially replaced by AJ Surace, then by third-string QB Sean Ashenfelder late in the third quarter.
Antwan Raymond rushed for 150 yards on 18 carries and the lone Rutgers (2-5, 1-3 Big Ten) touchdown, a 46-yard run late in the third. The score was set up by the first interception thrown this season by Chiles, who finished with 219 passing yards and a career-high 83 rushing.
Rutgers’ Dane Pizzaro kicked a pair of field goals.
Chiles had his hand in five TDs in a game for a second time. The senior transfer from Michigan State tossed for three and ran in two in a 41-7 rout of Colorado on Sept. 19.
“He just continues to just feel more and more comfortable,” Braun said. “The thing I love about him is there's no complacency there. To know you've got a quarterback that isn't satisfied just being good, but wants to be great, it's pretty exciting as a coach.”
Chiles is up to 12 passing TDs and nine on the ground.
“This is an equal opportunity offense,” Chiles said. “Whatever's working is working. So if me running is a key part of our game, that's what we're going to do.”
Surace tossed for 64 yards but was sacked three times by Northwestern’s hard-nosed defense. The first sack led to a costly fumble that resulted in a pivotal Wildcats touchdown late in the first quarter that made it 21-3.
Ashenfelder was the victim of Northwestern's fourth sack of the day.
Lonergan was hurt when he scrambled up the middle for a 5-yard gain, then slid forward to the ground at the Rutgers 45 with two Northwestern defenders closing in. Lonergan’s momentum was finally stopped by Northwestern’s Kobie McKinzie as the two players’ helmets struck each other.
Lonergan remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, then was helped to a medical tent.
Northwestern jumped out to a 21-3 lead after one quarter, then upped it to 28-6 at the half.
The Wildcats scored on the opening drive as Wilde caught Chiles' 13-yard TD pass 5:06 in. The series was keyed by Komolafe’s 30-yard run.
After Lonergan exited, Surace maneuvered the Scarlet Knights to field goal range. Pizzaro kicked a 43-yarder with 4:26 left in the quarter to cut it to 7-3.
Then the Wildcats raced down the field on only five plays to up it to 14-3, scoring on Chiles' keeper.
On the first play of Rutgers' next drive, Surace was sacked at the Rutgers 8 and fumbled with Northwestern’s Jamaal Johnson recovering. Chiles hit Honig with a 8-yard TD pass off the next snap to up it to 21-3.
Komolafe scored on a 33-yard run down the left side with 1:46 left in the half, capping a zippy 61-yard drive to increase the score to 28-3. Pizzaro booted a 35-yarder as time ran out in the half to make it 28-6.
A 43-year-run by Clay Thevenin, who finished with 166 yards on the ground, and a 31-yard rush by Raymond moved Rutgers to the Wildcats 7. But Ashenfelder threw a pair of incomplete passes, then was sacked by McKinzie on a fourth-and-7.
Raymond rushed in with 8 seconds left in the third, and a two-point conversion cut it to 28-14.
Wagner pulled in Chiles' 4-yard toss in the end zone 4:28 into the fourth quarter for a 35-15 Northwestern lead. Chiles ran in his second TD, wide off a fake handoff, with 4:33 left to complete the scoring.
The Takeaway
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights never got their offense rolling after Lonergan's quick exit, and star wide receiver KJ Duff was limited to three targets and 33 yards. The severity of the Lonergan's injury was not immediately known.
Northwestern: The Wildcats are technically bowl-eligible, but are going for much more. They're 6-1 for the first time since 2020 and the fourth time since 2000.
“This season does feel different," Braun said. “For us to even acknowledge the bowl eligibility right now, I think would distract us from what's right in front of us.”
Up next
Rutgers: Hosts Michigan on Oct. 31.
Northwestern: Plays at Oregon on Oct. 31.
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