New quarterback Jack Lausch got rolling after a slow start, passing for 227 yards and tossing his first two college touchdowns, and Northwestern pulled away from Eastern Illinois 31-7 on Saturday night at Martin Stadium in Evanston.
Lausch, a Chicago native and Brother Rice alumnus, finished 20 of 31 in his first start after connecting on only four of his first 13 throws. He hit A.J. Henning with a 3-yard toss late in the third quarter for Northwestern’s first passing touchdown this season, then found Marshall Lang for a 9-yard score midway through the fourth.
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Lausch also rushed for 62 yards, all in the first half.
“It was so much fun to go out and just compete with my teammates,” Lausch said. “Just to go out and have some fun with those guys and get a win and find some production in the second half was awesome.”
Joseph Himon II ran for a touchdown to put Northwestern (2-1) ahead 14-7 with 14 seconds left in the first half on a quick drive engineered by Lausch after a blocked EIU field-goal attempt.
That 98-second, eight-play, 80-yard push helped Lausch focus, Wildcats coach David Braun said.
“You just saw in the first half a first-time starter, you know, just a little amped up, maybe aiming the ball a little bit,” Braun said. “That two-minute drill kind of allowed Jack to get into rhythm, just be reacting, trusting his instincts.”
Cam Porter rushed for 77 yards and his third touchdown of the season. Jack Olsen booted a 46-yard field goal as Northwestern dominated in total yards 450-207.
EIU quarterback Pierce Holley hit Eli Mirza with a 13-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to tie the game at 7. Holley finished with 167 yards on 17-for-31 passing but threw his fourth interception, a costly pick by Devin Turner in the third quarter that led to Henning’s score.
The Wildcats (2-1) bounced back from a 26-20 double-overtime loss to Duke last week behind Lausch, a redshirt sophomore. He got the nod from Braun after Mike Wright, a transfer from Mississippi State, struggled in Northwestern’s first two games with 334 passing yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
Lausch previously played in 10 games over two seasons and threw for 78 yards with no passing touchdowns and an interception.
EIU (1-2) dropped to 0-11 against Big Ten opponents and 0-3 against Northwestern.
Northwestern led 14-7 at halftime, cashing in for a go-ahead touchdown on Himon’s 32-yard dash with 14 seconds left. The drive was set up after Najee Story blocked Drew Schiller’s 36-yard field-goal attempt. Lausch was 5 of 7 on the drive.
“The biggest thing was just taking a breath, slowing down my feet and and just trusting my reads downfield,” he said. “I think early, my feet were a little crazy. I had guys open I was kind of passing up.”
The Wildcats finished with 203 rushing yards while limiting the Panthers to 40.
“We were able to throw early on first down and loosen them up,” EIU coach Chris Wilkerson said. “But we just didn’t create enough with the running game and you have to credit Northwestern for that.”
Porter dashed in from the 1-yard line with 1:22 left in the first quarter to open the scoring. Lausch was lined up under center to create a deception, but the snap went directly to Porter, who sliced in for his third touchdown this season
Holley and EIU stormed back with a 12-play, 75-yard drive to tie it. A wide-open Mirza pulled in Holley’s 13-yard pass at the right edge of the end zone 4:23 into the second quarter for his first touchdown.
Olsen hit a 46-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to make it 17-7. Northwestern upped it to 24-7 with 2:39 left in the third quarter on Henning’s first touchdown. Lang’s score at 4:08 of the fourth sealed it.
The takeaway
EIU: The Panthers rebounded from an opening 45-0 blowout at Illinois to beat Indiana State last week. They seemed to be in this one until Northwestern wrested away the momentum with the late first-half drive and Holley’s interception in the third quarter.
Northwestern: Expect Lausch to continue behind center next week when the Wildcats open Big Ten play at Washington. Meanwhile, Northwestern’s defense seem to be gelling. … WR Frank Covey IV suffered a lower-body injury and didn’t return.
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Up next
EIU: The Panthers play at Illinois State on Saturday.
Northwestern: The Wildcats open Big Ten play Saturday at Washington (2-1). The Huskies suffered their first loss of the season Saturday, falling to rival Washington State 24-19 at Lumen Field.