Northwestern 42, Rutgers 14: 21 first-quarter points settled it early

No. 24 Northwestern beat Rutgers 42-14 at Ryan Field on Saturday by deciding the game inside the first 15 minutes. The Wildcats scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, all involving quarterback Aidan Chiles, and Rutgers never got closer than the field goal it kicked in between.

Northwestern moves to 6-1. Rutgers falls to 2-5. Full prices and the line history are on the game page.

How it was won

The scoring summary and box score we have cover only part of the game. The listed plays run through the second quarter and add up to 28-3, and the two teams' possession times total about 30 minutes. The figures below should be read as first-half numbers, not full-game totals. The second-half scoring was not in the material we received, so we won't describe it.

What the record does show is a fast start. Chiles hit Griffin Wilde for a 13-yard touchdown at 9:54 of the first quarter. Rutgers answered with a 43-yard field goal from D. Pizzaro at 4:26, its only points in the listed plays.

Northwestern then scored twice in 37 seconds. Chiles ran it in from 1 yard at 1:32, and Chiles found Alex Honig for an 8-yard touchdown with 49 seconds left in the quarter. That made it 21-3. Caleb Komolafe added a 33-yard touchdown run at 1:46 of the second quarter. J. Kleather made all four extra points.

The box score shows how lopsided it was. In the covered stretch, Northwestern outgained Rutgers 311 yards to 116, and 13 first downs to 9. Chiles was 10 of 13 for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and he added 24 yards and a score on seven carries. Wilde caught six passes for 103 yards. Komolafe needed six carries to reach 121 yards.

Rutgers could not throw. AJ Surace completed 6 of 15 passes for 43 yards. The run game was more workable, with Antwan Raymond at 52 yards on nine carries and Clay Thevenin at 40 yards on six. That did not produce points. Jourdin Houston led the receivers with two catches for 15 yards.

The Scarlet Knights turned the ball over once and converted 4 of 9 third downs. Northwestern did not turn it over and went 4 of 6 on third down.

Against the number

Northwestern closed as a 15.5-point favorite and won by 28, a comfortable cover. The moneyline closed at Northwestern -750 and Rutgers +525, and the favorite came through.

The total closed at 58.5. The teams combined for 56 points, so the game went under by 2.5. A 21-3 first quarter and a 28-3 score in the second quarter looked like an over. The rest of the game, which our scoring summary does not cover, kept it under.

What's next

For Northwestern, the win continues a strong first half of the season. The Wildcats' only loss is 29-23 at Indiana. They have also beaten Penn State 34-13 and won 24-21 at Michigan State.

Rutgers came in off a 37-30 win at Maryland and has now lost four of seven. The losses include a 42-35 game against USC and a 47-15 loss to Indiana.

The schedule feed we received still lists this game as each team's next game. It does not show either team's following opponent, so we will add those games when the schedule updates.