Saturday, October 14, 2017 03:30 PM (ET)

Thorson, Jackson lift Northwestern over Maryland

The Sports Xchange
Oct 14, 2017

Quarterback Clayton Thorson threw for 293 yards and Justin Jackson rushed for 171 as Northwestern beat Maryland 37-21 in a Big Ten game Saturday in College Park, Md., in the first meeting between the programs.

Thorson was 27 of 49 with two interceptions and a touchdown, as the Wildcats (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) overcame a 14-10 second-quarter deficit, scored 17 unanswered points and snapped a two-game losing streak.

Maryland (3-3, 1-2), despite a career day from wide receiver D.J. Moore, fell for the second straight week. Moore had career-highs of 12 catches, 210 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Charlie Kuhbander booted three field goals for the Wildcats, the last from 32 yards with 13:02 to play to make it 30-21, after the Terrapins had pulled close on Max Bortenschlager's 20 yard touchdown pass to Taivon Jacobs.

The Wildcats scored two touchdowns in the final 4:33 of the second quarter to take a 24-14 lead to halftime. Thorson completed a 13-play, 75-yard drive with an 18-yard scramble for a score to make it 17-14, and when Northwestern got the ball back with 2:45 left, he guided a 61-yard march, hitting Flynn Nagel with a 14-yard scoring pass with just 24 seconds left before intermission.

The Wildcats actually scored the last four times they had the ball in the first half, including Jackson's 5-yard scoring run at 9:35 of the second quarter to put them up 10-7. Jackson had 28 rushing attempts and a big chunk of Northwestern's 531 total yards.

Maryland scored first when Bortenschlager hit Moore for a 12-yard touchdown at 8:46 of the first period. That combination hooked up again at 8:14 of the second quarter, with Moore taking a bubble screen for a 52-yard touchdown for a 14-10 Maryland lead before Northwestern took control.
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