Record Effort Just Enough

Freshman Tyrell Sutton broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and didn’t stop until he reached the end zone 62 yards later with what proved to be the game-winning touchdown as Northwestern held on to beat No. 14 Wisconsin, 51-48.

“I don’t like getting tackled by the first guy,” said Sutton, who rushed for a season-high 244 yards and three touchdowns in 29 carries. “It gets the defense trying to gang-tackle and that opens other things up.”

Sutton has 772 yards rushing, the most by a Northwestern freshman.

Northwestern scored on seven consecutive possessions and finished with a school-record 674 yards of total offense. Brett Basanez completed 26 of 36 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns for the Wildcats (3-2, 1-1 in the Big Ten). Tim McGarigle had 25 tackles and two sacks as the Wildcats beat Wisconsin (5-1, 2-1) for the third time in four games.

Sutton’s one-yard run in the third quarter put Northwestern ahead for good, 23-17, and the 62-yarder late in the fourth made it 51-34. After a fumble by Sutton near midfield, Wisconsin’s John Stocco completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Orr to pull the Badgers to within three (51-48) with 2:48 remaining.

After a punt by Northwestern’s Ryan Pederson rolled out at the three-yard line with 1:23 remaining, Wisconsin had a final chance. But on the next play, Reggie McPherson intercepted Stocco at the 14.

“Playing a top-15 football team in the country, not a small achievement,” Northwestern Coach Randy Walker said of the victory. “But we do have a way of making it interesting. ‘Why can’t we do this easy?’ I kept saying in the fourth quarter.”

Wisconsin’s Brian Calhoun became the first Wisconsin player with more than 100 yards rushing and receiving in a game, carrying 23 times for 122 and catching 11 passes for 128.