Wildcats Come Back to Beat Kansas, 20-17
Brett Basanez throws for a touchdown and runs for another to lead Northwestern Sept. 18, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. --
Brett Basanez threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and Northwestern got its first win of the season with a 20-17 victory over Kansas on Saturday.
Basanez was 20-of-33 for 192 yards and
Brian Huffman added field goals from 23 and 21 yards for the Wildcats, who beat Kansas (2-1) for the second straight year.
Adam Barmann connected with Brandon Rideau on two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally the Jayhawks from a 13-3 deficit.
But Northwestern (1-2) batted down a Barmann pass just in front of the goal line with 85 seconds left, and Johnny Beck's 43-yard field goal attempt went wide right.
As the ball sailed past the goal posts, Northwestern players jumped up and down and began hugging each other. When the final seconds ticked off, a loud cheer went up from the Northwestern fans, and players ran onto the field pumping their fists.
"We played with some passion today," said Northwestern coach
Randy Walker. "You play passionately, you play hard, you fly around, you find a way to win. Our kids did that today. I'm proud of the way they bounced back from last week's tough loss."
Northwestern was coming off a season-opening double-overtime loss at TCU and a 30-21 home loss to Arizona State. Walker felt the Wildcats were lacking some emotion in last week's game.
"There are programs with lesser character that might have started on a downhill slide after starting 2-0. Even in this game, when it went against us for awhile, it would have been easy to quit, but we kept fighting. I'm awful proud of our response."
Huffman's second field goal gave Northwestern a 13-3 lead at the end of the third quarter. But the Jayhawks, who hadn't moved the ball effectively all afternoon, finally found their rhythm.
Barmann found John Randle for a 6-yard gain on second-and-10 from the Northwestern 35. Barmann's arm was hurt on the play, and Jason Swanson replaced him. The Jayhawks gambled with their backup, going for it on fourth-and-4 from the Northwestern 29.
Swanson got hit as he was throwing, but with a Northwestern defender on his back, Mark Simmons somehow managed to catch the ball for an 8-yard gain and a first down.
Three plays later, Barmann found Rideau for a 7-yard score that cut Northwestern's lead to 13-10 with 11:56 left.
After Northwestern was forced to punt, Barmann quickly found Rideau again, this time for a 20-yard score that gave Kansas a 17-13 lead. But the Wildcats answered right back. Basanez hit
Mark Philmore for a 52-yard gain, and Noah Herron -- whose status was in doubt up until Friday after a hard hit last week -- followed with a 13-yard run that put the Wildcats at the Kansas 16.
After a short Basanez run, he connected with
Brandon Horn on a 12-yard score.
The Jayhawks had one last chance, and they looked like they might be able to pull it out when Charles Gordon caught a 21-yard pass that moved the Jayhawks to the Northwestern 21. But the Wildcats defense wouldn't budge, stuffing another pass for a 5-yard loss and batting down Barmann's throw right in front of the end zone.
Philmore finished with seven catches for 113 yards, and Herron rushed for 85 yards on 18 carries. Rideau had 84 yards receiving on seven catches.
Neither team could get anything going in the first half, and Northwestern finally got a break in the second quarter when a bad snap left Kansas punter Chris Tyrell scrambling to pick up the ball. Tyrell tried to get the punt off, but Northwestern's
Kim Thompson got his hand on the ball before Tyrell kicked it.
Derell Jenkins recovered it, giving Northwestern the ball at the Kansas 23. But the Wildcats couldn't get into the end zone, settling for Huffman's 23-yard field goal.
Kansas tied the game on the next series with a field goal of its own, set up by Gordon's 49-yard run.
"I knew coming into the game that we were playing a very good defense," said Walker. "Kansas shut down Tulsa completely. They were giving up 47 rushing yards per game. We played efficiently.
Brett Basanez found ways to win and that's what good quarterbacks do. That run for a touchdown was spectacular."
Northwestern begins Big Ten play next Saturday, traveling to Minnesota for an 8 p.m. kickoff at the Metrodome. ESPN2 is televising the game nationally.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
