Pat Fitzgerald, players discuss Northwestern's thrilling comeback win over Nebraska
Nebraska led Northwestern by 10 points with less than three minutes to play, but the Wildcats rallied in spectacular fashion, tying the game with 12 seconds left on a 99-yard touchdown drive with no timeouts left before going on to win 34-31 in overtime on Saturday afternoon.
The ‘Cats got a memorable performance from senior quarterback Clayton Thorson, who completed 41-of-64 passes for 455 yards, linking up with freshman J.J. Jefferson to cap a drive that goes down as the longest in school history.
With the win, Northwestern has now secured 10 of its last 11 Big Ten games, improving to 3-3 (3-1) with a legitimate chance to compete for a West division title.
Here are reactions from head coach Pat Fitzgerald and key players following the momentous road win:
Fitz to the podium at the postgame press conference.
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 13, 2018
"Clayton's performance, Flynn's receptions, that's spectacular." Calls 99-yard drive a huge confidence-builder for the offense.
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 13, 2018
"It was pretty cool. 99-and-a-half yards, that's pretty good."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 13, 2018
Fitz says he liked Thorson's response on the sideline after mistakes. "He just does it with class and humility."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 13, 2018
Fitz on Nagel: "I just think he's been relentless in his work ethic his entire career."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 13, 2018
Clayton Thorson: "I'll remember going down 10, seeing the guys, seeing the light in their eyes. That long drive was pretty special."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 13, 2018
Thorson: "We threw the ball 64 times and we only had two sacks…and one of those was on me."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 13, 2018
Nagel: "That's the most fun football game I've ever been a part of."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 13, 2018
Nagel: "These are moments you're going to remember the rest of your life."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 13, 2018