It was a big game for the Northwestern Wildcats as they got back to a .500% winning record and got their first B1G win of the season. Northwestern defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights with a 21-7 score at home through a series of impressive performances on both sides of the ball.

On offense, Northwestern accounted for 406 total yards and 21st first downs accounted for. There were several key players on offense that made a significant impact on the game. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Hilinski had his best performance in his career at Northwestern. Hilinski threw for 267 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions on 18 completions (out of 33 passing attempts). He did an efficient job of spreading the ball throughout the field to several different receivers.

Junior wide receiver Malik Washington caught five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. His 64-yard touchdown reception from Hilinski in the first quarter is the longest completion by Northwestern since 2018. Sophomore tight end Marshall Lang only had one reception in the game for Northwestern as that touchdown was a two-yard touchdown.

Former Kansas Jayhawk and graduate transfer Stephon Robinson Jr. caught five receptions for 115 yards for Northwestern. Robinson had his third-ever 100-yard reception performance in his collegiate career, the first since 2019 at Kansas.