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Northwestern mercifully ends stagnant start to Las Vegas Bowl with TD ahead of halftime
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Northwestern and Utah have engaged in a particularly ugly game of football. Fortunately, the Wildcats guaranteed the first half would not end in a scoreless tie with a late drive before the break.
Throughout the first half, Northwestern had 4 punts, a pair of missed field goals and a turnover on downs from inside the 10-yard line. However, Ben Bryant did lead one drive of 78 yards.
The big gainer on that drive was a 25-yard completion from Bryant to Marshall Lang to get into the red zone. Bryant wasted no time capitalizing, finding Cam Johnson for a 12-yard touchdown and the 7-0 lead.
We’re not scoreless anymore!@nufbfamily goes up 7-0 off this 12-yard TD pass from Bryant to Johnson late in the 2nd Qtr.#LVBowl | #Vegas | #BowlSeason | #GoCats pic.twitter.com/lp9LauHh4L
— SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl (@LasVegasBowl) December 24, 2023
Northwestern was able to force a punt and get another quick drive before the first half ended. The Wildcats were able to get into a field goal try, but Jack Olsen pushed that kick wide right as the clock expired.
Northwestern’s offense has struggled, but the good news is the Wildcat defense has been strong. Utah was limited to just 4 first downs, a 1-for-7 conversion rate on third downs and 59 total yards of offense. Utes QB Bryson Barnes is 4-for-8 for 10 yards with 2 interceptions.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.