Northwestern takes Holiday Bowl lead behind record-breaking third quarter

Northwestern’s third quarter performance was impeccable.

After a lackluster first half, the Wildcats headed to halftime down by a score of 20-3. A few squandered opportunities allowed Utah to build a lead and looked in control throughout.

The second half was a completely different story as Northwestern’s defense woke up. The Wildcats forced four turnovers, including an 82-yard scoop-and-score, while scoring 28-unanswered points in the second half.

That run was not only remarkable, it was also record-breaking. According to Northwestern Football, the 28 points in a quarter tied a Holiday Bowl record. It was also the most points ever scored by Northwestern in a quarter during a bowl game:

28 points scored in the 3rd quarter:

– Matches a @HolidayBowl record for points in a quarter.
– Most points scored in a quarter in NU bowl history. #B1GCats https://t.co/I8e0kXCqNJ

— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) January 1, 2019

Now the Wildcats will look to carry the 31-20 lead to the final whistle.

Paul Harvey

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.