Northwestern, Ramsey Dominate Auburn in Citrus Bowl

Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey threw for 282 yards and recorded four touchdowns—three passing, one rushing—as the Wildcats defeated Auburn 34–19 Friday afternoon in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl.

With the victory, Northwestern (7-2) earned its sixth bowl win in school history. Mike Hankwitz, defensive coordinator for the Wildcats, earned his 400th victory after 51 years with the program.

Northwestern's most recent bowl game win came in 2018, when the Wildcats defeated Utah, 31–20, in the Holiday Bowl.

Ramsey was cooking immediately. He completed each of his first six passes and capped off Northwestern's nine-play, 75-yard opening drive with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman.

The Wildcats' defense held Auburn scoreless over its first two possessions before Ramsey put together another long offensive drive. He connected with John Raine for a 6-yard touchdown pass to make it a 14–0 game.

A pair of Tigers second-quarter field goals made it 14–6 at halftime. Auburn finally got in the end zone midway through the third quarter when quarterback Bo Nix found Elijah Cannon on a 57-yard touchdown pass to make it a one-point game. That was as close as this game got.

Ramsey ripped off a 30-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and running back Cam Porter added a 1-yard score to start the fourth, giving the Wildcats a 28–13 lead. Porter finished with 98 yards on 33 carries and a touchdown.

Auburn running back Shaun Shivers fumbled on the ensuing drive, and Northwestern's Earnest Brown IV recovered it at the Tigers 25. Several plays later, Ramsey connected with Riley Lees on his final touchdown pass. Auburn added a final touchdown, but by then, the game was long out of hand.

Auburn (6-5) ends its season with a loss after playing its last regular season game on Dec. 12, a 24–10 victory against Mississippi State.