LIVE GAME THREAD: Northwestern vs. Michigan State
Northwestern Wildcats (0-0) vs. Michigan State Spartans (0-0)
Where: Ryan Field in Evanston, IL
Time: 8:00 pm CT
Watch: ESPN
Listen: WGN 720
The clock is ticking closer and closer to the dawn of yet another season of Wildcats football, as Northwestern prepares to kick off their 2021 campaign against cross-lake B1G rival, Michigan State. Last season, the Wildcats (7-2 overall; 6-1 conference) finished atop the Big Ten West, while the Spartans (2-5; 2-5) finished the "unprecedented" season in the bottom ranks of the Big Ten East; however, despite that discrepancy, the Spartans did hand head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the 'Cats their first loss last season in a disappointing 29-20 upset.
This matchup should be an interesting one, considering that Northwestern has the lowest returning production percentage of any Power 5 program and it appears that Michigan State's predicted starting quarterback, Anthony Russo, will not be leading the charge at kickoff tonight.
Without further ado, let the 2021 Wildcats season commence!
**Keep it here, or @SIWildcatsDaily on Twitter for live updates from tonight's game!**
LIVE GAME UPDATES:
Coin toss: Northwestern wins flip, defers to receive in second half.
1ST QTR: Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III rushes 75 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game. MSU leads 7-0.
1ST QTR: Despite a 41-yard connection from Hunter Johnson to Bryce Kirtz, the Wildcats offense fails to convert on third down; kicker Charlie Kuhbander misses field goal attempt wide right.
1ST QTR: Spartans' Connor Hayward pushes through several Wildcats defenders to convert for a first down at the Northwestern 26-yard line, followed by a Walker III rush up the middle to the NU goal line.
1ST QTR: Walker III strolls into the end zone for his second TD of the game; MSU averaging 15 yards per play on their first two possessions. Spartans leads 14-0.
1ST QTR: Johnson connects with Kansas graduate transfer Stephon Robinson for a 50-yard reception and first down, at the MSU 27-yard line.
1ST QTR: Northwestern goes for it on 4th & 7, but fails to convert with an incomplete pass intended for Kirtz thanks to tight coverage by MSU's Gervin.
1ST QTR: The Wildcats defense gets their first stop, but the Spartans answer with a perfectly-executed punt, landing at the NU 1-yard line with 2:47 left in the first.
1ST QTR: The ball slips out of Johnson's hands, but he recovers the ball, avoiding a messy turnover, for a loss of 6 yards.
END OF 1ST QTR: MSU leads 14-0.
2ND QTR: Samdup Miller and Chris Bergin take down Payton Thorne for their first sack of the season.
2ND QTR: Thorne connects with Mosley for another Spartan first down, and Thorne takes matters into his own hands for the next play, rushing 26 yards for another first down.
2ND QTR: Thorne connects with Jordan Simmons, and he takes it 15 yards for a TD, giving the Spartans a 21-0 lead.
2ND QTR: Pass attempt from Johnson batted down by King at the line of scrimmage, forcing Northwestern to punt it away for the third straight drive as they fail to convert.
2ND QTR: Several third-down conversions from the Wildcats (led by Johnson, Robinson Jr. and Mangieri) takes Northwestern into the MSU red zone for the first time tonight.
2ND QTR: Johnson connects with Ray Niro III to take the Wildcats to 4th and 1 in the red zone; timeout called by MSU's head coach, Mel Tucker to talk things over with 2:26 left in the half after the Wildcats decided to go for it.
2ND QTR: Johnson connects with Trey Pugh for 1 yard for the Wildcats' first TD of the game, cutting the deficit to 21-7 after the fourth down conversion.
2ND QTR: MSU hustles to the line of scrimmage after a 13-yard run to set up for a field goal attempt with 2 seconds left in the half; Spartans kicker Coghlin misses the 60-yard attempt after two ice-out timeouts by Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats.
HALFTIME: Michigan State 21, Northwestern 7.
3rd QTR: Michigan State kicks off, Northwestern gets the ball to start the half
3rd QTR: Evan Hull bursts up the middle for back to back carries of 49 yards and 9 yards.
3rd QTR: The Wildcats drives stalls in the red zone as Johnson is sacked and Kuhbander misses a 38-yard field goal attempt.
3rd QTR: Payton Thorne connects with Tre Mosley for 26 yards, but a Spartan unsportsmanlike conduct penalty eats into that yardage some.
3rd QTR: Thorne to Jayden Reed for a 23-yard gain.
3rd QTR: Kenneth Walker dives into the end zone for a five-yard touchdown, as the Spartans go up 28-7.
3rd QTR: Johnson fires a 19-yard strike over the middle to Washington.
3rd QTR: The Wildcats offense cannot make much happen as they are forced into yet another three and out.
3rd QTR: Johnson to Kirtz connection continues to look strong as they link up for a 13-yard gain.
END OF 3RD QTR: MSU LEADS 28-7.
4th QTR: Johnson connects with Washington again for a huge fourth down conversion.
4th QTR: Johnson caps off a perfect 11 for 11 drive with a 5-yard touchdown to Pugh, Wildcats make it a two touchdown game, down 28-14.
4th QTR: Kenneth Walker explodes for a 50-yard gain.
4th QTR: Spartans kicker Coghlin puts it through from 37 yards to give the Spartans a 31-14 lead.
4th QTR: Hampton Jr. Forces a fumble and the Wildcats recover to take over on offense with a little less than five minutes left in the game.
4th QTR: Johnson with a beautiful pass to Robinson for his third passing touchdown of the game, Wildcats cut into the lead to make it 31-21.
4th QTR: The Spartans recover the onside kick with ease, Wildcats defense will look for a crucial three and out.
4th QTR: Kenneth Walker continues his impressive game, rushing for 30 yards to ice the game.
4th QTR: Guess who? Kenneth Walker punches in his fourth rushing touchdown of the game, putting the Spartans up 38-21 and sealing the final nail in the coffin.
FINAL: MSU 38 NORTHWESTERN 21. The Wildcats fall in the season opener to start the season 0-1, tune in next Saturday as they take on Indiana State.