Northwestern 42, Rutgers 14: an early hole and too few stops

Northwestern put Rutgers in a three-possession hole in the first quarter and finished with a 42-14 victory Saturday. The Wildcats improved to 6-1; Rutgers fell to 2-5.

The opening quarter ended 21-3. Northwestern led 28-6 at halftime before Rutgers scored the only eight points of the third quarter. At 28-14, there was still a game to recover. Northwestern's 14 unanswered fourth-quarter points ended that possibility.

Rutgers' 244 rushing yards were a real source of production, not a solution to the larger problem. The Scarlet Knights managed only 100 passing yards and 344 yards overall. Northwestern finished with 502, including 283 on the ground.

Yards without enough leverage

The third-down numbers sharpen the difference. Northwestern converted nine of 13 opportunities, while Rutgers converted six of 16. The Wildcats also held the ball for 33:15 and earned 26 first downs to Rutgers' 18, according to the school's final game center.

There is a fair distinction between an offense that produces nothing and one that cannot make its production count often enough. Rutgers belonged to the latter category Saturday. Its running game moved the ball, but a large early deficit and an opponent repeatedly extending possessions left too little room for that strength to change the result.

The third quarter offered a route back. The fourth closed it. For Rutgers, the corrective work begins with avoiding another early scramble and finding the defensive stops that allow an offense to play something other than catch-up.