Northwestern caps season with Vegas Bowl win
Dec 24, 2023, 08:42 AM ET LAS VEGAS– Ben Bryant passed for 222 yards and discovered Bryce Kirtz in the corner of completion zone midway through the fourth quarter, helping Northwestern beat Utah 14-7 on Saturday night in the SRS Circulation Las Vegas Bowl.Bryant went 23-for-34 with 2 touchdowns as Northwestern(8-5)liquidated its season with a fourth straight win. The Wildcats limited Utah(8-5)to 211 lawns and had 2 interceptions and a fumble healing. “Ben being a transfer, he embodies what it appears like to be a transfer to Northwestern,”coach David Braun said. “It has to do with the ideal individual. Not the right professional athlete, however the best person.” The victory liquidated a troubled season for Northwestern. Braun was hired in January as the defensive organizer however took control of as head coach when Pat Fitzgerald was fired July 10 as a result of an investigation into a hazing scandal.Editor’s Picks Bryson Barnes was 8-for-13 for 55 lawns with 2 interceptions, and Ja’Quinden Jackson hurried for 55 backyards on 8 reaches
lead Utah, which lost three of its last 4 games.The winning drive began at the Northwestern 47-yard line after the defense held Utah on a fourth-and-2 with 7:10 left to play. The first play was an insufficient pass before Bryant gotten in touch with A.J. Henning for 34 yards to the Utah 19. On the goal pass, Bryant lofted a pass into the best corner of the end zone that was taken by Kirtz.”We had a little slant-go there,”Bryant stated.”It didn’t appear like he was going
to be there, but I trusted him through that crash. I tossed it as much as him, and he made the play.
“The Utes tracked 7-0 early in the 4th quarter and tied the game with 12:38 left when Micah Bernard scored on a 6-yard run. The touchdown topped an eight-play, 60-yard drive that took 3:59. Bernard was betting
the very first time considering that hurting a knee in the season opener against Florida.”Tough to win a football game scoring 7 points,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Our defense was pretty good, kept us in the game. This is not the players’fault. We as coaches need to get them better prepared.
“Northwestern scored the very first points of the game with 1:20 left in the very first half when Bryant connected with Cam Johnson from 12 yards out for a score. The goal topped an eight-play drive that covered 78 lawns, consisting of a 25-yard conclusion to Marshall Lang to establish a first down at the 12-yard line.The Wildcats had an opportunity at a field goal on the final play of the half, but Jack Olsen missed out on a 40-yard attempt. It was his second miss out on of the half after failing to convert from 51 yards in the first quarter.Northwestern threatened earlier in the 2nd quarter after Jaheem Joseph obstructed Barnes and
returned it 45 yards to the Utah 7. However Northwestern was stopped on a third-and-goal play from the 1, and Barnes then tossed insufficient on fourth down, turning the ball over.Joseph also intercepted a pass in completion zone to prevent a Utah drive in the very first quarter.The Utes will intend to rebound from a frustrating season with quarterback Camera Increasing, who missed out on the whole season with a knee injury, returning for 2024. It will be his seventh season of college football. At Northwestern, Braun inherited a group that went 1-11 in 2022 and enhanced to 8-5
with a bowl victory in his first year as Wildcats coach.UP NEXT Utah: The Utes, who will move from the Pac-12 to the Huge 12 next season, will open the season in the house versus Southern Utah on Aug. 29. Northwestern: The Wildcats open the 2024 season in your home against Miami (Ohio).