Saturday's game had all the makings of a potential trap game for Northwestern. The Wildcats are in the middle of the Big 10 season and are coming off a huge victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers last Saturday in Lincoln. Coach Fitzgerald wouldn't let the Wildcats look past the Rice Owls though, as Northwestern went on to a 28-6 victory at Ryan Field in Evanston.
Dan Persa led the Wildcats offense on Saturday. Persa has had a tough season mainly because of injuries. Against Rice the senior QB looked more like the preseason Heisman Trophy Candidate he was expected to be. Persa went 25 for 32 for 372 yards and four touchdowns.
Jeremy Ebert continued his magical season against Rice. Ebert caught seven passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. The highlight of his afternoon was a 90-yard touchdown reception that put Northwestern on the scoreboard. The 90-yard touchdown was the second longest receiving touchdown in Northwestern history.
With the victory the Wildcats improved to 5-5 on the season and are still in position for a bowl game. Northwestern will need to defeat Minnesota next weekend or Michigan State on the 26th to become bowl eligible. Both of those games are at home.
After Saturday's loss the Rice Owls drop to 3-7 on the season.