EVANSTON— It was a familiar sight all night long.
Flynn Nagel streaked across the middle of the field on a drag route, one step ahead of a Michigan State defender. Stepping up in the pocket, quarterback Clayton Thorson hit Nagel in stride and the junior turned upfield and tumbled into the end zone to give Northwestern (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) the lead in triple overtime.
Saturday night’s 39-31 victory over No. 16 Michigan State (6-2, 4-1) at Ryan Field was a revival for Northwestern’s passing attack. With Michigan State loading up the box to stop Justin Jackson, Thorson attempted 48 passes, completing 33 of them for 356 yards and two scores.