EVANSTON, Ill. — If the Northwestern Wildcats, reeling from a brutal loss to Akron, were to fend off the No. 14 Michigan Wolverines at Ryan Field, they needed to punch their visitors in the mouth.
As 14.5 point underdogs, the Wildcats did exactly that, ambushing the vaunted Michigan defense with sharp execution offensively to take a 17-0 lead.
From there, Northwestern held for as long as it could. It was almost enough.
What’s that saying about horseshoes and hand grenades again?
A Karan Higdon five-yard touchdown run with 4:06 remaining in the fourth quarter capped a Michigan comeback that felt almost imminent as soon as Northwestern opened up a three-possession lead.