SAN DIEGO — Northwestern didn’t initially look ready to play, and then it did — then it really did.
Then the No. 22 Wildcats (9-5, 8-1 Big Ten) won the game, defeating No. 17 Utah (9-5, 6-3 Pac-12) 31-20 in the Holiday Bowl, erasing a 17-point halftime deficit with a tidal wave of a third quarter in which the Big Ten West champs outscored the Utes 28-0 and forced four turnovers. Northwestern’s defense was stellar in this one, forcing six total turnovers and notching seven tackles for loss without several key contributors.
Clayton Thorson, who went 21-of-30 for 241 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, broke Brett Basanez’s 13-year passing record on a 24-yard pass to Berkeley Holman in the second quarter, before leaving the game after an awkward slide in the fourth quarter.