EVANSTON — Another game, another second-half dud from Northwestern’s offense.
And another loss.
After racing out to a 17-0 lead in the first half against No. 14 Michigan (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten), Northwestern (1-3, 1-1 Big Ten) couldn’t get anything going offensively in the second half, ultimately falling 20-17 and dropping its third straight game.
Clayton Thorson — who finished 16-of-27 for 174 yards — began the game in a rhythm, but that faded in the second half, in part because he didn’t have the protection to hit receivers on longer-developing routes. With virtually, no rushing attack sans Jeremy Larkin, the offense became a bunch of quick-hitting passes, which made it tough to get chunks of yards and sustain drives.