PISCATAWAY, N.J. — It may leave a bad taste in Northwestern’s mouth, but the Wildcats are headed back to Evanston with an 18-15 win, and a 4-1 record in conference play.
A punt-fest in Northern New Jersey had upset written all over it until late in the fourth quarter. Coming off of an overtime win against a winless Nebraska team, the Wildcats came out slow again as Rutgers (1-7, 0-5 Big Ten) almost collected their first conference win of the season. The Scarlet Knights used an explosive running play and a safety to jump out to a 15-7 lead before Northwestern finally wore them down in a game where neither team averaged more than four yards per play.