Northwestern Football: Wildcats open Big Ten play with win vs. Purdue

It appeared as if we were going to get some fireworks on Thursday of the first big week of college football between Northwestern football and Purdue.

But that slowly fizzled out.

The Wildcats, who led 31-17 at halftime over the Boilermakers, used a long drive to milk most of the fourth quarter and claim a 31-27 victory in the season and Big Ten opener for both teams.

Clayton Thorson, returning from a knee injury that cost him the latter stages of 2017, finished with almost 200 yards of total offense. Jeremy Larkin, replacing Justin Jackson at running back, ran for a career-high 143.

For Purdue, true freshman wide receiver Rondale Moore was the story, as the talented newcomer electrified Boilermaker fans with his big-play abilities.

Northwestern takes a 1-0 record into a meeting next Saturday with Duke, while Purdue tries for victory No. 1 at home vs. Eastern Michigan the same day.

Here’s three things we learned from Thursday night’s game: