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Northwestern Football: Clayton Thorson boosts draft stock in Holiday Bowl Comeback

By Justin Heisey

SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 31: Ben Oxley #94 hugs Clayton Thorson #18 of the Northwestern Wildcats after defeating the Utah Utes 31-20 in The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl at SDCCU Stadium on December 31, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 31: Ben Oxley #94 hugs Clayton Thorson #18 of the Northwestern Wildcats after defeating the Utah Utes 31-20 in The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl at SDCCU Stadium on December 31, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Northwestern football scored 28 unanswered points in the third quarter in a comeback victory over the Utah Utes in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl.

What an incredible game. Utah second-string signal-caller Jason Shelley started off strong with back-to-back touchdown drives to finish the first quarter with a 14-point lead over Northwestern in the 2018 Holiday Bowl.

Finding themselves in quite a pickle, down 17 at halftime, the Wildcat offense called on Clayton Thorson. On their opening drive of the second half and he hit receiver Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman while rolling out to the right. With every Utah defender on the right side of the field, Bowman took off to the left and found himself out of bounds 52-yards up the field. This play would go on to change everything for the Wildcats.

Riley Lees finished the job on the next play with a four-yard touchdown rush cutting the lead to 10. With momentum on the side of the Wildcats, Utah’s Jason Shelley took the Utes 51-yards up the field. From the Northwestern 6, Shelley tried to escape the pocket and extend a play and lost the football. Northwestern Linebacker Jared McGee would scoop and score on an 82-yard fumble recovery, cutting the lead to three. Northwestern followed the big defensive outing with back-to-back touchdown drives to seal the victory.

The 31-20 lead would hold through a scoreless fourth quarter and Pat Fitzgerald secured his sixth-season with more than eight-wins at his alma mater. The Utes, who survived solely on the ground all season long, finished the game averaging less than three yards per carry and Jason Shelley finished the game throwing 45 total passes.

With such a memorable Holiday Bowl in the books, what are the big takeaways?

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