Northwestern was riding high coming into Eugene after crushing Rutgers, ripping out the heart of Pat Fitzgerald’s Michigan State team, and flaunting its ridiculous Chip Kelly offense over the largely ugly and inept offenses of the Big Ten. Last season, Northwestern was fighting for a bowl game for weeks. The bowl-eligible ‘Cats came into this game with unimaginable possibilities in the conference and maybe even dreams of the playoff. And for a half, it seemed like it was actually happening.
Northwestern started the game on fire on offense. Aidan Chiles was doing everything with his arm and his legs.