Northwestern held off Purdue, 21-14, on Saturday at Ryan Field to pick up its eighth win of the season. The Wildcats struggled for most of the game, but the defense stepped up late, and Clayton Thorson led a touchdown drive after being replaced by Zack Oliver midway through the third quarter.
Here's what Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern players had to say after the win:
Pat Fitzgerald
- Fitzgerald: "I'm never going to apologize for going 1-0 in a Big Ten game." But, he acknowledged that his team has to be a lot better.
- Fitzgerald said he spoke with offensive coordinator Mick McCall after Thorson's interception: "We just felt like we wanted to take him out, let him take a breather for a second here.