With 2:51 remaining in the game, Clayton Thorson and the Northwestern offense were faced with a decisive 3rd and 7. Nevada had just one timeout remaining and the Wildcats had the ball at the Wolf Pack 44-yard line. The conservative play would have been to hand it off to the Big Ten’s active leading rusher, force Nevada to call its final timeout and punt the football, hoping your defense can hold a four-point lead. It’s the safe play we’ve seen Northwestern make time and time again.
Thorson, however, had bigger ideas. Northwestern’s quarterback faked the handoff to Jackson and dropped a perfect 41-yard pass down the right sideline into the outstretched arms of Macan Wilson.