Dan Persa threw for a career-best 307 yards on a career-high 24 completions Saturday night.Dan Persa threw for a career-best 307 yards on a career-high 24 completions Saturday night.

Wildcats Stifle Owls' 'O', Race to 30-13 Road Victory

Sept. 18, 2010

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Site: Houston, Texas (Rice Stadium)
Score: Northwestern 30, Rice 13
Records: NU (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten), Rice (1-2, 0-0 Conference USA)
Next NU Event: Sept. 25 -- vs. Central Michigan (Ryan Field), 11 a.m. CT

HOUSTON -- Northwestern's Dan Persa completed a career-best 24 passes for a career-high 307 yards Saturday night at Rice, complementing a Wildcat defense that did not allow a touchdown until the game's final minute in a 30-13 win that moves NU to 3-0 on the season.

Persa threw for one touchdown and ran for another without turning the ball over in helping NU win for the 10th time in its last 13 road games.

Northwestern took the opening kickoff and drove 49 yards down the field before a 42-yard Stefan Demos field goal gave the Wildcats the first lead of the game, 3-0.

Both teams traded punts until early in the second quarter when Corbin Bryant forced a Rice fumble, which was recovered by Jack DiNardo. Persa led Northwestern down to the Owls' 10-yard line on the ensuing drive, but a sack and a penalty on the Wildcats stalled the drive and led to a 28-yard field goal from Demos.

Later in the quarter, Quentin Davie stepped in front of a Taylor Cook pass and returned it 11 yards for a Northwestern touchdown and a 13-0 Wildcat lead. The pick was Davie's third in NU's last two games. Rice answered with an 11-play drive to end the half, kicking a 31-yard field goal as time expired to go into the locker room with the score 13-3.

Northwestern forced a Rice three-and-out to start the second half, then Hunter Bates returned the Owl punt 33 yards to the home team's 27-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Persa found Jeremy Ebert for a 27-yard touchdown pass to extend the Wildcats' lead to 20-3.

Rice again answered the NU score with a drive deep into Wildcat territory before Northwestern stopped the momentum and forced a 24-yard field goal. Just as the Owls answered, Persa then directed a 12-play, 74-yard drive spanning 5:39 before scampering 18-yards to paydirt to give the Wildcats a 27-6 advantage with 4:07 left in the third.

In the fourth quarter, Demos tacked on his third field goal of the game with a 21-yarder with 7:48 left to push the score to 30-6. With 2:29 showing on the clock, Rice initiated what proved to be a 97-yard drive that culminated in a 10-yard touchdown rush by Turne Petersen with 14 seconds remaining to account for the final score.

Persa's favorite target on the night was superback Drake Dunsmore, who hauled in six passes for 87 yards.

Defensively, Davie led NU with 10 total tackles -- including two behind the line of scrimmage - to go along with his pick-six interception return. Defensive end Vince Browne was active all night for Northwestern, finishing with seven tackles (six solo), three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

With its nonconference road schedule complete, Northwestern returns home Saturday to take on Central Michigan with start time scheduled for 11 a.m. The game is part of Evanston Day at Ryan Field and will be preceded by a pep rally in downtown Evanston on Thursday, Sept. 23.

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