Backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in his first start of the season to lead Northwestern to a 23-20 victory against FCS program Howard on Saturday at Ryan Field in Evanston.

Cam Johnson and Bryce Kirtz each had a receiving touchdown as the Wildcats were able to stave off a late Bison rally on homecoming weekend.

Sullivan filled in for injured starter Ben Bryant and was the difference for Northwestern (3-3).

“I’m going to prepare every week like I’m the starter,” Sullivan said. “That’s the job of the backup: to prepare like you’re the starter and then nothing changes. Ben did a really great job of being a really good teammate on the sideline. He was my No. 1 supporter, so give credit to him.”

Northwestern didn’t waste much time getting on the board. After moving the ball into Howard territory on the opening drive, Sullivan faked a handoff and ran down the sideline for a 35-yard touchdown to make it 7-0. An intentional-grounding penalty on the Bison increased the lead to 9-0.

Howard (2-3) threatened to score with 5:56 left in the first half but failed to convert on fourth-and-2 on the Northwestern 20. It proved to be the turning point as Sullivan led the Wildcats down the field and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson II with 26 seconds left in the half.

Sullivan found Johnson for Northwestern’s final touchdown with 2:36 in the third to make it 23-7. He was 13-for-18 for 131 yards. Cam Porter rushed for 78 yards and Anthony Tyus added 44.

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Howard’s offense struggled in the first half before it scored 20 second-half points. Ja’Shawn Scroggins and Jarret Hunter each had 1-yard touchdown runs, then Eden James rushed for a 64-yard score. But two failed fourth-down conversion attempts deep in Northwestern territory did them in.

“This just shows the resilience of this football team,” Howard coach Larry Scott said. “We pride ourselves on that but we just ran out of time. We had to overcome some mistakes there that we have to clean up. Just understanding football games like that are hard to overcome and will come back to bite you.”

Wildcats interim coach David Braun said his team needs to be better at closing out games but was happy with the result.

“I told the guys that the second you start taking winning for granted, you have bigger issues,” Braun said. “You celebrate wins. There’s so much hard work that goes into this around the year. We’re going to hold our heads high.”

Quinton Williams was 18 of 30 for 169 yards, while James led Howard with 177 rushing yards.

Howard: The Bison play at Harvard on Saturday.

Northwestern: The Wildcats are off next weekend before traveling to Nebraska on Oct. 21.

Originally Published: Oct 07, 2023 at 6:14 pm