Sept. 5, 2009

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern used 485 yards of total offense to roar past Towson 47-14 in its home opener at Ryan Field. It is the most points NU has scored in a season opener since a 62-0 win over DePauw in 1944.

Northwestern found the end zone three times in the first quarter, opening up a 21-0 lead on the Tigers behind a pair of touchdown rushes from Arby Fields and another from Jacob Schmidt. A 72-yard touchdown pass from Dan Persa to Andrew Brewer gave the Wildcats a 28-0 lead early in the second, while a 21-yard run by Scott Concannon helped NU build a 37-7 halftime advantage.

A 33-yard touchdown pass from Peter Athens to David Newson helped Towson cut the deficit to 37-14 early in the second half. But a 26-yard field goal from Stefan Demos and a three-yard touchdown run by Concannon extended the Wildcat lead to 47-14.

Brewer finished with six catches for a career-best 145 yards and the touchdown, with Mike Kafka completing 15 of 20 passes for 192 yards. Persa was one of two on the afternoon, connecting on the touchdown pass to Brewer.

Stephen Simmons led the 'Cats in rushing, carrying the ball 18 times for 77 yards, with Arby Fields gaining 48 yards on six carries and the pair of touchdowns in his Northwestern debut. Concannon had 32 yards on seven carries with two touchdowns as well.

Defensively, Quentin Davie led Northwestern with nine tackles while Nate Williams added seven. The duo also recorded 1.5 tackles for loss each.

For more on the game, read Skip Myslenski's Point/Counterpoint.

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