Quick takes from No. 2 Ohio State's 31-7 win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field

CHICAGO - Northwestern looked great against the second-best team in the nation.

Really, they were out-gaining the potent Ohio State Buckeyes and led them 7-0 in the first quarter. The Cats looked good.

Then, the College Football Playoff contenders woke up.

Ohio State responded to NU quarterback Jack Lausch's eight-yard touchdown run with 31 unanswered points to take firm control of the game and spoil Northwestern's homecoming by beating up the Wildcats 31-3.

Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard threw two touchdowns and OSU running back Quinshon Judkins rushed for two touchdowns of his own. NU also had self-influcted wounds that teams cannot afford to have against the No. 2 team in the nation. 

Here are our takes as Northwestern hosted No. 2 Ohio State at the Friendly Confines on Saturday.

Northwestern missed multiple opportunities in the first half

The recipe for an upset includes a handful of ingredients, but the first and foremost ingredient is taking advantage of the chances ahead of you.

Northwestern had four moments in the first half where they could have capitalized and secured momentum.

On its first drive, NU went inside the Ohio State 20-yard line. Lausch was hit on a scramble and fumbled the ball away. That took a field goal off the board.

On its second drive, Lausch had Henning one-on-one with a step in the red zone but overthrew him. Lausch remedied that mistake with a touchdown on a keeper later.

On Ohio State's second drive, the Cats' defense nearly got to Buckeyes' quarterback Will Howard on third down. There was a chance it was a sack and fumble, but Howard got the ball away to Emeke Egbuka. Later on that drive, Northwestern had Ohio State at fourth and four with a chance to get off the field. OSU converted, and scored a touchdown off that conversion to tie it at 7-7.

Following that 7-7 tie, Northwestern went three and out. The Cats botched the punt snap, Hunter Renner picked up the botched snap and tried to punt it away. It was blocked out of bounds at the one-yard line, and Ohio State scored two plays later. 

Those missed chances to get off the field, score and avoid self-inflicted errors loomed large in a first quarter where Northwestern looked great statistically.

Northwestern dominated early on

Northwestern was out-gaining Ohio State 151-30.

That's not a typo. Northwestern moved the ball consistently against the Buckeyes. Lausch hit receivers Bryce Kirtz and AJ Henning for big gains. 

An under-heralded part of the Northwestern offense was Cam Porter. He rumbled for a few first downs, including one on a third and 13 play where Porter found some daylight, took a block and got the first down on his own.

That lasted for a couple of offensive drives. The miscues and missed opportunities took their toll on the Cats as the first half came to a close. Northwestern gained just 16 more drives to close out the first half.

Ohio State, at halftime, was out-gaining Northwestern 193-167.

Welcome home, Carnell Tate

It wasn't just homecoming weekend for Northwestern, it was a homecoming for Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.

The Chicago native, who attended Marist High School before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, before his junior season, was back in his hometown on Saturday. He had himself a day, too.

Tate caught two touchdown passes from Howard at Wrigley Field, on an eight-yard reception and a 25-yard reception. He had four receptions on five targets for 52 yards and his two scores.

"It's a blessing going back to Chicago," Tate told Ohio State reporters this week. "I haven't played there since my freshman year of high school, so I'm very excited to go play in front of a lot of my family and friends."

Tate, who was a five-star receiver prospect before coming to Ohio State, is establishing himself on an already loaded receiver group that includes Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith.

Smith, a true freshman, is already becoming one of the best receivers in the country. He had 100 receiving yards on Saturday. There's still room for Tate when he can be as dependable as he was on Saturday.

Northwestern has two more chances to earn bowl eligibility

Northwestern hasn't been a consistent team in David Braun's second season running the program. The Wildcats lost an overtime heartbreaker to Duke, fell on the road at Iowa and Washington and struggled against Wisconsin and Indiana.

They also beat Purdue and Maryland on the road, and beat Miami Ohio and Eastern Illinois. They beat the teams they needed to but struggled to beat the teams they wanted.

Now, NU has two games they need to win.

Northwestern has to beat Michigan on the road and Illinois in the season-finale at Wrigley Field to clinch bowl eligibility.

Those are two daunting tasks.

Michigan might be enduring a down season as the defending champions at 5-5, but playing in The Big House is always daunting for opposing teams. 

The Illini are enjoying success this season, too. Wins over Michigan, Nebraska and Kansas helped get Illinois bowl eligibility. Quarterback Luke Altmeyer is a catalyst for that success, as is a stout defense.

Getting wins over those two teams isn't impossible. NU has to play consistent football. 

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