EVANSTON, Ill. _ Clayton Thorson has the kind of body that NFL scouts dig. He's a full 6 feet 4 inches and looks beefier than his listed 225 pounds.
Northwestern's starting quarterback needed that bulk in the seminal moment of the game Saturday at Ryan Field. Thorson powered it in from 1 yard out to give his team the lead with less than six minutes to play.
And after the defense stuffed Nevada's 245-pound quarterback, Griffin Dahn, on fourth down of the next series, the Wildcats finally could breathe somewhat easy.
They emerged at sleepy Ryan Field with a stressful 31-20 victory, avoiding embarrassment as 24-point favorites.
It wasn't supposed to be this tough. Northwestern fans figured the Wildcats had learned from last season's brutal start, home losses to Western Michigan and Illinois State. They started terribly again Saturday and trailed 17-7 at halftime.
But in the end, the Wildcats survived a rash of injuries at cornerback and emerged with a victory.
Thorson snuck it in a second time for a score with 52 seconds to play. He was mostly sharp, finishing 28 for 38 with 352 passing yards, two touchdown passes and one interception.
Northwestern running back Justin Jackson, running behind a suspect line, had 109 yards on 30 carries.
