Northwestern suffered its first loss Saturday night at Ryan Field despite another fine performance from junior quarterback Dan Persa.

Persa threw for 305 yards, completing 31 of his 40 attempts. Eleven of those completions were to junior wide receiver Jeremy Ebert.

Persa now has thrown for 1,663 yards and 10 touchdowns. Ebert has caught 35 passes for 560 yards and five touchdowns.

The Wildcats' running game remains weak. They were held to just 84 yards rushing, their worst output of the year.

Jacob Schmidt and Mike Trumpy were the Wildcats leading rushers with Schmidt gaining 32 yards and Trumpy 23.

Penalties continue to haunt the Wildcats. They committed eight penalties for 60 yards, which is down from the previous two games.

Persa was asked what coach Pat Fitzgerald had to say. His reply: "He said they outplayed us. They wanted it more. We can't keep beating ourselves. We can't beat two teams every week."

The Wildcats came into Saturday's game rated No. 25 in the USA Today Top 25 poll, but the loss dropped them from the rankings. They did still receive 23 votes, which would rank them at No. 31.

The Wildcats have a bye this week. They will host Michigan State Saturday, October 23 at Ryan Field.

Read more Northwestern Football news on BleacherReport.com

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