Northwestern struggles to contain Columbia in wet night of football

WEST SALEM – Wet, rainy nights on the football field can be tough to manage for many teams.

For Northwestern on Friday night, it had to do just that and deal with Columbia. Neither went so well for the Huskies, as they were handled 43-13 by Columbia (2-1) and dropped to a 1-2 record through three games.

Turnovers played a role in the Huskies' defeat (two fumbles and an interception) but it was Columbia's ball-control offense and attitude on the field (players were constantly vocal and talking plenty of trash to Huskies players throughout) that played a key role in the Raiders' victory.

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"We were not good X's and O's wise," said Northwestern coach Steven Carozza. "I failed in my job this week and I gotta get better at preparing them."

Northwestern's start wasn't bad, as quarterback Isaac Beun's touchdown pass to Mason Myers on their first offensive drive of the game put the Huskies up 7-0 but not much else happened after that. Beun totaled two touchdowns and one interception on the night. Columbia's aggressive running style just took over and when the rain starting pouring down, the Raiders only seemed to get stronger.

Four different Raiders players scored rushing touchdowns, as the Huskies struggled to contain Columbia even more in the second half. The Raiders wore down the Huskies as the game went on.

"We have to get better against the run," Carozza said. "We came out flat in the second half and they were ready to go. When we get into WCAL (Wayne County Athletic League) play, that's what many teams are going to do. Run first, pass second. We have to do the little things better before we play Norwayne next week. That's what I told the guys."

jsimpson@gannnett.com

Twitter/X:@JamesSimpsonII

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Northwestern struggles to contain Columbia in wet night of football