SAN ANTONIO — It looked like missed kicks would ruin the Cats today.

Amado Villarreal had missed a field goal and an extra point earlier in the game, leaving the game tied at 23 going into the final minutes.

Missouri took possession of the ball at its own 34-yard line with 1:32 remaining in the game and efficiently moved the ball into field goal range, with Chase Daniel making a few nice completions.

Finally, Mizzou decided it had gone far enough for Jeff Wolfert, who was 3-for-3 on field goals for the game. After each team took a timeout, Wolfert had a chance from 43 yards, in the middle of the field.

Wide right. New life for the Cats.

This one has gone to overtime. It looks like a classic.

SAN ANTONIO — Northwestern had a chance for a game-winning drive but could not convert. But after starting at its own 20 with just under three minutes to play, NU went three and out and punted back to Mizzou, which had just tied the game with a field goal.

Missouri now has a chance, starting on its own 34-yard line with more than 90 seconds to go.

The NU defense held Mizzou to a game-tying field goal, but suffered a huge loss in the process. While pursuing Chase Daniel, defensive end Corey Wootton fell to the ground, his knee buckling when he tried to change direction. He had to be helped off the field and will not return.

The Cats also had a chance to prevent the field goal when Daniel overthrew his receiver. But the ball went through Sherrick McManis’ hands. Eventually, Jeff Wolfert hit a 37-yard field goal.

SAN ANTONIO –This one’s going to go right down to the end.

Perhaps energized by retaking the lead, the NU defense came out with another fine effort to start the fourth quarter. The Cats forced a punt about a minute into the period and took over on their own 10-yard line.

NU picked up one first down, as C.J. Bacher connected with Rasheed Ward, putting Ward over 100 yards for the game. But a few plays later, defensive end Styker Sulak got his second sack of the game, blowing past Al Netter again and forcing an NU punt.

The Tigers got great field position at the NU 49-yard line but couldn’t do anything with it after getting one first down. NU did a great job on an attempted reverse, as linebackers Prince Kwateng and Nate Williams combined to drop Jared Perry for a five-yard loss. On third down, Daniel had Tommy Saunders open down the right sideline but threw wildly and far out of bounds.

However, Mizzou punter Jake Harry helped out his squad by pinning NU at its own goal line. NU tried to move the ball down the field but was hampered by two holding calls on Keegan Kennedy. After a 17-yard run by Tyrell Sutton moved the back over 100 yards for the game, the Cats had 3rd-and-4 on their own 21 but Bacher threw incomplete to Ward. The Cats punted, and Mizzou has the ball on its own 48 with 5:56 left, down by three.

SAN ANTONIO –Ross Lane just made the biggest catch of his excellent career.

With the ball on the Mizzou 24-yard line, C.J. Bacher lofted a pass to the back of the end zone to Lane. The ball just floated over the outstretched hands of strong safety Kenji Jackson. Lane, who was behind Jackson, leaped and made the catch, falling backwards and dragging one his feet just in front of the back line. The play resulted in a touchdown and a 23-20 NU lead after the extra point with 34 seconds left in the quarter.

The play was made possible by safety Brad Phillips, who intercepted  Chase Daniel, jumping in front of  his pass to the left sideline. Three plays later, Lane came through with his huge catch.

Before that, it looked like NU was in trouble, when C.J. Bacher was intercepted by Brock Christopher. That play led to a field goal that made it 20-16 Missouri.

SAN ANTONIO — Before we get to the second-half action, here are some key first-half statistics.

Total offense: NU-204 yards, Mizzou-136

Punt returns: NU-1 for 0 yards, Mizzou-1 for 75 yards and a touchdown

Turnovers: NU-0, Mizzou-2

Penalties: NU- 0 for 0 yards, MIzzou- 4 for 17 yards

Daniel: 14-20, 95 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT/ Maclin: 2 rushes, 16 yards/ Maclin: 5 catches, 57 yards

Bacher: 14-22, 146 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT/ Sutton: 18 rushes, 71 yards/ Peterman: 4 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD

And on to the second half, with the score tied at 10. NU gets the ball first and starts on its own 20. Bacher hits his first three passes on the drive, and then Sutton picked up four yards and a first down to the Mizzou 46-yard line. With Mizzou putting nine defenders in the box, Rasheed Ward was one-on-one against Carl Gettis and burned the Tigers’ cornerback. Bacher threw a perfect pass to Ward on the go route, and the result was a 46-yard touchdown. However, Amado Villarreal’s extra point, bounced off the upright and was no good.

On the ensuing possession, Missouri marched right down the field and scored on 12 plays, converting a fourth-and-1 along the way when Daniel audibled and ran a quarterback draw. He then hit Danario Alexander for an 11-yard touchdown on third-and-10. Unlike his counterpart, Jeff Wolfert converted the extra point, giving Mizzou a one-point lead with 7:20 left in the third quarter.

SAN ANTONIO — Here’s a look at how this 10-10 tie has progressed based on what I thought the important issues would be beforehand.

1. Will C.J. Bachér make his final game a memorable one? NU’s quarterback hasn’t been spectacular, but he has been solid, completing 14 of 22 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, he has not thrown an interception and also did an admirable job of holding onto the ball on a vicious sack by Styker Sulak. He has played about as well as the Cats could have hoped.

2. Can NU keep the Missouri defense/special teams off the board? Unfortunately for the Cats, no. The NU offense has not turned over the ball, but near the end of the half, Stefan Demos mistakenly punted the ball to Jeremy Maclin. The speedster made him and the Cats pay with an untouched 75-yard touchdown scamper that tied the game.

3. What will Mizzou’s attitude be? It’s hard to say, but what is certain is that the Tigers have not been clicking on all cylinders. NU deserves credit for playing a good game thus far, but Mizzou also has looked just a little off. The eighth least-penalized team in the FBS has been hit with four flags, and the vaunted Tigers’ O hasn’t generated any big plays.

4. Which running game will be most effective? NU’s. Tyrell Sutton has shown few ill effects from his wrist injury, picking up 71 yards on 18 carries — while also picking up 28 receiving yards. Derrick Washington has been stuffed, gaining only 11 yards on six attempts. The Tigers’ most effective runners have been Jeremy Maclin (two carries, 16 yards) and Chase Daniel (two carries, 14 yards).

5. Can Pat Fitzgerald match Gary Pinkel? Neither one has faced a truly crucial decision yet, although you could second guess Fitz for trying a 47-yard field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-two. Villarreal missed what would have been his season-long field goal.

Thoughts: NU has done almost everything right, but went into the locker room tied because of that one huge special teams blunder. The defense has been fantastic, but the offense’s inability to fully capitalize has been troubling. Momentum tends to be overstated, but if it exists, it’s clearly on Mizzou’s side to begin the second half. However, the Cats will get the ball first in the third quarter.

-Andrew Simon

SAN ANTONIO — The Northwestern defense has continued to play shockingly well against the Missouri offense, but the NU offense has not quite been able to take full advantage. Worse yet, NU got burned on special teams.

The Cats forced their second turnover of the game when reserve safety David Arnold blitzed, hitting Chase Daniel as he released the ball, causing it to flutter up in the air toward the sideline, where it was picked off by diving defensive end Corey Wootton. Yet the Cats could not capitalize despite starting at the Mizzou 49-yard line. NU got one first down but then stalled, as Jeremy Ebert dropped a potential first-down pass on third-and-2. Then Amado Villarreal missed wide left on a 47-yard field goal try.

Then the NU defense stepped up again, giving up one first down before forcing a punt, benefiting from another penatly by Missouri, which is playing uncharacteristically sloppy.

The Cats started the ensuing possession at the 10, getting to their own 46. But on second-and-10, defensive end Styker Sulak blew by Kurt Mattes and sacked Bacher for a 10-yard loss. NU had to punt two plays later, which turned out to be unfortunate.

That’s because Jeremy Maclin took Stefan Demos’ punt, avoided the NU gunners and raced untouched up the middle of the field for a 75-yard game-changing score. That’s exactly the type of play the Cats had to avoid.

NU takes over with 53 seconds to go and is satisfied to run out the clock. The half ends with a 10-10 tie.

Check back soon for halftime analysis.

SAN ANTONIO — The NU defense spent the latter part of the first quarter bending to the will of Chase Daniel and the Missouri offense. But the Cats started the second period by refusing to break. Facing a third down at the NU 13-yard line, Daniel was flushed out of the pocket by the NU pass rush and threw over the head of Danario Alexander in the end zone. The Tigers had to settle for a field goal.

The Cats matched that on their next possession, answering Mizzou’s 14-play drive with a 12-play drive of their own. The highlights were a 31-yard pass to Ross Lane, who shook a defender to make a big play, and an 18-yard screen pass to Sutton, who does not seem bothered by the cast on his left forearm.

NU got a first and goal at the 4-yard line after a pass interference penalty but like so many other times this season, could not punch the ball into the end zone, settling for a 21-yard Amado Villarreal field goal.

The Cats are playing well so far but also have not taken full advantage of their chances, something that could haunt them later in the game, if the Tigers get their act together.

Also of note: Starting right tackle Desmond Taylor is doubtful to return because of a knee injury and starting safety Brad Phillips’ return is uncertain due to a head injury.

SAN ANTONIO — With an early lead in hand, Northwestern squandered a huge gain and got a huge break on the same play. Facing a third-and-10 at their 10-yard line, the Wildcats got a perfectly executed screen pass, from Bacher to Sutton. Sutton charged up the right sideline, shook a defender and raced into the open field and into Mizzou territory. But instead of being satisfied with that, Sutton lowered his shoulder and tried to plow over safety William Moore. Bad move. He fumbled, and Mizzou recovered. The play was nullified by an offsides, but the Cats still lost a 43-yard gain. NU picked up a first down but ultimately had to punt.

Missouri started its third possession at its own 15 and has marched straight down the field behind Chase Daniel, who has completed eight of nine on the drive so far and also scrambled for a first down. The quarter ends with Mizzou on the NU 13, facing a third-and-nine.

Overall, NU has gotten off to a great start, but we’ll see how long the Cats can hold the Tigers’ offense.

SAN ANTONIO — The Alamo Bowl got off to as good a start as Northwestern could have hoped. Missouri got the ball first and picked up two first downs, to the NU 47. But then Chase Daniel’s pass bounced off receiver Jeremy Maclin — fellow receiver Jared Perry was right next to him and seemed to interfere — and safety Brian Peters corralled the interception.

NU got the ball and marched quickly down the field, going 60 yards in 2:26. Tyrell Sutton looked good, rushing for 12 yards on three carries. The Wildcats punctuated the drive when C.J. Bacher threw a perfect pass over the middle to a streaking Eric Peterman. When safety William Moore slipped, Peterman caught the ball and kept on going for a 35-yard score.

Missouri went three-and-out on its next possession.