Setting the tone.

The message to the Northwestern defense from its coaching staff just before Northern Lehigh’s first and opening possession of the game was simple: Force a three-and-out and set the tone.

That’s exactly what the Tigers defensive unit was able to do, forcing a punt, and then the Northwestern offense and special teams took care of the rest, scoring 56 unanswered points in the first half to come away with a 56-7 victory.

“Northern Lehigh took the ball to start the game for a reason. They wanted to take the air out of the ball, put together a sustained drive and eat some time off the clock,” said Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder. “So, that was critical. To get an early stop and win on first down like we did to get them in a passing situation. That was our plan on the night, to try and put them in situations where they were a little more uncomfortable.”

Eli Zimmerman collected a night’s worth of scoring in the first quarter. Northwestern’s “human torch” started off the Tigers’ scoring barrage with a 42-yard punt return after the defense’s opening stop, scampering down the right sideline to make it 7-0 at the 9:25 mark of the first. Zimmerman would then come up with an interception on the Bulldogs’ ensuing drive, returning it to the NL 12-yard line.

A few plays later, Northwestern (2-0) quarterback Shane Leh would hit Zimmerman for an 11-yard hookup to make it a 14-0 Tigers advantage. Later in the quarter, Zimmerman would once again stay hot, taking a handoff up the middle for a 29-yard rushing score to make it 21-0 with 2:23 to go in the opening frame.

Sophomore Michael Lagowy returned an interception to the NW 42-yard line, helping Zimmerman cap off his scoring surge with a shifty 60-yard score off a burst at the 11:48 mark of the second. A Northern Lehigh defender looked to bring Zimmerman down, but Zimmerman never hit the ground, spinning down on top of the Bulldog defender, popping up and finishing the run.

“Eli can do it all. He can do it all now, and I’m glad he’s on display. He really deserves it,” said Snyder. “He’s been playing in the shadow of some pretty good football players in his career, so it’s great to see him exploding onto the scene. He has always excelled on defense, but you can see why we try to get the ball in his hands in multiple ways because of his explosiveness. He’s strong, he’s tough to tackle. It’s fun to watch him.”

Northwestern’s special teams unit also had a big night, coming through with yet another score, this time off a Seth Kern 59-yard return. Kern backpedaled on the initial catch, but was able to stop and reverse field heading down the left sideline to make it a 42-0 Tigers lead with 7:50 left to go in the half.

The Tigers were then able to get their passing game going as well. A 43-yard connection from Leh to Landen Matson made it 49-0, and a 30-yard pitch-and-catch as time expired in the half from Leh to Kern would make it 56-0 heading into the intermission.

“Northwestern is a really good football team. They took it to us tonight. They’re better than us, and we’re going to continue to work to close the gap,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout. “However, for the first time in the last few years, we’re going to actually get to play someone the same school size as us in the regular season the next few weeks coming up. We’re excited about that. I told the guys that we will bounce back and we will recover, and we’re looking forward to getting back to work.”

FLAME ON… Zimmerman turned on the after burners early on for the Tigers. In the first half, Zimmerman returned a punt for a touchdown, intercepted a pass, caught a receiving touchdown and scored two rushing touchdowns. He finished with two carries for 89 yards. On the season he has rushed only six times, but has accumulated 194 rushing yards and four touchdowns at a blistering 32.3 yards per carry.

BALL HAWKS… The Northwestern secondary made play after play, coming through with four interceptions. Zimmerman, Kern, Lagowy and Brady Zimmerman intercepted passes on the night for the Tigers.

SPECIAL SPECIAL TEAMS… In two games this season, Northwestern already has three punts returned for touchdowns.

Northwestern 21 35 0 0 - 56

No. Lehigh 0 0 7 0 - 7

Scoring Summary

NW - E. Zimmerman 42 punt return (Kern kick)

NW - E. Zimmerman 11 pass from Leh (Kern kick)

NW - E. Zimmerman 29 run (Kern kick)

NW - E. Zimmerman 60 run (Kern kick)

NW - Kern 59 punt return (Kern kick)

NW - Leh 6 run (Kern kick)

NW - Matson 43 pass from Leh (Kern kick)

NW - Kern 30 pass from Leh (Kern kick)

NL - Zambo 18 pass from Oswald (Hanna kick)