EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — New quarterback Preston Stone passed for 245 yards and his first three touchdowns with Northwestern, leading the Wildcats to a 42-7 rout of Western Illinois on Friday night.

Hayden Eligon II, Hunter Welcing and Drew Wagner pulled in Stone's scoring passes.

Cam Porter rushed for a touchdown and 91 yards as Northwestern (1-1) dominated its home opener at Martin Stadium, its temporary lakeside field. Backup QB Ryan Boe fought off a defender and raced 58 yards for a score midway through the fourth quarter and Luke Akers added a pair of field goals.

Stone, a graduate transfer from SMU, connected on 21 of 29 passes. He recovered nicely after throwing a career-high four interceptions in his Wildcats debut — a 23-3 loss at Tulane last week. Griffin Wilde caught five passes

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