EVANSTON, Ill. -- A brisk second half start set the tone for No. 17 Northwestern on Saturday.

The Wildcats scored 17 unanswered points to open the third quarter, seizing a lead it never relinquished in a 24-19 nonconference victory over Ball State at Ryan Field.

"They threw it more for sure, they spread things out and they went a little bit faster," said Cardinals coach Pete Lembo. "There were times where we didn't read our keys and the ball got behind us on defense."

Northwestern (4-0) erased a 10-7 halftime deficit as super back Dan Vitale hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Clayton Thorson for a go-ahead score.

The Wildcats extended the lead to 24-10 lead before the Cardinals scored a touchdown late in the third quarter and added a fourth quarter field goal.

"When we needed to make some plays we did and found a way to win," said Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. "That's what's important."

Thorson threw two touchdown passes to Vitale and one to wide receiver Austin Carr.

The redshirt freshman quarterback, starting his fourth game, was 18 of 31 passing for 256 yards.

"He just trusted himself and took what the defense gave him," Fitzgerald said. "It's a process at quarterback, every rep isn't the same. ... That's a young man who's growing."

Vitale had five catches for 108 yards in a first career multitouchdown day that including a 66-yarder in the first half. Running back Justin Jackson rushed for a career-high 184 yards on 33 carries.

A 21-yard pass to Carr gave the Wildcats a 21-10 lead with 8:01 left in the third quarter and Jack Mitchell's 21-yard field goal capped the 17-point quarter Northwestern.

Ball State closed the gap to 24-16 after a 29-yard pass from quarterback Riley Neal to wide receiver Jordan Williams with 2:06 left. An extra point kick attempt was blocked.

The Cardinals moved inside the Wildcats' 20 with under five minutes to play but stalled and settled for a 36-yard Morgan Hagee field goal that pulled Ball State within 24-19.

Saturday's meeting was the first between the programs. Northwestern improved to 19-10-1 all-time against current members of the Mid-American Conference.

Neal was 13 of 34 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns for Ball State (2-2). Williams had both TD receptions, one in each half, and seven catches for 122 yards.

In the first quarter, a Ball State drive stalled at the Northwestern 13 and the Cardinals settled for a 30-yard Hagee field goal and a 3-0 lead with 9:06 left. Hagee missed a 43-yard try with 3:03 left in the quarter.

In the final seconds of the first quarter, a 34-yard James Gilbert run gave Ball State a first-and-goal at the Northwestern 4-yard line. But the Wildcats forced a fumble on the next play and recovered to start the second quarter.

Northwestern went nowhere and Ball State missed a scoring opportunity when Hagee failed on a 40-yard field goal try with 9:45 remaining in the half.

The Wildcats went ahead 7-3 with 6:30 left in the first half as Thorson connected with Vitale on the 66-yard touchdown pass, wrapping up a two-play, 70-yard drive that took 33 seconds.

The Cardinals reclaimed the lead at 10-7 when they recovered a Thorson fumble at the Northwestern 20 with 1:03 left before halftime and scored on a 22-yard, first-down touchdown strike from Neal to Williams.

"It was one of those nights where you felt good about the effort and how we competed and did some good things," Lembo said. "But at the end of the day to beat a quality team like this you have to play an extremely clean football game."

NOTES: Northwestern's win over Duke last week was its seventh nonconference victory over a Power-5 opponent since the start of 2012, more than any other team in the country. ... The Wildcats entered Saturday's game among the top defenses in the nation on third down, limiting opponents to 6 of 43 third-down conversions (14 percent), and their 5.3 points allowed led the country. ... Ball State QB Riley Neal made his first collegiate start on Saturday after playing significant minutes in two previous games. He completed 74.5 percent of his passes in the first two games. ... Ball State is home next Saturday to face Toledo in a MAC opener. Northwestern hosts Minnesota to open Big Ten play.