OFFENSIVE STARTERS Offense Game Notes ● Junior quarterback Clayton Thorson surpassed the 7,000yard passing mark in his POS No. Name Career Start career on a 12yard completion to Macan Wilson … He entered Saturday’s game with 6,991 yards and ranks fourth in program history in that category with 7,287 career passing yards. QB #18 Clayton Thorson 36 ○ Thorson finished with 26 completions and moved past Len Williams (199093) and C.J. Bachér (200508; 664) into second place alltime in NU history … He RB #21 Justin Jackson 41 has 666 completions, trailing firstplace Brett Basanez (200205) by 247 completions. SB #9 Garrett Dickerson 22 ○ With a fouryard touchdown run in the second quarter, Thorson moved into a tie with Brett Basanez (200205) for third place alltime in rushing TDs by a WR #15 Macan Wilson 8 Northwestern QB with 18 … Next on the list is Zak Kustok (199901; 22) ○ Thorson’s eighth rushing touchdown of the season put him in a tie with Mike WR #2 Flynn Nagel 20 Kafka (200509) for sixth on Northwestern’s singleseason list … The Wildcats
WR #88 Bennett Skowronek 8 improve to 132 in his career when he records a rushing touchdown … Sixteen of his 18 rushing scores have come in victories. LT #72 Blake Hance 32 ○ With an 11yard pass to Bennett Skowronek in the second quarter, Thorson surpassed Bachér (7,571) for third place in career offensive yards in program LG #59 J.B. Butler 14 history … Thorson entered the game with 7,506 yards of total offense in his career. C #69 Brad North 27 ○ Thorson has thrown for 200plus yards 17 times in his career … The ’Cats have never lost a game in which he records more than 280 passing yards. RG #71 Tommy Doles 23 ○ He won his 24th game as the Wildcat starting quarterback, extending his program record. RT #70 Rashawn Slater 9 ● Senior running back Justin Jackson f inished with 46 yards on 25 carries … He now ranks 22nd in NCAA history, tied with New Mexico’s DonTrell Moore, passing Indiana’s DEFENSIVE STARTERS Anthony Thompson (4,965), South Carolina Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers (4,958), and Rice’s Trevor Cobb (4,948). ○ The game marked only the fourth time in his career that the ’Cats have won a game in which he ran for 65 or fewer yards. ○ NU is 60 this season when outgaining its opponents on the ground. ○ Jackson’s 51 allpurpose yards today gives him 5,800 in his career and moves him into 10th in Big Ten career allpurpose yards.
POS No. Name Career Start ● Sophomore wide receiver Bennett Skowronek c aught his fourth touchdown pass of the season, an 11yard reception from Thorson. DE #97 Joe Gaziano 10 ○ Skowronek picked up his second 100plus receiving yard game of the season … He becomes the second player since 2013 to post multiple games of 100plus DT #67 Tyler Lancaster 36 yards in a single season, joining Austin Carr, who did so six times in 2016. ○ He has picked up 434 of his 544 yards this season at home (80 percent). DT #99 Jordan Thompson 21 ● Three players — B ennett Skowronek, F lynn Nagel, and M acan Wilson — had 50plus yards receiving in the game … The last time three Northwestern players posted 50plus DE #91 Samdup Miller 10 yards in one game was November 12, 2011 vs. Rice … Has not happened against a Big Ten opponent since at least 2000. WLB #10 Brett Walsh 15 ● Senior wide receiver Macan Wilson finished with 78 receiving yards … He has picked up
MLB #42 Paddy Fisher 9 328 of his 465 (71 percent) of his yards this season during NU’s fivegame winning streak. ● Redshirt first year running back Jeremy Larkin totalled 41 yards on six attempts, SLB #32 Nate Hall 22 equalling 6.8 yards per carry … That is the secondmost yards per carry of the 2017 season (min. 5 carries), trailing only his 6.9 average at Nebraska (Nov. 4). CB #12 Alonzo Mayo 4 ● Northwestern’s 96yard scoring drive at the end of the first half was its longest scoring drive of the season and its longest since a 10play, 99yard drive against No. 23 Pittsburgh in the S #21 Kyle Queiro 22 Pinstripe Bowl. ● The Wildcats improve to 92 since 2013 in games in which they pass for 295plus yards. S #16 Godwin Igwebuike 40 ● Northwestern did not record a turnover for the second time this season (also, Iowa on Oct. 21). CB #24 Montre Hartage 21 ● NU was 5for6 in the red zone in the win, improving to 39for42 (92.8 percent) … The ’Cats came into the game ranked 10th in the nation in the metric.
Defensive/Special Teams Notes, and Career Highs are on the second page:
FOOTBALL GAME NOTES: NORTHWESTERN at Nebraska (Nov. 4, 2017)
Defensive/Special Teams Notes ● Northwestern held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter for the second time this year (Iowa, Oct. 21). ● The Wildcats held Purdue scoreless on the Boilermakers’ opening drive … Northwestern has only allowed one openingdrive score this season, a touchdown pass by Michigan State (Oct. 28). ● Northwestern held Purdue scoreless in the first half … The last time the Wildcats held an opponent scoreless in the first half was at Wisconsin on Nov. 21, 2015 … NU would go on to win 137 … In 2015, the Wildcat defense held opponents scoreless in the first 30 minutes two other times, Minnesota (10/3/15) and Eastern Illinois (9/12/15). ● The Wildcats allowed 40 rushing yards against Purdue, the lowest total of the season … It is the fourthlowest total Northwestern has allowed on the ground since 2000 … This is the lowest total the ‘Cats have allowed since holding Wisconsin to 26 yards on Nov. 21, 2015. ● Through 10 games, the Wildcats are allowing 109.5 yards per game rushing … The Northwestern record for average rushing yards allowed per game is 126.2, set in 2015. ○ The ’Cats are 51 when holding opponents under 100 yards on the ground this season. ● The ’Cats allowed 398 yards through the air against Purdue, marking the second time this season NU allowed 375plus passing yards in a win (also, Michigan State, Oct. 28). ● NU has limited opponents to 27of37 red zone opportunities (.730) … The ’Cats were second in the Big Ten in red zone defense entering today’s game. ● Northwestern amassed nine pass breakups, their most this season … S ophomore defensive lineman Joe Gaziano and j unior linebacker Nate Hall led the way with two apiece. ● Senior defensive back Marcus McShepard logged his secondcareer interception (also, Minnesota, Nov. 19, 2016). ● Redshirt first year linebacker Paddy Fisher finished with seven tackles … He came into the game ranked second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally in total tackles. ● Sophomore defensive lineman Trent Goens logged a pair of sacks … The first multisack game of the season since Joe Gaziano had 2.0 sacks on Oct. 21 vs. Iowa. ● Sophomore defensive back Alonzo Mayo t otalled a careerhigh seven solo tackles, marking the ninth time this season that a ’Cats player has posted sevenplus solo tackles in a game. ● Junior defensive lineman Jordan Thompson p icked up a pair of halfsacks, totalling 1.0 sack … His firstcareer sack. ● Firstyear kicker Charlie Kuhbander drilled three secondhalf field goals, bringing his season total to 12for14 … His 12 makes are the most by a first year kicker in a single season in program history, breaking the record previously held by Ira Adler (11) in 1987 … His 36yarder in the fourth quarter broke the record … His three field goals matched the seasonhigh and the Northwestern record for most field goals in a game by a rookie kicker … He has scored 67 points in his first year in Evanston, the secondmost by an NU rookie. ● Redshirt first year Riley Lees’ 39yard punt return is the longest since junior Flynn Nagel’s 47yard return last season against Iowa on Oct. 1, 2016.
Career Highs ● Nate Hall: Pass Breakups (2; tied), Fumble Recoveries (1) ● Alonzo Mayo: Tackles (8), Solo Tackles (7) ● Trent Goens: Sacks (2), Assisted Tackles (3) ● Riley Lees: Punt Return (39)
Team Notes ● Northwestern extended its winning streak to fivestraight … The last time Northwestern posted a fivegame winning streak was in 2015, when the NU did it twice to match a program record with 10 wins … Northwestern last strung together sixstraight wins in 1996 (sevengame winning streak). ● The ’Cats have posted five fivegame winning streaks during the tenure of Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald. ● The Wildcats won their first nonovertime game since beating Maryland, Oct. 14. ● NU has seven sevenwin seasons in 12 years under Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach Pat FItzgerald, including the last three ● This was the 82nd meeting between Northwestern and Purdue, with NU winning the last four and six of the last seven … NU is 63 vs. Purdue under Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald. ● The ’Cats have won their last four games by 32 points total. ● Attendance: 33,765 ● Northwestern won the toss and elected to defer. Purdue chose to receive.
FOOTBALL GAME NOTES: NORTHWESTERN at Nebraska (Nov. 4, 2017)