northwestern football northwestern football Game 8 // Northwestern vs. Wisconsin // Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 KICKOFF NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS WISCONSIN BADGERS evanston, ill. 2018 Record 4-3, 4-1 Big Ten 2018 Record 5-2, 3-1 Big Ten Rankings n/a Rankings 19 (Coaches) / 20 (AP) 11 am ct Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald Head Coach Paul Chryst ryan field Record at NU (Yrs.) 91-68 (13th) Record at Wisconsin (Yrs.) 39-9 (4th) Home Record 49-36 (.576) Away Record 25-5 (.833) fox Big Ten Record 52-51 (.505) Big Ten Record 15-2 (.882) vs. Wisconsin 3-5 (.375) vs. Northwestern 2-1 (.667) wgn 720 Offensive Coordinator Mick McCall Offensive Coordinator Joe Rudolph nusports.com Defensive Coordinator Mike Hankwitz Defensive Coordinator Jim Leonhard A NORTHWESTERN WIN WOULD... ON THE AIR …Give NU 12 victories in its last 13 Big Ten contests. FOX pbp: joe davis …Extend the Wildcats' winning streak to four games. color: brady quinn sideline: bruce feldman …Be the third win in the last five meetings versus Wisconsin. WGN 720 …Snap Wisconsin's 16-game winning streak versus Big Ten West Division foes. pbp: dave eanet color: ted albrecht …Mark the Wildcats' first 5-1 start in Big Ten play since 2000. sideline: adam hoge 2018 SCHEDULE & RESULTS @ Purdue* Duke Akron Michigan* @ MSU* Nebraska* @ Rutgers* Wisconsin* Notre Dame @ Iowa* @ Minnesota* Illinois* Aug. 30 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 24 ESPN ESPNU BTN FOX FS1 ABC BTN FOX ABC/ESPN TBD TBD TBD W, 31-27 L, 21-7 L, 39-35 L, 20-17 W, 29-19 W, 34-31 (OT) W, 18-15 11 AM 6:15/30 PM TBD TBD TBD THE OPENING DRIVE INSIDE THE NUMBERS QUEST FOR THE WEST -- With more than half the Big Ten slate in the rearview mirror, Northwestern sits a half a game atop the Big Ten West standings with a 4-1 mark. The Wildcats will host No. 19/20 Wisconsin on Saturday at Ryan Field in the Northwestern extended its Big Ten first of four remaining conference games versus West opponents. The Badgers are 3-1 in conference play, as is No. 18 road win streak to six games with a 6 18-15 win at Rutgers Iowa, whom the ’Cats will visit on Nov. 10. Y2K -- Northwestern is off to a 4-1 start in Big Ten play for the first time since 2000. The Wildcats finished the 2000 campaign under head coach Randy Walker 6-2 in conference play to earn a share of their last Big Ten championship. First year Isaiah Bowser scored the first two touchdowns of his career in SETTING THE STAGE -- The Wildcats enter Saturday's contest versus Wisconsin winners of three-straight and winners of 12 2 the victory at Rutgers of their last 13 Big Ten contests. The ’Cats and Badgers have split each of the last four meetings, with NU winning back- to-back affairs in 2014 and 2015 and the Badgers claiming each of the last two. Bowser became the first true first year BIG TEN ROAD WARRIORS -- Chicago's Big Ten Team™ won its sixth-straight LAST SIX BIG TEN ROAD GAMES Wildcat to rush for over 100 yards Big Ten road contest with an 18-15 victory at Rutgers. The Wildcats have 108 since Justin Jackson in 2014. allowed fewer than 20 points in three of the six contest and are averaging Oct. 20, 2018 at Rutgers W, 18-15 31.3 points per game offensively during the stretch. October 6, 2018 at No. 20 Michigan State W, 29-19 Clayton Thorson has started August 30, 2018 at Purdue W, 31-27 B1G TIME PLAYER -- Junior defensive end Joe Gaziano registered his 18th 46-straight games at quarterback. career sack last Saturday at Rutgers to take over sole possession of sixth November 25, 2017 at Illinois W, 42-7 46 He is second among active FBS quarterbacks behind Jake Browning. on the NU career list. Gaziano was previously tied with DWayne Missouri November 4, 2017 at Nebraska W, 31-24 (OT) (1997-2000). More impressively, 15 of Gaziano's 18 career sacks have October 14, 2017 at Maryland W, 37-21 come during Big Ten play and only one Big Ten player (Anthony Nelson, Senior wide receiver Flynn Nagel's 18.5, Iowa) has more career sacks. 25-game catch streak is the second 25 longest in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State's KJ Hill. FYI Rushing Passing Total Scoring Rushing Total Turnover Penalty LAST MEETING Yards/GM Yards/GM Offense Offense Defense Defense Margin Yards/GM • Northwestern uses the term “first year” to refer to its new 78.1 296.3 374.4 24.3 143.3 373.0 -0.29 32.1 student-athletes, abbreviated by “Fy.” • The correct abbreviation for Northwestern is 282.1 179.1 461.3 33.0 168.7 356.1 +0.71 48.6 24 33 “NU,” not “NW” or “NWU” or the like. Rushing Passing Total Scoring Rushing Total Turnover Penalty Yards/GM Yards/GM Offense Offense Defense Defense Margin Yards/GM Sept. 30, 2017 • Madison, Wis. •The correct logo for Northwestern is the “Block N.” Please contact Kyle Kelley at kyle. [email protected] if you are in need. TWITTER & INSTAGRAM: @NUFBFAMILY /// FACEBOOK: /NUFOOTBALL 2018 game notes 1 northwestern football northwestern football FIRST DOWN BOWSER'S CASTLE -- First-year running back Isaiah Bowser recorded career highs REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS -- Senior quarterback Clayton Thorson completed 17- with 24 carries, 108 yards and two touchdowns in the Wildcats' win at Rutgers on of-34 passes for 150 yards at Rutgers, moving past Kyle Orton (Purdue, 9,337) and Oct. 20. Bowser became the first true first-year Wildcat to rush for 100 yards and two J.T. Barrett (Ohio State, 9,434) for eighth in Big Ten history with 9,453 career passing touchdowns since Justin Jackson (130 yards, 2 TD) versus Illinois on Nov. 24, 2014. yards. Thorson needs just 262 more yards to eclipse Chad Henne (Michigan, 9,715) The Sidney, Ohio, native became the fourth Big Ten rookie running back to rush for for seventh. 100 yards and two scores in a game this season. RARE COMPANY -- By surpassing 9,000 career passing yards versus Nebraska on Oct. Big Ten First-Year Running Backs to Rush For 100 Yards and Two scores in a Game 1, Clayton Thorson joined former Ohio State Buckeye J.T. Barrett as the only other Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota at Ohio State 23 carries, 157 yards, 2 TD Big Ten player to pass for 9,000 yards and score 20 rushing touchdowns in his career. Stevie Scott, Indiana at Ball State 18 carries, 114 yards, 2 TD SHOULDERING THE LOAD -- Thorson has copleted 176-of-288 attempts for 1,905 yards Anthony McFarland, Maryland at Minnesota 6 carries, 112 yards, 2 TD and nine touchdowns this season to lead the Wildcats' offense. He ranks eighth in Isaiah Bowser, Northwestern at Rutgers 24 carries, 108 yards, 2 TD the country in completions per game (25.14), 18th in passing yards per game (272.1) and 20th in total passing yards (1,905). #FEEDFLYNN -- Senior wide receiver Flynn MOST RECEPTIONS THROUGH 7 GAMES (Northwestern Since 2000) 450 & CHANGE -- Thorson's career-high 455 passing yards versus Nebraska were the Nagel extended his consecutive games with sixth most in a single-game in program history and are tied for the sixth-highest a catch streak to 25 with seven receptions for Flynn Nagel, 2018 56 total among Power 5 programs in the country this season. The Wheaton, Illinois, 71 yards in the ’Cats win at Rutgers. Nagel's Shaun Herbert, 2005 54 native is the only Big Ten quarterback, and one of just nine quarterbacks across the career-high 56 catches in his senior campaign country, to throw for 350-plus yards in at least three games this season. are the most by a Wildcat receiver since the year MOST RECEIVING YARDS THROUGH 7 GAMES 2000, while his 693 receiving yards are second (Northwestern Since 2000) THE FLYIN' HAWAIIAN -- Senior running back Chad Hanaoka provided a spark to the in the same time frame behind only Austin Austin Carr, 2016 720 Wildcats' offense at Rutgers, setting career highs with six carries for 26 yards and Carr in 2016. The #HOMEGROWN product of Flynn Nagel, 2018 693 two receptions for 15 yards. Hanaoka, who was awarded the No. 1 by his teammates Lemont, Illinois, ranks third in the nation with prior to the season, had just 21 all-purpose yards in his career prior to the Rutgers 8.0 receptions per game and is 15th in receiving yards. He ranks second and third in contest. the Big Ten, respectively. 2018 SCHEDULE AND RESULTS Aug. 30 at Purdue* West Lafayette, Ind. ESPN 7 p.m. CT W, 31-27 NU claimed its fifth-straight vic- Boilermakers (4-3) Rosse-Ade Stadium tory over Purdue Sept. 8 DUKE Evanston, Ill. ESPNU 11 a.m. CT L, 21-7 The Wildcats and Blue Devils Blue Devils (5-2) Ryan Field have split 20 meetings Sept. 15 AKRON Evanston, Ill. BTN 6:30 p.m. CT L, 39-35 NU is 19-12-1 all time versus Zips (3-3) Ryan Field current MAC programs Sept. 29 MICHIGAN* Evanston, Ill. FOX 3:30 p.m. CT L, 20-17 Four of the last five meetings Wolverines (7-1) Ryan Field have been decided by one score Oct. 6 at Michigan State* East Lansing, Mich.