Bleacher Report - Northwestern Football

The Amazing Story of Northwestern Football's Senior Class

Aaron Morse — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:09:30 -0500

Tomorrow afternoon, 21 NU seniors will play at Ryan Field for the final time.

They've been through hell and have emerged as one of the most successful senior classes in Northwestern football history.

For many of the seniors, 2005 was their first year in the program. It was a banner year for Northwestern football, as Brett Basanez helped lead the 'Cats to the Sun Bowl, where they fell just short in a memorable battle with the UCLA Bruins.

It seemed like NU had turned the corner and was set up for years of success.

Then on June 29, 2006, the unthinkable happened. Head Coach Randy Walker died of a heart attack at the age of 52.

All of a sudden, football just didn't matter anymore. It would have been understandable if many had decided to transfer.

But they didn't.

They stayed, and on July 7, 2006, Pat Fitzgerald was named as the new Head Coach. He immediately became the youngest coach in all of college football.

The senior class has grown along with Fitzgerald since that day.

2006 was the first year any of this year's seniors (save Defensive End Corey Wootton and Safety Brendan Smith) saw action on the field.

It was a rough season to say the least. It would have been a difficult season even without the added burden of Coach Walker passing away. After all, NU was trying to find a new quarterback with Basanez playing on Sundays.

I too am a senior, and did not follow Northwestern football until the day I was admitted to the university. I learned about Coach Walker's passing from the Northwestern home page.

I remember listening to their emotional win over Miami (OH), which of course is where Walker used to coach.

Mike Kafka started at quarterback that day to open the 2006 season. I heard he was a red-shirt freshman and assumed he'd be the quarterback for my entire time at Northwestern.

But like so many in this senior class, he faced some personal adversity right away as he got injured in the Nevada game, and didn't start again until this year.

With Kafka out, it was Andrew Brewer's turn to try the quarterback position. Brewer was a highly touted recruit out of Oklahoma where he played for a traditional football powerhouse and excelled as a dual-threat quarterback. But to be quite frank, he was not very good at Northwestern.

When sophomore CJ Bacher finally got healthy, Brewer was out of a job, but not for long. Northwestern's seniors have a 3-0 record at Kinnick Stadium for a reason...they just seem to love it there. Brewer's transformation into this year's No. 2 receiver began there, when he caught a deep throw from Bacher to set up a NU touchdown.

But Brewer had to deal with even more adversity in 2007, when he missed the entire year with an injury. After a great game against Syracuse to start 2008, Brewer again battled through injuries the remainder of the year.

Now, in 2009, Kafka and Brewer have re-emerged as vital cogs in NU's offense. After a spectacular cameo last year against Minnesota, where he set the Big Ten single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback, Kafka has used his arm more than his legs this year.

People doubted his passing before the season, but his success through the air is a tribute to his hard work and the coaching staff at NU. Buried behind Bacher for the past few seasons, Kafka has been an upgrade over what Bacher provided last year.

Meanwhile, Brewer has finally turned into the wide receiver we were all dreaming he could be back in that Iowa game in 2006.

The latest example being his huge catch on a seam route against Illinois, which set up a Northwestern touchdown. He's been consistent as well, in fact, the only receiver who has been better than him this year might be the most improbable story of them all.

Zeke Markshausen played wide receiver and ran track at Division Three UW-Platteville in 2005. He walked on at Northwestern and red-shirted in 2006.

Markshausen has said that the coaching staff gave him a week-long tryout, and that he was just trying to fit in, and not be noticed for doing anything wrong. Well, they noticed him doing a lot right, and he made the team.

But before this magical senior season, he only had one career catch. Currently, he's second in the Big Ten in receptions. Teammates have described Markshausen as the hardest worker on the team by far, and this year the effort and persistence has paid off.

He and his fellow senior receiver Brewer both share a strong Christian faith that has kept them going through the tough times.

Both will walk off Ryan Field tomorrow as some of the more resilient players in NU history. Hopefully, they can get a Senior day victory and a bowl win as well.

Our story of perseverance is certainly not limited to the offensive side of the ball. Corey Wootton actually played in four games as a freshman, but got hurt in the fourth, and got a medical hardship.

I remember going to the Eastern Michigan game my freshman year and thinking, "Man, No. 99 is huge, I hope he's good, he looks like a beast!" When Wootton first signed with the Wildcats, Walker said he had the potential to be the best defensive player in NU history.

That's a lot of pressure to put on a freshman. Wootton underachieved relative to fans' expectations in 2006 and 2007. But in 2008, he emerged as one of the best players in the entire conference, if not the country.

A dream season for Wootton ended abruptly though as he tore his ACL while pursuing Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel.

Wootton had to go through a very tiring and difficult rehab in order to get back for the 2009 season.

As Fitzgerald, who also dealt with injuries during his time in Evanston, said, the biggest challenge is to regain that mental confidence to play football at full speed again.

Wootton started 2009 slowly, and suffered a minor injury midway through the season, furthering his difficulties.

But at the same time, he made the play of the season against Iowa. He sacked Ricky Stanzi in the end zone, jarring the ball lose, and fellow senior Marshall Thomas recovered it for the touchdown.

On the play, Stanzi was hurt, and from that point on, NU dominated on defense as they shocked the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes.

Senior Safety Brendan Smith has a chance this year to make history. If he plays in NU's bowl game, he will become the first player ever at Northwestern to play in three bowl games during his career. But for Smith, it's also been a long, difficult journey to this point.

After a freshman All American Honorable Mention season in 2005, Smith performed well in 2006 as well, earning All Big Ten Honorable Mention honors that year. But in 2007, just like Brewer, Smith suffered an injury that forced him to take a medical hardship.

But he battled back and made possibly the most memorable play of the past decade for NU when he picked off an Adam Weber pass and returned it to the house as time expired to beat the Golden Gophers in one of the most improbable wins in NU school history. He was once again an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection.

But in 2009, it's once again been a rough road for Smith as a hand injury will keep him off the field on Senior Day.

But he told me that he's not letting this injury prevent him from playing in the bowl game, and hopefully helping NU to their first bowl win since 1949.

These are just some of the stories of this senior class. You can find a full list of all the seniors being honored tomorrow here .

There are seniors who rarely saw the field who are being honored for their hard work in helping out the program in their own way, such as quarterback Joe Mauro and linebacker, now student coach, Chris Jeske.

Their careers maybe didn't go as planned, but neither did any of these seniors' careers. They started at Northwestern under Walker, persevered through his shocking death, and have emerged with success that would have been unfathomable in 2006.

This is the first group to lead NU to three consecutive seasons of bowl eligibility, they will be the second group to lead NU to back-to-back bowls, and they could be the first since 1949 to actually win a bowl game.

But as Corey Wootton reminded me, they need to focus on beating Wisconsin first.

They can expect a standing ovation tomorrow, no matter what the result.

Read more Northwestern Football news on BleacherReport.com

Pat Fitzgerald: A Better Fit at Northwestern than at a Big Time Program

Joe Slowik — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:26:49 -0500

The annual rumors concerning potential major NCAA football coaching vacancies have started, and Pat Fitzgerald's name has come up often in connection with Notre Dame.

This isn't terribly surprising considering that Fitzgerald is a young coach that has been successful at Northwestern in the Big 10. However, I have a hard time seeing him leave.

This isn't just the usual commentary about his loyalty, although Fitzgerald is a Northwestern alum that seems to bleed purple. It's not about his recently signed a seven year contract extension that could keep him in Evanston for the foreseeable future either.

It's not even about his recent quote in a Chicago Tribune article, where he said, "I think I've made my intentions and my feelings about Northwestern crystal clear," when commenting on the situation. He also said that his previous love for the Irish "died a long time ago."

Those are all factors, but the biggest reason that I believe he won't go anywhere is that I just don't feel that Fitzgerald is a good fit at a top tier football program.

While I'm a big fan of Fitzgerald and hope he stays at Northwestern for a long time, let me be realistic for a moment. His record at Northwestern is only 26-22 so far (14-17 in conference), with a season high of nine wins.

That simply wouldn't cut it at a major program.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, the guy some think he might replace, is on the hot seat with a 6-4 record. Ron Zook was fired after three years at Florida despite a 23-14 record. John Cooper was let go at Ohio State after an 8-4 season and a record of 111-43-4 as the Buckeye coach. Frank Solich was 9-4 in his last season at Nebraska and had a 59-11 record there, yet was fired before the Alamo Bowl in 2003. I could keep going, but I think you get the point.

Expectations for major football programs are ridiculously high. Bowl games are taken for granted and conference championships, maybe even national championships, are expected. While that's not necessarily fair, it's a fact of life at many programs.

At this point in his career, Fitzgerald simply doesn't seem like a good fit for a major program. He has led some competitive Northwestern teams, but they have yet to have a truly great year under Fitzgerald. If I were the athletic director at a major program, my goal would not be to replace a winning coach that hasn't lived up to the lofty expectations with a coach that has a similar record.

Fitzgerald is in a very good place at Northwestern. His team is going to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 1996 and the program seems to be on the rise. He also has job security because of the extension he signed in June as well as very reasonable expectations at NU. At Northwestern, making a bowl game is a solid year and a 10-win season might earn him a parade.

All of that would be gone at a major program. While his salary would increase substantially, he could be on the way out the door if he didn't go to a BCS bowl relatively soon. Even back to back BCS bowls to open his Notre Dame career has only bought Weis five years at Notre Dame.

A move to a bigger program for Fitzgerald simply doesn't make a lot of sense for either party. Because of that, he'll probably be patrolling the sidelines at Ryan Field for several more years, if not longer. Northwestern fans are happy to have him and will appreciate him far more than a larger program like Notre Dame ever will.

Read more Northwestern Football news on BleacherReport.com

Wisconsin-Northwestern Preview: Giving the People What They Want

Jeff Robbins — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:58:08 -0500

Game Info:

Who: Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats.

Where: Ryan Field, Big Ten Network.

When: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2:30 PM CST.

Give the people what they want.

It’s the oldest axiom in show business and one that I saw confirmed this weekend as I attended two very different concerts—Sesame Street Live and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

There was nothing horribly wrong with the Sesame Street Live show, and my two-year-old daughter loved every minute of Bert, Ernie, and Elmo extolling the virtues of having a healthy imagination.

But myself, my wife, and—most annoyingly—my six-year-old son were forced to use our imaginations far too often during the show as we all imagined ourselves being somewhere far more interesting.

The only time the three of us snapped to attention was during the show’s finale of “I Don’t Want To Live On The Moon,” which was literally the only chestnut from the television show amid a bunch of new songs that paled in comparison to Sesame Street classics like “Doin’ The Pigeon,” “Monster In The Mirror,” and “Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree.”

With that kind of rich songbook to cull from, the folks behind Sesame Street Live would be wise to just do the hits. You know, what the people want to hear.

In contrast, Bruce Springsteen concert Sunday night in Milwaukee was about the hits and long-standing concert favorites. Rosalita . Dancing In The Dark . Badlands . Hungry Heart . The entire Born To Run album played in sequence.

In short ,the 60-year-old rock legend gave the people what they wanted. And it was a tremendous show, perhaps the best E Street show I’ve seen.

Professional and collegiate sports, which are certainly close cousins of show business, are also about giving people what they want, and the Wisconsin Badgers did that tremendously last Saturday in what may have been their most impressive all-around victory of the season, a 45-24 whooping of Big Ten rival Michigan.

You like offense? Wisconsin piled up 469 yards, their second highest total this season.

You like balanced offense? (Coaches do.) Saturday’s win was by far the most balanced the Badgers have been all year, with 229 yards on the ground and 240 yards through the air.

You like big-name players playing big-time football? How about Scott Tolzien throwing for four touchdowns and rushing for one? A performance good enough to get him his second Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award of the season. How about John Clay gaining 151 yards and going over 1,000 yards for the season? How about freshman Chris Borland registering 11 tackles? How about O’Brien Schofield adding to his conference-leading 19.5 tackles for a loss?

And how about the defense holding Michigan’s league-leading rushing attack to an itty-bitty 71 yards on the ground?

Wisconsin’s done a lot of good things this year, but outside of perhaps their running game and rush defense, they haven’t been particularly consistent.

Can they follow up last week’s pounding of Michigan with perhaps an equally impressive victory over a Northwestern team that has improved mightily since the last time the Badgers faced them in 2006?

Let’s look at the Channel 3000 three storylines for Saturday’s Big Ten finale:

Revenge Part II

Much was made about Bret Bielema and the Badgers seeking retribution over Michigan last week, but there is an even stronger vengeance plot here.

Saturday’s game is the first meeting between these teams since Bielema fired former Badgers defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz after the 2007 season. Hankwitz, now the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator, has done just fine in Evanston, as the Wildcats finished fourth in the Big Ten in team defense last year (four places higher than Wisconsin) and currently rank in the top half of the conference defenses in 2009.

The ousting of Hankwitz from Madison was by all accounts not amicable (Bielema this week admitted that “I’m sure I’m not very popular in the Hankwitz household), and you can be sure that Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald is plotting with Hankwitz on ways to settle the score with Hankwitz's former boss.

Look for the Wildcats—who have forced six turnovers in their last two games—to play very aggressively on defense. If John Clay can hold on to the football and if the Badgers offensive line can protect Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin should be able to create some big plays out of what could be an overzealous Northwestern defensive game plan.

Finishing Strong Part I

The window hasn’t completely closed on Wisconsin earning a share of the Big Ten conference title They need to Michigan to beat Ohio State in order for that to happen. And although Ohio State’s excellence is overrated, Michigan’s awfulness is not.

Heading into Saturday, it seems that the 5-4 Packers have a better chance to come back and win the NFC North over the 8-1 Vikings than the Badgers have of winning a share of the Big Ten title.

But that doesn’t make Saturday’s game any less important. With a win, the Badgers should finish (assuming they beat Hawaii in two weeks) tied for second in the Big Ten, which would ensure them a very nice bowl invitation. With a loss, Wisconsin could finish fourth in the conference, which would leave them in a far less prestigious bowl.

Purdue Part II or Indiana Part II?

Mike Kafka, the Wildcats quarterback, has been one of the best quarterbacks in the conference on one of the most pass-happy teams in the Big Ten, with only Purdue throwing the ball more. However, Kafka’s efficiency has been compromised in the past two weeks due to a hamstring injury that has limited his mobility.

In recent weeks, the Badgers have faced two other teams who, like Northwestern, have effective quarterbacks and below-average running games.

Wisconsin was able to completely shut Purdue down on Halloween in a 37-0 blowout at home, but it was a different story at Indiana the following week. The Hoosiers’ Ben Chappell carved up the Wisconsin secondary for 323 yards on 25-of-35 passing attempts. (Indiana only earned 63 yards rushing in the 31-28 Badger victory.)

Either way, the Badgers should be able to emerge victorious, but if Kafka is able to get hot, it could be a nail-biter, which is not what Wisconsin fans want.

Predicted final: Wisconsin 27, Northwestern 21.

Read more Northwestern Football news on BleacherReport.com

Northwestern-Wisconsin Football Rivalry Renewed for Big Ten Finale

Jonathan Hodges — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:09:52 -0500

Riding a two game winning streak (with both wins coming over Big Ten foes on the road), Northwestern (7-4, 4-3) comes back to Evanston for its 2009 regular season finale against BCS No. 16 Wisconsin (8-2, 5-2), who are fresh off of a 45-24 beatdown of Michigan last week in Madison.

Both teams have locked up bowl berths following the season, and this game is all about positioning for the postseason. The Wildcats want to climb up the bowl ladder as high as possible, while the Badgers are looking to all but secure a January bowl and stay in the BCS at-large fringe (which could come to fruition if both Penn State and Iowa lose and UW wins out).

Northwestern and Wisconsin haven't met since the 2006 season, Coach Fitzgerald's first as head coach, and NU defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz will have his first chance at revenge after being let go from the Badgers' coaching ranks following that year. And the Badgers will be looking for their first win in Evanston in a decade, with their last coming in their 1999 Big Ten Championship season.

The Wildcats' resurgence late in the year has come thanks to the defense, who rank 14th nationally with 24 turnovers gained on the year, and are ranked fifth in the conference in rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense, and scoring defense. The NU defense has looked much better in recent weeks when compared to some games earlier in the year as multiple players are now closer to 100 percent on the injury front.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, has continued to steamroll towards another double-digit win season on the back of their powerful rushing attack that is tops in the conference and ranks 16th nationally, churning out 208 yards per game.

RB John Clay has continued the Badgers' string of strong running backs, as he has already racked up 1,124 yards on the ground this season and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 112.4 yards per game.

Those facts set up an interesting matchup with the Northwestern defense looking to contain a Wisconsin attack that isn't fancy but finds a way to run over its opponent week after week.

And although these two teams haven't met in a couple of years, there is a level of rivalry between these two schools that are separated by just 145 miles. They are evenly matched at 5-5 in their last 10 meetings and had high-scoring battles where NU came out on top in both 2000 and 2005.

Look out for another hard-nosed battle as both teams lay it all on the line for their final Big Ten game of the year, and even though the postseason picture has begun to form, both squads want to bolster their position in the eyes of the bowl committees.

Opening Line

Wisconsin by 6.

Who Should Win

Wisconsin. The Badgers have the Big Ten's best ground attack and the conference's leading rusher and a reliable and efficient quarterback to go along with that (QB Scott Tolzien ranks 34th nationally in pass efficiency).

And, of course, they feature very strong line play on both sides of the football, ranking fourth in the conference in both scoring and total defense.

Their only two losses this season came to the two teams that are clearly the top two in the Big Ten: Ohio State and Iowa, and Wisconsin had a shot at winning both of those games.

The Badgers are also looking to solidify their bowl footing and secure a Jan. 1 bowl berth while also looking to stay on the fringe of a BCS bid, waiting in case both Penn State and Iowa falter.

Upset Factor

The Wildcats haven't been playing pretty football, but they have found a way to win seven games this season, including that huge road win over Iowa (who looked pretty good themselves this past week in Columbus even with their backup quarterback).

The NU defense has improved by leaps and bounds over what they looked like earlier in the year (particularly against Syracuse and Minnesota), and the offense has done its part by moving the ball rather efficiently (Northwestern had 444 yards of total offense against Illinois).

If the steadily improving Wildcat defense can contain the Wisconsin rushing attack and the offense can move the ball as well as we've seen in some flashes (particularly the third quarter last week, where NU had 169 yards of total offense), then the 'Cats could hang around in this one, only needing a mistake or two from Wisconsin to steal a win.

What to Look For: Northwestern Offense against Wisconsin Defense

NU QB Mike Kafka posted his fourth game of the season with over 300 yards passing, despite still being limited on the ground with his nagging hamstring injury. Despite not being able to use designed quarterback runs or scramble when the field is open, he led the NU offense to an efficient day against Illinois.

NU would have likely put the game away much earlier if Stefan Demos had hit at least one or two of the field goals that he missed.

The ground game even helped out NU's cause, with Arby Fields and Scott Concannon combining for 87 yards on the ground while both posted some significant runs. The offensive line looked much improved from earlier in the year as they opened holes while also giving Kafka time to throw (they allowed just one sack on the day).

The receivers, a relatively unsung group, continue to be reliable options, with seven guys possessing over 100 receiving yards on the season and eight players having caught 10 or more balls this year. In total, 16 different players have caught a pass this year, meaning that NU's opponents cannot afford to leave any eligible receiver open.

Overall, the NU offense ranks 31st nationally in passing yards (257.2 yards per game), and with the offensive line opening holes and Kafka's hamstring returning to full strength, they have a shot at giving the Badgers a headache.

On the other side of the ball, Wisconsin provides a formidable threat on defense. They rank 19th nationally in total defense and are 16th in the country in tackles for loss, averaging 7.3 per game.

They're also 33rd nationally in sacks, averaging 2.5 per game, and have two monsters at defensive end: J.J. Watt (who has 10.5 TFLs on the year), and O'Brien Schofield (who has an insane 19.5 TFLs and 8.0 sacks this season, and is also third on the team with 51 tackles).

Needless to say, the Wildcats' offensive line has a tough job in store on Saturday.

The linebacking corps is led by senior Jaevery McFadden, who leads the Badgers with 62 tackles, but Culmer St. Jean isn't far behind with 55 stops this year.

If there is one weak point to the Badgers' defense, it is the secondary and pass defense in general, as Wisconsin ranks 48th nationally, giving up almost 208 yards per game through the air. They have also allowed 16 passing TDs to just 7 rushing on the year. But NU shouldn't get too comfortable, as the Badgers are tied for 19th nationally in interceptions with 13 this season.

What to Look For: Northwestern Defense against Wisconsin Offense

For the Wisconsin offense, their game plan starts and ends with the power rushing game. Starting RB John Clay is the leading rusher in the Big Ten with 1,124 yards on the season and has 12 touchdown runs on the year to boot. Overall, the Badgers average 4.6 yards per rushing attempt and feature the nation's 16th ranked ground game.

The Badgers also have depth at RB, with Montee Ball and Zach Brown combining for 487 yards and 6 touchdowns on the season. But their offense doesn't stop there, as Chicago area native Scott Tolzien has posted solid numbers at quarterback and is the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

On the year, Tolzien has completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,957 yards and 14 touchdowns while tossing only 9 interceptions. Last week, he threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns on just 24 pass attempts.

The Badgers' receiving corps is led by WR Nick Toon, who leads the Badgers in receptions and receiving yards. TE Garrett Graham leads UW in receiving TDs with five and provides a big target to hit coming off of the line.

The Wildcat defense will have its hands full up front, without a doubt. And the secondary must play disciplined football or else risk being burned deep.

Despite a relatively poor start to the year, the NU defense has turned it around as of late and now ranks 40th nationally and fifth in the conference in rushing defense (yielding just 125.7 yards per game), and comes in at 44th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten in total defense as well.

Corey Wootton has been coming on strong as of late, tallying both a sack and another TFL against Illinois and now has a sack in three of the last four games.

The one part of the game that has helped the 'Cats the most is turnovers: NU ranks 14th nationally having taken the ball away 24 times this season. And NU doesn't allow long sustained drives that often, either, ranking 31st nationally with a 35 percent third down conversion defense.

Defensive tackles Adam Hahn and Corbin Bryant will have to create whatever pressure they can up front, while linebackers Nate Williams and Quentin Davie (tied for second and first on NU in tackles this season) will have to plug the holes as they attempt to contain the Wisconsin running game.

And, despite being banged up, the Northwestern secondary has done an admirable job, but will have one more challenge against UW. The Badgers will utilize play action early and often, and the secondary must avoid clamping down on the run at the expense of deep coverage. Sherrick McManis tallied his fourth interception of the year to seal last week's game, and will have to continue his solid play at corner to bolster NU's upset hopes.

It will be interesting to see if NU S Brendan Smith can return for his last game at Ryan Field, and expect Brad Phillips to tough out another game despite injuring his hip at Illinois last week (he did come back into the game after the injury).

What to Look for: Special Teams

Northwestern P/K Stefan Demos will be looking to recover from a forgettable performance against Illinois that included three missed field goal attempts and a shanked punt that went 12 yards. Hopefully the performance was an aberration, as he would be needed in a tight game, and has already hit two game-winning field goals this season.

The 'Cats' return game troubles have continued, as NU ranks 89th nationally in punt returns and 105th in kick returns. But, thankfully, the Badgers are worse than NU in both of those categories, ranking 105th and 107th, respectively. Don't expect much excitement in the return game on Saturday.

Wisconsin kicker Philip Welch has been reliable on the year, hitting 38-of-39 XPs and 13-of-19 field goals, including two kicks of 50 yards or longer.

Miscellaneous Notes

Turnovers

Northwestern is now 5-0 on the year when winning the turnover battle (after having a +2 turnover margin against Illinois) and 2-4 when losing it.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, is 5-0 when winning the turnover battle, 2-2 when losing, and 1-0 when the turnover margin is zero.

For the season, Northwestern's turnover margin is +0.36 per game while Wisconsin's is +0.40 per game.

Second Quarter Scoring

Both teams have been very successful in the second quarter of games this year.

Wisconsin has outscored opponents by 83 points in the second (137-54), while NU has outscored its foes by 71 (126-55).

Third Down Conversions

These two teams are almost identical on both sides of the ball in third-down conversion rates.

Northwestern's offense is converting 48 percent, exactly the same rate as Wisconsin's offense.

On defense, the Wildcats are allowing a 35 percent rate, while the Badgers are allowing opponents to convert 36 percent of their third downs.

Game Time

Northwestern is 7-2 in 11AM (CT) starts this year and is 0-2 when the game starts at another time. The game against Wisconsin is a 2:30PM kickoff.

Bowl Positioning

Wisconsin will be looking to lock up a Jan. 1 bowl berth and stay in the hunt for a possible BCS at-large bid (if both Penn State and Iowa lose on Saturday). A win over Northwestern essentially guarantees them a spot in the Outback Bowl or better.

Northwestern, meanwhile, wants to put itself in the best position possible when Bowl Selection Sunday rolls around on Dec. 6, and the best way to do that is to win. Virtually every major media projection has the Wildcats headed to the Champs Sports Bowl, and an upset win over Wisconsin could make that a worst-case scenario for NU.

Other games this week for NU fans to keep an eye on are the Minnesota-Iowa game at 11 AM CT and the PSU-MSU tilt at the same time as the Northwestern game; in fact, those games may have more of an impact on NU's bowl positioning than the 'Cats' own game.

Wins by Iowa and PSU will essentially guarantee the Big Ten a BCS at-large berth while holding both MSU and Minnesota to 6-6 records, both of those facts helping Northwestern (who would be 7-5, even with a loss).

Injury Report

Northwestern

RB Alex Daniel (ankle, out for season), LB Ben Johnson (hamstring, doubtful), S Brendan Smith (hand, doubtful), OL Desmond Taylor (shoulder, doubtful)

Others still have nagging injuries (Kafka: hamstring, Persa: hand, Phillips: various), but will continue to play. Smith's and Johnsons' status will likely be revealed later in the week after practices have taken place.

It's interesting to note that Northwestern has gotten relatively healthier as the season has progressed after seeing the depth chart swell early in the year, with many key contributors unavailable against Syracuse at the height of the storm.

Wisconsin

OL Josh Oglesby (knee, questionable), LB Mike Taylor (knee, out for season).

The Badgers have had their share of injuries, including one to key LB Taylor against Iowa, but they have also found some relative healthiness at the end of the season.

Prediction

Northwestern 17, Wisconsin 24

Expect Northwestern to keep this one close as the defense does all it can to slow down Wisconsin's ground game. Unfortunately, though, NU won't be able to keep them off the scoreboard completely, meaning the offense must put up some points to give the 'Cats a chance.

And against a stout Badger defense, the Wildcats will have a tough time moving the ball effectively, especially if Kafka is not at 100 percent and therefore doesn't present a running threat.

The key to the game for Northwestern is turnovers: both teams are undefeated (5-0) on the year when winning the turnover battle, and the 'Cats need to generate takeaways and then take advantage of them in order to pull off this upset.

Wisconsin is a very disciplined team that executes their game plan well, making them tough to beat. This should be an interesting and physical contest, though, as both teams conclude their Big Ten seasons.

Go 'Cats!!!

Read more Northwestern Football news on BleacherReport.com

Northwestern Football Making a Big Statement on Campus

Aaron Morse — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:36:05 -0500

One of my roommates does not care about sports at all. He grew up in Florida in a family that was passionate about sports, but that fervor turned him off entirely.

After I returned from Champaign Saturday night, I sat down to watch Pittsburgh beat Notre Dame.

He entered the living room a little later.

"I really hope we can go to a bowl game in Orlando," he told me.

I nearly fell out of my chair.

It may have taken back-to-back road wins over Iowa and Illinois, but Northwestern football fever is sweeping through our campus.

Even the die-hard fans were jumping off the bandwagon after the Wildcats suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Syracuse and Minnesota.

The mood was so bad, I had to write an article pleading for fans not to abandon all hope of a Bowl game.

Now everyone is fired up.

People who said to my face that we were going to lose to Illinois (something about a let-down game against our rival, which makes no sense), are now confident we can definitely beat Wisconsin!

Students who were convinced after the disappointing loss to Michigan State that Detroit would be NU's best destination for the holiday season are now gleefully predicting NU will go to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.

Isn't it funny how an upset over a Top-5 team on the road and a solid victory over our in-state rival can turn the attitudes of a fickle fan-base around oh-so-quickly?

A note on the nature of our fair-weather fans: During the first half of the Penn State game, the student section was mostly full, although there were a bunch of empty seats towards the back.

When NU took the lead into halftime; those previously empty seats were suddenly full at the start of the second half.

Expect the place to be packed to the rafters against Wisconsin.

Of course, if NU falls behind 28-3 to the Badgers as they did against the Hoosiers, expect that place to empty out.

That's the nature of the NU student body. But right now everyone is very happy indeed.

Winning cures all.

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Northwestern-Illinois: Wildcats Win First Land of Lincoln Trophy 21-16

Jonathan Hodges — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:34:07 -0500

On a rather balmy mid-November afternoon, Northwestern (7-4, 4-3) defeated Illinois (3-7, 2-6) by a final score of 21-16 to claim the very first Land of Lincoln Trophy, after bringing home the last edition of the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk last year in Evanston.

The game was also an important milestone for the Wildcats, as NU is now guaranteed of a winning record on the year and a bowl berth (the bowl pairings will be announced on Dec. 6).

The game started off as a field position battle, with the two teams combining for just three points in the first 29:43 of the game, although Northwestern managed to grab the lead just before halftime on a 28-yard Mike Kafka pass to Zeke Markshausen following an Illinois turnover. Prior to that, the Wildcats had missed two field goals, while the Illini missed one of their own on a drive that started at the NU 35 after Stefan Demos shanked a punt.

In fact, it was quite a forgettable day for NU kicker Stefan Demos, who missed all three of his field goal attempts of 47, 50, and 31 yards, and had the aforementioned shanked punt that went for all of 12 yards.

The Illini special teams efforts weren't much better, as they missed a 23-yard field goal and had two punts go for touchbacks instead of pinning Northwestern deep.

Speaking of pinning NU deep, the drive of the game came in the third quarter after Illinois pinned NU at their own one-yard line. Following a false start penalty, the Wildcats had the ball as close to their goal line as possible. Here is the sequence of events that followed:

1st-and-10 at NU 1: Kafka run for 2 yards.
2nd-and-8 at NU 3: Scott Concannon run for 13 yards. First Down
1st-and-10 at NU 16: Kafka pass to Andrew Brewer for 11 yards. First Down
1st-and-10 at NU 27: Kafka pass to Brewer for 52 yards. First Down
1st-and-10 at Ill 21: Kafka pass to Markshausen for 20 yards. First Down
1st-and-Goal at Ill 1: Kafka run for 1 yard. Touchdown

That score put NU up 14-3. Northwestern would drive for another touchdown on their next drive, a 12-play 80-yard drive capped off by an Arby Fields TD run (his first touchdown since the Purdue game).

The Wildcats were going to the air and carving up the Illini defense thanks to Kafka's precision strikes and had built up a 21-3 early in the fourth quarter.

As anyone who has watched the 'Cats knows, though, NU finds a way to make every game interesting.

Illinois QB Jason Charest, who started the game but was pulled after a rather poor showing in the first half, returned in the fourth quarter and promptly led the Illini on an 11-play 80-yard touchdown scoring drive, capped off by his own 10-yard TD run. Illinois went for two to try and cut their deficit to only 10, but failed.

On the ensuing kickoff, Illinois made a surprise onside kickoff attempt, but NU special teams member Hunter Bates astutely jumped up and grabbed the ball before any Illini players got close. That gave NU the ball at the Illinois 40-yard line with a chance to seal the game, as they led by 12 with just over 10 minutes left to play.

NU moved the ball down to the Illinois 14-yard line, helped out by a pass interference penalty, and set themselves up for a makeable 31-yard field goal that would have put NU up by 15 with just about six-and-a-half minutes to play (which would have forced Illinois to score two TDs and convert a two-point conversion on at least one of them).

Instead, Demos missed his third field goal of the day and the 'Cats gave Illinois a chance to get back into the game.

The Illini didn't waste their first opportunity, promptly driving 80 yards in under two-and-a-half minutes for a touchdown off of a Charest pass from 32 yards out, and cutting the NU lead to 5 (21-16).

With just over four minutes to play and Illinois holding all three of their timeouts, they decided to kick off to the 'Cats and force NU to move the ball or else give the ball back with a chance for Illinois to win.

Northwestern gained a first down and burned almost three minutes of time, but were forced to punt as they predictably kept the ball on the ground and couldn't churn out another first. Illinois got the ball back on their own 21 with 1:14 left on the clock and no timeouts.

After two incomplete deep balls, Charest completed his third down pass attempt and set up 4th-and-1 with the clock ticking.

Charest completed a pass to Jarred Fayson that would have been a first down, but Sherrick McManis immediately tackled Fayson and came up with the ball. The officials ruled it an interception, later saying that the receiver never completely possessed the ball while McManis pulled it off of his chest for an interception.

The play was reviewed and the ruling on the field stood, giving NU the ball back and allowing the 'Cats to down the football, run out the clock, and come away with their seventh win of the 2009 season.

Player of the Game

QB Mike Kafka (23-of-37 passing for 305 yards and 1 TD; 7 rushes for 12 yards and 1 TD) : Despite still being hampered with his hamstring injury, his spot-on passing allowed the Wildcats to move the ball well in the middle of the game and pile up a lead that would be good enough for the win. He was a big reason that Northwestern avoided any turnovers on the day, the first time this season that NU gave zero turnovers in a game. Although some points were left on the field thanks to three missed field goals, he and the offense did enough for the 'Cats to take home a big win.

Northwestern Honorable Mentions

WR Zeke Markshausen (6 catches for 104 yards and 1 TD): Although he dropped the ball on a fourth down late in the second quarter, Zeke responded nicely, grabbing a 28-yard pass just seconds later (on the drive after a Nate Williams interception) and putting NU ahead 7-3 at the half. Once again, he proved to be the Wildcats' most reliable receiver.

RB Scott Concannon (9 carries for 37 yards for 4.1 yards per carry): Despite not being an every-down running back and not putting up huge numbers, Concannon does what it takes to help NU churn out victories. He had two vital carries to help propel the 'Cats to a win: the 13-yard run with NU backed up against its own end zone, and the eight-yard run to gain a first down and help eat more clock near the end of the game.

CB Sherrick McManis (5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 interception): McManis racked up his team-leading fourth interception of the year, which put an end to Illinois' last-gasp comeback attempt. He also grabbed a big tackle for a loss earlier in the game and helped limit Illinois to just 162 yards passing.

Offensive Line: The 'Cats only allowed one sack on the day, despite having Kafka essentially immobilized, and opened up enough room to generate 139 rushing yards. The line finally looks like its gelling, and its solid performance was definitely a reason that the 'Cats avoided any turnovers on the day.

What to Work On

Special Teams: After having started the year making 14-of-16 field goal attempts with his only two misses being blocked, Stefan Demos had quite a forgettable day, missing three attempts and shanking a punt. Hopefully he got it out of his system, and thankfully the NU offense did enough for the Wildcats to pull out the win.

Defensive Line: Although the Northwestern defense limited Illinois to just 16 points on the day, they didn't generate much pressure up front, grabbing just one sack while allowing 4.7 yards per rush. They'll face an even tougher test against Wisconsin's large front next week as they look to open up holes for John Clay, the Big Ten's leading rusher.

Finishing: Yes, NU won the game thanks to a big defensive play, but the 'Cats didn't do themselves any favors by letting Illinois score two TDs in the final quarter. The Wildcats had multiple chances to come up with that big defensive play earlier, the offense could have put the icing on the cake by getting the ball in the end zone, and the special teams blew their chance to make a short field goal.

Stop Whining

For the second straight week, NU fans have heard plenty of whining from the opposition over how the officials called the game. Once again, a team that finds itself relying on a judgment call or two from the officials probably hasn't put itself in a position to win the game.

There was an arguable non-call as LB Bryce McNaul made contact with Illinois' intended receiver on a failed two-point attempt. But, it looked like the receiver intentionally slowed and initiated the contact, while McNaul made no effort to impede the receiver (he did make a move on the ball, though, by batting it down cleanly).

And on Illinois' fourth down pass attempt, it was hard to tell exactly what happened, but the officials were in the best position to call the play. The referee explained it well after the game when he said that the receiver never clearly possessed the ball and McManis grabbed the loose ball off of the receiver's chest for the interception.

In the end, Northwestern did what it took to win the game while Illinois did not.

Random Observations

Turnovers: The 'Cats moved to 5-0 on the year when winning the turnover battle (two turnovers to no giveaways), as they grabbed two interceptions (half the number that Illinois has had during the entire year.

All-time run: With the win, NU clinched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1995-96 and back-to-back bowl berths for the second time ever. The current 22-14 run over the last three years is the best over such a period since 1929-1931 for the Wildcats.

Trophies: Northwestern grabbed the first edition of the Land of Lincoln Trophy; they won both the first and last editions of the now-retired Sweet Sioux Tomahawk trophy.

Third Down Conversions: After coming into the game converting 49.4 percent of their third downs, Northwestern converted just 35.7 percent (5-of-14) against Illinois. The defense played its part, though, allowing a conversion rate of just 28.6 percent (4-of-14).

Bowl Positioning

With the win over Illinois, Northwestern guaranteed itself a bowl berth and all but guaranteed a warm weather destination. The most likely options are the Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, FL on Dec. 29), the Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX on Jan. 2), and the Insight Bowl (Phoenix, AZ on Dec. 31).

The exact positioning mostly depends on whether the conference gets two teams into BCS games, which the Big Ten is in a good position to do.

Ohio State has locked up the automatic berth to the Rose Bowl, while Iowa (No. 13 in the BCS) and Penn State (No. 14 in the BCS) are both eligible and in good position for one to be selected for a BCS at-large berth if they win games next week in which they will likely be favored (against Minnesota and Michigan State, respectively).

If that happens, and the rest of the season plays out the way it's expected, then Northwestern is in prime position to go to the Champs Sports Bowl (the fourth selection in the conference, moving down to fifth if a Big Ten team gets a BCS at-large berth). If not, then the Insight Bowl is a likely destination since the Alamo Bowl hosted NU last year and would be hard-pressed to take them in two consecutive seasons.

No matter what happens in next week's Big Ten games (except the Indiana-Purdue game, which features two teams eliminated from bowl contention), the actual destination won't be obvious until they are announced during the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 6, about three weeks from now.

Final Thought

It wasn't pretty, but once again Northwestern did what it took to pull out a gritty road win over a conference rival. The 'Cats have now won six of the last seven against Illinois and have guaranteed themselves both a winning record and a bowl berth this season.

But the work isn't done, as Northwestern faces a tough Wisconsin team next week to close the regular season. Yes, we know that the 'Cats will be playing somewhere warm in about a month-and-a-half, but the Wildcats need to bring it to try and finish the regular season on a strong note.

Go 'Cats!!!

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