Oct. 8, 2001
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GAME 5
No. 24* NORTHWESTERN (3-1, 1-1) vs. MINNESOTA (1-3, 0-2)
*ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll
Date/Time: Oct. 13, 2001/11 a.m. CDT (Homecoming)
Site: Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill.
Capacity/Surface: 47,130/Natural Grass
Television: ESPN Regional (Wayne Larrivee, Randy Wright, Jim Barbar)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play, Ted Albrecht, color) (also on wgnradio.com)
The Game
Coming off its first loss of the season, Northwestern returns to Ryan Field for a two-game homestand starting with Saturday's homecoming contest versus Minnesota. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CDT. ESPN Regional will telecast the game with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and Randy Wright (color) describing the action from the booth and Jim Barbar (sideline) providing the insight from the sideline.
The Golden Gophers, who enter Saturday's game with a 1-3 record, have earned trips to postseason bowl games the past two seasons. A bowl berth this year would give Minnesota an unprecedented three consecutive postseason showings. Offensively, the Gophers are returning nine starters from their record-setting offense that set a school mark for yards per game with a 429.1 average. First-team all-Big Ten selection Ron Johnson, a Biletnikoff Award candidate, ranks second in the league in receptions per game (6.8) and sixth in receiving yards per game (79.8). Running backs Tellis Redmon (102.8 ypg) and Marion Barber III (70.8) rank fifth and eighth, respectively, in Big Ten rushing. Minnesota's defense, which lost nine starters from a year ago, is allowing 398.2 ypg (10th Big Ten) and 28.0 ppg (10th). UM head coach Glen Mason is in his fifth season and owns a 23-28 mark at Minnesota.
Following a 3-0 start--its best opening to a campaign in 39 years--Northwestern will try and avoid dropping successive games for the first time since the end of the 1999 season. The Wildcats suffered a 38-20 setback at Ohio State Saturday night. OSU's defense kept NU's offense in check. The Wildcats, who rank first in the Big Ten offense with a 444.2 per game average, were held to a season-low 306 yards in Columbus. Tickets are still available for Saturday's clash with the Gophers. Fans can call 847-491-CATS to purchase tickets or access additional information.
The Series with Minnesota
Series Record: UM leads 46-27-5
At Evanston: UM leads 26-12-3
At Minneapolis: UM leads 20-15-2
Current Win Streak: Northwestern, 1
Last Meeting: Oct. 28, 2000 (Northwestern 41, Minnesota 35)
First Meeting: 1892 (Minnesota 18, Northwestern 12)
Series Notes: While the Gophers hold a comfortable 46-27-5 edge in the all-time series, the Wildcats have won four of the last five meetings, including last year's dramatic 41-35 decision at the Metrodome ... Outside of Minnesota's 33-14 victory in 1999, every contest between the Wildcats and Gophers since 1988 (eight games) has been decided by 10 points or less.
The Last Meeting with the Golden Gophers
Oct. 28, 2000-Northwestern completed one of its most stirring comebacks in school history when Zak Kustok unleashed a 45-yard scoring pass as time expired to give the Wildcats a 41-35 victory at the Metrodome. The play, which is called "Victory Right," and used in the Sept. 29 win over Michigan State, resulted in a Sam Simmons catch in the end zone. Kunle Patrick tipped the ball to Simmons, who was standing all alone. That score capped a run of 27 straight points by Northwestern, which trailed 35-14 with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Kustok completed 18 of 32 passes for 209 yards and also ran for 90 yards. He was involved in all four second-half touchdowns. Damien Anderson rushed for 230 yards on 34 carries and scored two TD's. The Gophers, which led 28-14 at halftime, received a 251-yard passing performance from quarterback Travis Cole. Minnesota totaled 543 yards in total offense.
The Ohio State Recap
Oct. 6, 2001--Unable to get its offense on track against a formidable Ohio State defense, Northwestern suffered its first loss of the year, falling 38-20 to the Buckeyes in front of an Ohio Stadium-record 104,042 spectators. The loss extended the Wildcats' winless string versus OSU to 22 games. Northwestern put together an impressive drive on its first possession, marching 80 yards in 13 plays. The drive was capped with an 8-yard scoring run from Damien Anderson (Wilmington, Ill./Wilmington). That tied the game at 7-7. Following its first offensive series, however, the Wildcats failed to cross midfield on their next nine possessions. And while the NU offense was grounded, the Buckeyes were rolling, building a 38-7 advantage toward the end of the third quarter. The Wildcats did not quit and came back with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to cut the margin to 18. Quarterback Zak Kustok (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) scored on a 2-yard run before tossing a 4-yard pass to receiver Jon Schweighardt (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South). Time was not on the NU side, though, and the Wildcats were unable to reach the end zone again. Northwestern finished with 306 yards in total offense. Ohio State, meanwhile, gained 287 of its 396 yards of total offense on the ground. Jonathan Wells gained 179 yards.
Northwestern Head Coach Randy Walker
2000 Dave McClain Big Ten Coach of The Year
Randy Walker is in his third season at Northwestern after spending the previous nine years (1990-98) at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In just two years with the Wildcats, Walker directed a stunning turnaround. After a 3-8 season in 1999, he engineered a complete overhaul of the Wildcat offense and the result was an 8-4 record, an Alamo Bowl berth and a share of the 2000 Big Ten championship.
Walker was recognized for his efforts last season by both his peers and the media, as he was named Dave McClain Big Ten Coach of the Year and the Region 3 Coach of the Year by the AFCA. Walker owns a 73-48-5 career record in 11 seasons and a 14-13 mark at Northwestern. Prior to gaining his first head coaching job at Miami in 1990, Walker spent one year as an assistant at Miami (1977), 10 years as an assistant at North Carolina (1978-87) and two years as an assistant at Northwestern (1988-89).
Walker came to Evanston with an impressive coaching resume already intact. The 47-year-old Walker departed Oxford as the winningest head coach in school history. His mark at Miami of 59-35-5 (.621) is even more impressive when you consider the coaching greats which Miami has produced: Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler ... and the list goes on. Walker graduated from Miami in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in social studies education and earned a master's degree in educational administration from his alma mater in 1981. He starred for Miami as a fullback, leading them to three-straight Tangerine Bowl victories. Upon graduation, Walker was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, but returned to Miami to help as a graduate assistant and the next year became a full-time assistant in charge of running backs under Dick Crum. When Coach Crum departed for North Carolina, Walker joined him and spent the next 10 seasons as a Tar Heel. He coached various positions, ending up as the offensive coordinator. From there, he spent two seasons as Northwestern's running backs coach (1988-89) and, in 1990, took over as the head coach at Miami.
The Year Was 1949 ...
At the Big Ten Media Day Kickoff event on August 1, Northwestern was tabbed the league's preseason favorite by five votes over second-place Michigan. Ohio State was picked third. This is the first time since 1949 that the Wildcats were picked by the media to win the conference crown. That 1949 club, which was coming off a Rose Bowl appearance the previous season, finished 3-4 in league play and placed seventh that year.
Head coach Randy Walker and his Wildcats are keeping the preseason favorite tag in perspective. "It's gratifying for our guys to get some respect," says Walker. "However, the same guys who picked us last last year picked us first this year. I know there's a team that's ready to have a breakout year. I just don't know who it is. Tell me what team in this conference can't win it."
Remembering Rashidi
On Friday, Aug. 3, Northwestern suffered a tragic blow as senior safety Rashidi Ayodele Wheeler (Ontario, Calif./Damien) died while running a summer conditioning drill on campus. In his memory, the Wildcats will be wearing a patch on their uniform with his initials, RAW. Also, for the first time in Northwestern football history, Wheeler's jersey number (#30) is being retired. Wheeler's locker in the John Evans Club locker room is also being preserved with a glass case surrounding his jersey and helmet. Wheeler started 12 games at strong safety in 2000 and registered 88 tackles (59 solos) and three pass deflections.
Big Ten Conference Standings 2001 Standings Conference Games All Games Purdue 2 0 1.00 4 0 1.00 Michigan 2 0 1.00 4 1 .800 Ohio State 2 0 1.00 3 1 .750 Illinois 1 1 .500 4 1 .800 Iowa 1 1 .500 3 1 .750 Northwestern 1 1 .500 3 1 .750 Wisconsin 1 1 .500 3 3 .500 Indiana 1 1 .500 1 3 .250 Michigan State 0 1 .000 2 1 .667 Minnesota 0 2 .000 1 3 .250 Penn State 0 3 .000 0 4 .000
Damien Joins the Big Ten's Elite
Although he finished with a "sub-par" 80 rushing yards Saturday night at Ohio State, Damien Anderson climbed into the Big Ten's rushing elite. Anderson accumulated enough yardage to become the Conference's ninth all-time leading rusher. With 28 more yards, he will move another notch higher, surpassing MSU's Tico Duckett. The following is a look at the entire Big Ten top 10:
Rank Yards Name Years Played
1. 7,125 Ron Dayne (Wis.) (1,220 attempts) 1996-99
2. 5,589 Archie Griffin (OSU) (924) 1972-75
3. 5,299 Anthony Thompson (IU) (1,161) 1986-89
4. 4,887 Lorenzo White (MSU) (1,082) 1984-87
5. 4,654 Darrell Thompson (Minn.) (936) 1986-89
6. 4,472 Anthony Thomas (Mich.) (924) 1997-00
7. 4,393 Jamie Morris (Mich.) (1984-87) 1984-87
8. 4,212 Tico Duckett (MSU) (836) 1989-92
9. 4,185 Damien Anderson (NU) (881) 1998-present
10. 4,178 Tyrone Wheatley (Mich.) (688) 1991-94
Check The Record Books
It took 39 years, but for the first time since 1962, Northwestern won its first three season games. The Wildcats had four other opportunities to go 3-0 since the '62 season, but came up short on all four attempts. The '62 team started the year 6-0 before finishing with a 7-2 mark. Ironically, the 1962 club moved to 4-0 when they captured an 18-14 win at Ohio State. History, however, failed to repeat itself Saturday night.
Check The Record Books, Part II
When the Sept. 15 home game vs. Navy was canceled, that meant Northwestern had to begin the season with back-to-back road contests. The Wildcats emerged from that opening stretch with victories at UNLV and Duke. Amazingly, the last time that Northwestern started a season with two road wins came nearly a century ago, in 1905.
A Good Omen?
Only once since 1963 has Northwestern started a season with a road victory. The other time? In 1995, when the Wildcats ended their long Big Ten championship drought and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl. That year, Northwestern opened its season with a 17-15 victory at Notre Dame. NU went on to win 10 games and go unbeaten in league play.
Cardiac 'Cats At It Again
Many programs are fortunate to win one or two "miracle-type" games over a stretch of seasons. With the Sept. 29 gut-wrenching victory over Michigan State, which incidentally was dubbed an "ESPN Instant Classic," Northwestern has captured three improbable wins in less than a year. On back-to-back weekends in 2000, the Wildcats threw a "Victory Right" pass to beat Minnesota on the game's final play before edging out Michigan the following week with a 54-51 victory. The winning score in the Michigan game came with 20 seconds remaining.
Since Randy Walker assumed the coaching duties at Northwestern, he has never lost a game (6-0) that was decided by seven points or less. One of those six wins was a double-overtime decision at Wisconsin last year.
Zak Attack
The orchestrator of the Big Ten's No. 1 offense is senior quarterback Zak Kustok. Kustok, who is scheduled to start his 23rd straight game at quarterback Saturday vs. Minnesota, developed into one of the nation's most consistent and dangerous signal callers in 2000. Kustok's lowest single-game completion percentage during the regular season was 51.2 percent (21 of 41 at Wisconsin). Until the season-opening 24-for-49 (49.0 percent) effort at UNLV, he had completed 50 percent or more of his pass attempts in 12 consecutive regular-season contests. Kustok returned to his 2000 form the past couple weeks, completing 21-of-31 passes for a career-best 67.7 percentage at Duke and a 23-for-40 effort (57.5 percent) vs. Michigan State. Last season, he completed 67.5 percent (27 of 40) of his pass attempts in the Wildcats' scintillating 54-51 win over Michigan.
Another trait of Kustok's is his ability to keep mistakes to a minimum. Prior to suffering his first interception in eight games against Michigan State, Kustok attempted 277 straight passes without being intercepted-the longest streak of his career. Dating to the 1999 season, Kustok has thrown at least one touchdown pass in the Wildcats' last 17 games. Kustok added another notch to his belt at UNLV when he rushed for a career-high three touchdowns. He also tossed a pair of TD passes, giving him a hand in all five NU TD's. Against Duke, he threw for 318 yards-four yards shy of his career high-and ran for 33 yards. Versus the Spartans, Kustok rushed for a career-high 105 yards and totaled 336 yards in total offense. He ranks 11th nationally in the category "points responsible for."
Kustok is a contender for the Davey O'Brien Award, which honors the nation's top quarterback. According to some national writers and reporters, they also consider Kustok a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, because of his mastery of running the Wildcat offense. In a recent "What's Hot, What's Not" feature on espn.com, writer Dan Shanoff placed Kustok in the "Hot" column for "Please, give him more pub." With four more touchdown passes, Kustok will climb into a second-place tie on the Wildcats' all-time TD list. He ranks ninth nationally in total offense (281.5 ypg). Kustok was named the USA Today Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 10. Kustok is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark for career rushing, needing 57 yards to reach that milestone. He also has 16 career rushing TD's, which is good enough for seventh place on NU's all-time list.
From One D.A. to Another
In the season-opening victory at UNLV, Damien Anderson became the Wildcats' all-time leading rusher. Needing 66 yards to surpass Darnell Autry (3,793 yards, 1994-96), Anderson registered 99 second-half yards to become NU's career record-holder. He passed another milestone on Sept. 22 at Duke, racking up 189 rushing yards and climbing above the 4,000-yard mark.
Anderson/Kustok Chasing Autry/Schnur
The quarterback/tailback tandem of Zak Kustok and Damien Anderson are on pace to become the Wildcats' top total offensive duo in school history this week against Minnesota. Through four games in the 2001 season, Kustok and Anderson have a combined 9,155 career yards in total offense. During the middle 1990s, when Northwestern captured two Big Ten crowns, quarterback Steve Schnur and tailback Darnell Autry combined for 9,335 yards-tops by a Northwestern duo. Kustok presently ranks fifth all-time in NU total offense with 4,970 yards while Anderson is sixth with 4,185 yards. Len Williams holds NU's career record with 8,029 yards.
Simmons Improving
Sam Simmons (Kansas City, Kan./F.L. Schlagle), who started his senior season with 11 passes for a career-high 161 yards at UNLV, saw limited duty Sept. 29 against Michigan State. Simmons is recovering from a broken ring finger on his right hand. Versus Ohio State, he caught three passes for 23 yards. The 161 yards was the 12th-best single-game performance in Northwestern history. Simmons' 11 receptions were one shy of his personal best (12), set last season vs. Michigan.
Spreading It Around
Northwestern's spread offense allows for numerous individuals to get involved in the offense. After four games, 12 Wildcats have caught at least one pass. Sophomore Kunle Patrick (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) leads the receiving corps with 22 catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks seventh in the Big Ten in receptions per game (5.5). Sam Simmons (17, 14.9 ypr), Jon Schweighardt (14, 12.6 ypr) and Damien Anderson (12, 8.1 ypr) are NU's other double-digit reception leaders.
Whazz-up
Junior place-kicker David Wasielewski (Odessa, Fla./Tampa Jesuit), in his first season at Northwestern after transferring from Florida, kicked the biggest field goal of his young career when he nailed the game-winning kick vs. Michigan State with no time remaining. The 47-yard boot equaled his career long, which he accomplished first the previous week at Duke. Wasielewski is a perfect four-for-four from distances of 40 to 49 yards. Nationally, Wasielewski ranks 45th in scoring (8.0 ppg) and 23rd in field goals per game (1.5). In the Big Ten, he is fourth in scoring and second in field goals per game. He did not attempt a field goal at Ohio State.
In The Trenches
Generally regarded as one of the nation's top units, Northwestern's offensive line is anchored by a veteran group that features four players who garnered preseason honors: right guard Jeff Roehl (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), center Austin King (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian), left guard Lance Clelland (Reisterstown, Md./McDonogh) and left tackle Leon Brockmeier (Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln). Right tackle Mike Souza (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Punahou) is the other returnee and he owns 31 career starts, the most among the five starters. Combined, the unit has 119 career starts. In a number of preseason publications, the Wildcats' offensive line was ranked among the top 10 units nationally. According to The Sporting News and Lindy's, the offensive line is rated as the third-best group in the country. Last month, King was one of 21 players named to the 2001 Dave Rimington Award watch list, which honors the country's top center.
Plays, Plays and More Plays
Last year, Northwestern averaged 82.7 offensive plays per game with its new spread offense. In the final weeks of 2000, however, the Wildcats averaged over 90 offensive plays in their last five games. Four games into the 2001 season, NU is averaging 86.8 per game. OSU held the Wildcats to a season-low 79 plays last week. A year ago, the Wildcats totaled a season-high 103 plays vs. Illinois. The school record for offensive plays in a game is 106, set in 1989 vs. Purdue.
Bentley, Harris Among Nation's Leaders
Linebacker Kevin Bentley (North Hills, Calif./Montclair Prep) and defensive end Napoleon Harris (Dixmoor, Ill./Thornton Township) were ranked among the nation's leaders in the first NCAA defensive statistic report last week. Bentley, who has led the Big Ten the entire year in tackles per game, ranked seventh nationally in tackles. He is currently averaging 13.8 per game after totaling 12 at Ohio State. Harris ranked 12th nationally in tackles for loss with 2.0 per game. He is now averaging 1.5 per outing.
(True) Freshmen Initiation
Five true freshmen are making significant contributions to this year's Northwestern football team. Tight end Trai Essex (Fort Wayne, Ind./Paul Harding), defensive tackle Thomas Derricks (Garland, Texas/Jesuit Prep), linebacker John Pickens (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Ramapo), receiver Ashton Aikens (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) and long-snapper Andrew King (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) have all logged considerable playing time.
Who They Don't Play
Northwestern does not play Michigan and Wisconsin this year, but picked up Ohio State and Penn State in their place. The
other Big Ten schools and who is off the respective schedules: Illinois-Iowa & Michigan State, Indiana-Minnesota & Michigan, Iowa-Ohio State & Illinois, Michigan-NU & Indiana, Michigan State-Ohio State & Illinois, Minnesota-Indiana & Penn State, Ohio State-Michigan State & Iowa, Penn State-Minnesota & Purdue, Purdue-Penn State & Wisconsin, Wisconsin-NU & Purdue.
'Cat Tails ...
* Junior linebacker Pat Durr (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles) earned NU Defensive Player of the Game honors for his performance at Ohio State. Durr registered a career-high 13 tackles (8 solos), including a 12-yard pass sack.
* Senior linebacker Billy Silva (San Diego, Calif./St. Augustine), a 2000 first-team all-Big Ten selection, established a personal best with 18 tackles (11 solos) at Ohio State on Saturday. His previous career high was 17, set last year in the overtime win at Wisconsin.
* Quarterback Zak Kustok is Northwestern's nominee for the annual National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete award. The award is based on upon academic and athletic success, as well as community service. Kustok carries a 3.06 cumulative grade point average.
USA Today Academic Achievement Awards
USA Today announced its first Academic Achievement Awards and Northwestern finished second in the Division I category and tied for first (with Duke) for Division I-A football schools. The Wildcat student-athletes had a graduation rate of 90 percent in the newspapers' survey.
Northwestern Ranks 22nd Among Division I Athletic Programs According to TSN
In The Sporting News' most recent survey of Division I-A athletic programs, Northwestern ranked 22nd in the publication's annual poll. TSN "graded" college programs in four categories: 1) Do we win? 2) Do we rock? 3) Do we play fair? and 4) Do we graduate?
Up Next
The Wildcats remain at Ryan Field, entertaining Big Ten foe Penn State. The Nittany Lions (0-4) do not play again until traveling to Evanston. ABC is televising the 2:30 p.m. game.