Oct. 7, 2002
NU-Minnesota Game Notes in PDF Format
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GAME 7
Northwestern (2-4, 0-2) at Minnesota (5-1, 1-1)
Date/Time: Thursday, Oct. 10, 2002/7 p.m. CDT
Site: H.H.H. Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minn.
Capacity/Surface: 64,172/Artificial Turf
Television: None
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Ted Albrecht, analyst)(also on wgnradio.com); WNUR 89.3 FM)
The Game
Seeking its first conference victory of the year, Northwestern hits the road to battle the Golden Gophers of Minnesota at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Oct. 10 in Minneapolis. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12, but due to the possibility of the Metrodome hosting a Major League Baseball playoff game, the contest was moved to Thursday two weeks ago to avoid any last-minute scheduling issues. Northwestern will depart Chicago Wednesday evening (after classes and practice) on a charter flight to Minneapolis, and then return immediately after the game on Thursday.
The game is not being televised, but it will be heard live on WGN (720 AM) and WNUR (89.3 FM).
In addition to this week's contest, the Gophers were also forced to move up last weekend's game against Illinois to accommodate Game Four of the Twins-Athletics divisional baseball series. Minnesota handed the Illini a 31-10 setback on Thursday (Oct. 3) to up its season record to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. The Gophers are off to their best start since beginning the 1999 season 5-1. The only blemish on Minnesota's schedule is a 28-15 road loss at Purdue on Sept. 28. Minnesota is paced by its running back tandem of Terry Jackson II (92.3 ypg, 5.9 ypc, 1 TD) and Thomas Tapeh (66.8 ypg, 4.9 ypc, 5 TD). Both runners surpassed the 100-yard mark against the Illini, with Jackson totaling a career-high 159 yards and Tapeh running for 113. At quarterback, the Gophers are led by junior Asad Abdul-Khaliq, who has accounted for 15 Minnesota touchdowns-12 passing TDs and three rushing TDs. He is averaging 182.3 passing yards and 38.8 rushing yards per game. Tight end Ben Utecht is Abdul-Khaliq's favorite receiver with 22 catches (12.4 ypr, 5 TD). Minnesota is averaging 412.7 ypg and allowing just 285.8 ypg, the top defensive figure in the Big Ten. Linebacker Ben West (51 tackles) leads the Gophers.
Northwestern, which has come up short in its first two Big Ten games versus Michigan State and Ohio State, must play its next two league contests on the road-at Minnesota and at Penn State.
The Series with Minnesota
Series Record: UM leads 46-28-5
At Evanston: UM leads 26-13-3
At Minneapolis: UM leads 20-15-2
Current Win Streak: NU, 2
Last Meeting: Oct. 13, 2001 (Northwestern 23, Minnesota 17)
First Meeting: 1892 (Minnesota 18, Northwestern 12)
Series Notes: While the Gophers hold a 46-28-5 lead in their all-time series with the Wildcats, Northwestern has won five of the last six meetings ... The Wildcats have won the last three games played at the Metrodome-41-35 in 2000, 27-17 in 1995 and 37-31 in 1994 ... Minnesota's last home victory over Northwestern came in 1990, a 35-25 win ... Outside of Minnesota's 33-14 victory in 1999, every contest between the Wildcats and Gophers since 1988 (nine games) has been decided by 10 points or less. The average point differential for those nine games is 4.9 points.
The Last NU-UM Meeting
Oct. 13, 2001-On a rainy, foggy day at Ryan Field, senior wideout Sam Simmons tormented the Golden Gophers for a second straight year as he totaled 191 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns. One of the TDs came on a 29-yard screen pass and the other on a 71-yard punt return. Offensively, Simmons finished the game with seven catches for 97 yards and 21-yard rushing play. In 2000, he notched his first multiple-TD game at Minnesota and scored the game's winning TD on the final play. Zak Kustok also had a solid day for the 'Cats, getting the NU offense on track in the game's early going with touchdown drives on its first two series. The Wildcats' first drive went 95 yards on 16 plays while the second drive totaled 69 yards on 10 plays. The game-opening surge gave the Wildcats a lead (13-3) they would never relinquish. Simmons' 71-yard punt return came with 2:46 left in the first half and put the 'Cats in front 20-10 at halftime. A 40-yard field goal from David Wasielewski midway through the third quarter gave NU its biggest lead of the game at 23-10. Minnesota's Tellis Redmon was the game's leading rusher with 143 yards (25 carries). Kustok completed 22-of-32 passes for 237 yards and a TD.
The NU-Ohio State Recap
Oct. 5, 2002-Tailback Jason Wright (Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Bar) turned in another strong performance (199 all-purpose yards) and quarterback Brett Basanez (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) threw for a career-high 283 yards, but it was not enough as the Wildcats succumbed to the Buckeyes, 27-16, in a rare night game at Ryan Field. It was just the eighth game on the 'Cats' home turf to be played under the lights.
Northwestern held the lead much of the first half against the nation's fifth-ranked team. The Wildcats, who forced OSU freshman Maurice Clarett to fumble twice in the first quarter and three times in the game, got a pair of short field goals from David Wasielewski (Odessa, Fla./Tampa Jesuit) to take a 6-0 lead through one quarter. After the Buckeyes grabbed their initial advantage (7-6) early in the second quarter, Northwestern regained the lead on a 37-yard field goal from Wasielewski, his third of the game, for a 9-7 advantage with 5:20 remaining. The Buckeyes, however, took the lead for good on Clarett's 2-yard run with 2 minutes 43 seconds remaining in the first half.
Perhaps the game's turning point came right before halftime. Behind a pair of big gains from Wright, the Wildcats reached OSU's 4-yard line for a first-and-goal. The OSU defense stiffened and NU was forced to attempt its fourth field goal of the game. This one, however, an 18-yard attempt, was no good and the Buckeyes left for the locker room, clinging to a 14-9 lead. The two teams exchanged third-quarter touchdowns before an OSU fourth-quarter field goal gave the Buckeyes their final 11-point margin.
Northwestern Head Coach Randy Walker
Randy Walker is in his fourth season at Northwestern after spending the previous nine years (1990-98) at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In just his second year 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 2000 efforts 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 76-58-5 career record in 13 seasons and a 17-23 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 48-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 that Miami has produced: Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler ... and the list goes on.
Northwestern Receives AFCA 2002 Academic Achievement Award
Northwestern University's football program is receiving the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 2002 Academic Achievement Award, which is presented annually by the Touchdown Club of Memphis. NU recorded a 100 percent graduation rate for members of its football squad when all members of its freshman class of 1996-97 earned a degree. Northwestern's win is the second for the school, and it has been honored every year it has been eligible for the award. The Wildcats also earned the honor in 1998 with a 100 percent rate. Northwestern earned honorable mention honors in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Prior to 1998, the award honored only members of the College Football Association. Since 1998, when the award was expanded to include all Division I-A conferences, Big Ten schools have been honored 23 times, with the Wildcats winning the award twice.
More Academic Kudos
According to the latest NCAA graduation rate data, Northwestern's football programs ranks first among all Division I-A schools in graduation rate (85 percent) for the class entering the 1995-96 school year.
Freshmen Figures
With his third full recruiting class on board, head coach Randy Walker has a high percentage of young players on scholarship. This year, 45.8 percent of NU's scholarship roster is comprised of freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
More Youthful Facts
With the loss of Pat Durr (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles), just four seniors are in the Wildcats' starting lineup: three on offense (Jon Schweighardt, Austin King and Jeff Roehl) and one on defense (Raheem Covington). The rest of the lineup (offense and defense only) includes five juniors, seven sophomores and six freshmen. In 2000, when NU captured a share of the Big Ten crown, it had five seniors, 11 juniors, six sophomores and no freshmen in their starting lineup. Fourteen NU players have made their first collegiate start this year.
Nonconference Success
With its Sept. 21 victory over Navy, Northwestern maintained its string of winning at least two nonconference games every year since 1995. It is also the 10th straight year that NU has sported a .500 or better record in non-league action. (NU went 1-1-1 in 1994.)
King, Roehl Lead Offense
Prior to being held to 396 yards in total offense by Ohio State on Saturday, NU's offense had rolled up 430 or more yards in three straight games-the first time the Wildcats had done that since the seventh, eighth and ninth games (Purdue, Minnesota and Michigan) of the 2000 Big Ten championship season. Much of the recent offensive surge can be attributed to the play of ffensive linemen Austin King (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) and Jeff Roehl (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg). Earlier this season, the duo were named to the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) All-America Watch List. After a slow start, the Wildcats are now averaging a season-best 390.7 yards of offense.
More Roehl and King
Senior Jeff Roehl has accepted an offer to play in the East-West Shrine Game, set for Jan. 11, 2003 in San Francisco's Pacific Bell Park. Roehl is slated to play for the East squad, which will be coached by Notre Dame's Tyrone Willingham. He was the second Big Ten player named to the East roster, joining Illinois' Walter Young. Roehl will be the 75th player to suit up for the Shrine Game, and the first since Eric Collier and KeJuan DuBose played in 1997. NU ranks fourth among Big Ten schools and 14th overall in all-time Shrine Game participation.
Classmate Austin King has accepted an invite to the Hula Bowl Maui Classic on Feb. 1, 2003. He has started 35 career games at center, including 29 in a row from 1999 to 2001. Earlier this season, King was named to the Rimington Award Watch List. Established in 2000, the Rimington Trophy honors the top NCAA Division I-A center each season.
Roehl and King also have been named to the Rotary Gridiron Classic initial watch list. The Rotary Gridiron Classic, a game that matches the top collegiate players from around the nation against those in Florida, will be played Jan. 25, 2003.
Injury Update
Two Northwestern players are out for the season. Freshman quarterback Alexander Webb (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) lacerated his liver after taking a hard hit to the stomach in the Sept. 7 game against TCU. Webb was hospitalized for nine days, but the injury did not require surgery. Webb will sit out the remainder of the season and apply for a medical hardship.
Middle linebacker Pat Durr (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles) underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Friday, Sept. 13. The surgery revealed a tear to his ACL, which was repaired. Durr is expected to apply for a medical hardship.
The Wright Stuff
Although he came up five yards shy of earning his fourth straight 100-yard rushing performance, Jason Wright gained 199 all-purpose yards against the Buckeyes and improved his national ranking in three major statistical categories. He now ranks first in kickoff return average (43.8 ypr),10th in all-purpose yardage (168.0 ypg) and 32nd in rushing average (95.8 ypg). After notching one return for 67 yards against Ohio State, Wright tops the kickoff return average list by 6.1 yards per return over San Jose State's Charles Pauley (37.7 ypr).
Last month, Wright became the first Big Ten player to be honored on both offense and special teams in the same season since 1997 when he earned Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for a career-high 186 yards and three touchdowns at Navy. (Iowa wide receiver Tim Dwight was the last Big Ten player to accomplish the feat in 1997.) Two weeks prior to the offensive honor, Wright was the Big Ten's Special Teams Player of the Week for his 191 kickoff return yards and his Big Ten-record 63.7 yards per return mark vs. TCU. In the TCU game, Wright shattered NU's single-game marks for longest kickoff return (100 yards, for TD), yards per kickoff return (63.7) and total kickoff return yards (191). The kickoff return average also was a Big Ten record. Wright's 100-yard touchdown return was Northwestern's first kickoff return for a TD in 108 games. (NU's Lee Gissendaner returned a kickoff 90 yards vs. MSU on Oct. 31, 1992.) In addition, it was the first kickoff return for TD scored on TCU since Oct. 8, 1986 (175 games). Wright's performance also helped NU set a single-game team mark with 270 return yards.
Wright's string of 100-yard rushing games (three) last month was the longest since a five-game streak by Damien Anderson in 2000.
What a Turnaround
Last year, the Wildcats ranked 11th in the Big Ten and 96th nationally in kickoff return average. Northwestern averaged 18.1 yards per return. This season, led by junior Jason Wright, the Wildcats are first on the Big Ten list and sixth nationally. As a team, NU is averaging 26.7 yards per return. Tennessee leads the nation with a 29.3 mark.
"Baz" Among Nation's Top Frosh QB's
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Basanez (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) ranks second nationally among all freshmen quarterbacks (true and redshirt) in total offense (215.3 ypg) and passing yardage (199.7).
Century Receivers
Junior Kunle Patrick (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) and senior Jon Schweighardt (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South) became members of NU's "Century Club" for career receptions on Sept. 14 against Duke. Patrick and Schweighardt, who lead Northwestern this season with 26 receptions apiece are seventh and eighth, respectively, on the all-time list with 116 and 115 catches. The two are also moving up on the career yardage list. Schweighardt, who leads NU in receiving yardage this season, has 1,344 yards (12th place) and Patrick has 1,373 yards (ninth place).
62-2-1
Throughout his coaching career, Randy Walker has proven to be nearly unbeatable when his teams carry a lead into the fourth quarter. In his 13 years as a head coach, Walker's teams have compiled a 62-2-1 record when leading at the end of the third quarter. At NU, Walker is 13-1 when taking a lead into the final quarter.
On This Date (Oct. 10) in NU History ...
32 years ago (1970): The Wildcats opened Big Ten play with a 48-0 home shutout of Illinois. That team, led by Mike Adamle and Joel Hall, went on to finish 6-1 in the league and tie Michigan for second place. Ohio State, which beat the Wildcats 24-10 in Columbus, won the title with a perfect 7-0 mark.
43 years ago (1959): Led by head coach Ara Parseghian, the Wildcats moved to 3-0 by blanking the Golden Gophers 6-0 in Evanston. That squad started 6-0 before losing its final three games to Wisconsin, Michigan State and Illinois.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Northwestern came up short in its quest to knock off fifth-ranked Ohio State on Saturday. Despite the setback and considering the opponent, the Wildcats turned in their best defensive effort of the year, forcing OSU sensation Maurice Clarett to fumble three times and holding the Buckeyes to 5.8 yards per play. NU had seven players earn "championship-game" performances on defense, the highest total since the Minnesota game a year ago. Prior to Saturday, the Wildcats had recognized nine players on the defensive side of the ball in their first five games combined.
'Cat Tails ...
* Northwestern has faced three of the top 11 rushing teams in the nation thus far this year: Air Force (first), Navy (third) and Ohio State (11th). The Wildcats have another challenge this week, taking on Minnesota, which is ranked 15th nationally with an average of 226.8 ypg.
* NU received some stellar secondary play from Dominique Price (Jeffersontown, Ky./DuPont Manual) and Raheem Covington (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook) vs. Ohio State. Price had a career-high 14 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Covington had four hits and two breakups.
* Ten of Northwestern's top 11 tacklers are freshmen (four) or sophomores (six). Junior Doug Szymul (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West), the team leader in tackles with 77 and a first-year starter, is the "veteran" of the group. Sophomore John Pickens (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Ramapo) has 73 hits.
* After coming up empty in the receiving department in their first three games, NU's tight ends and fullbacks have caught 11 passes in their last three games. Eric Worley (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) leads the way with seven catches for 143 yards and a TD. He has a team-best 20.4 yards per reception average.
Up Next
Before playing three of its last four games at home, Northwestern travels to Penn State on Oct. 19 to take on the Nittany Lions at 11 a.m. CDT. (ESPN2).