Complete NU-Purdue Game Notes in PDF Format
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Oct. 21, 2002
GAME 9 * Purdue (3-5, 1-3) at Northwestern (2-6, 0-4)
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 26, 2002/11:05 a.m. CDT
Site: Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill.
Capacity/Surface: 47,130/Natural Grass
Television: ESPN Plus
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Ted Albrecht, analyst) (also on wgnradio.com); WNUR (89.3 FM)
The Game
After playing three of its first four Big Ten games on the road, Northwestern returns to Ryan Field this Saturday, Oct. 26, hosting Purdue in its annual homecoming contest. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CDT. The game is being televised by ESPN Plus. (For a complete listing of markets, visit the Big Ten's web site at www.bigten.org.) Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play), Randy Wright (analyst) and Jim Barbar (sideline) will describe the action.
The Boilermakers enter Saturday's game at 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten. The 3-5 record is somewhat deceiving, however, as Purdue has lost its five games by a combined 22 points. (Dating to last season, Purdue has lost each of its last eight games by seven or fewer points.) One of this year's Big Ten losses, a 38-31 setback at Illinois, came in overtime. This past weekend, the Boilermakers dropped a 23-21 home decision to Michigan. Prior to the start of the three-game losing string, the Boilers began Big Ten play with a 28-15 win over Minnesota before losing 31-28 at league-leading Iowa.
Purdue has been energized of late with the insertion of true freshman Brandon Kirsch at quarterback. A versatile signal caller, Kirsch completed 17-of-33 passes for 172 yards and ran for a game-high 81 yards (5.4 ypc) against the Wolverines. He also was in on two Purdue touchdowns, throwing for one (31-yard pass) and running for another (2-yard run). Joey Harris is the Boilers' top rusher, averaging 84.2 ypg and 4.6 ypc. John Standeford and Taylor Stubblefield give Purdue one of the Big Ten's top receiving duos. Standeford averages 109.4 ypg and has scored eight touchdowns. Stubblefield, who missed the season's first three games with an injury, averages 90.2 ypg and has a team-leading 46 catches in five games (9.2 receptions per game). Purdue also has a solid defense, allowing 341.1 yards per game in total offense and 3.7 rushing yards per carry. Mistakes, however, in the form of turnovers have hurt the Boilers. They have coughed up the ball 23 times (15 fumbles, 8 interceptions) to just 15 for the opposition.
After Saturday's game, NU remains at home, taking on its other Hoosier rival, Indiana, on Nov. 2. This Saturday is Nextel Day at Ryan Field. Tickets to the game are available by calling 847-491-CATS, visiting NUsports.com (clicking on "Tickets") or calling TicketMaster.
The Series with Purdue
Series Record: Purdue leads 45-23-1
At Evanston: Purdue leads 24-15-1
At West Lafayette: Purdue leads 20-8
Neutral: Purdue leads 1-0
Current Win Streak: Purdue, 5
Last Meeting: Oct. 27, 2001 (Purdue 32, Northwestern 27)
First Meeting: 1895 (Northwestern 24, Purdue 6)
Series Notes: The first series game between the Boilermakers and Wildcats dates to 1895. Even though the series is 107 years old, the two teams have met only 69 times. The longest series hiatus stretched from 1958 to '67 -- seven years without a Purdue-Northwestern game ... Under Randy Walker, the Wildcats have defeated every Big Ten school with the exception of three: Ohio State, Penn State and this week's foe, Purdue.
The Last NU-Purdue Meeting
Oct. 27, 2001 -- A second-half comeback fell short and the Wildcats fell out of the Big Ten race with a tough 32-27 loss at Purdue in West Lafayette. Northwestern fell behind 22-7 after two quarters, but then made a game of it with two third-quarter touchdowns. A Boilermaker turnover helped jumpstart the 'Cats in the second half. NU's Dominique Price forced Purdue's Seth Morales to cough up the ball on a punt play. Kevin Bentley recovered the fumble. Three plays later, Zak Kustok hit Jon Schweighardt on a 29-yard strike to cut the lead to 22-14. Following a stop by the defense, the Wildcats came back on their ensuing possession to climb within two points at 22-20. Kustok engineered an 11-play, 66-yard drive that finished with a 1-yard scoring run by Damien Anderson.
The Wildcats, however, could not contain Purdue on its next offensive possession and the Boilers put together an impressive 15-play, 5-minute drive that increased their lead to 29-20. After a 30-yard field goal from Travis Dorsch, the Wildcats pulled to within five at 32-27 when Kustok found Kunle Patrick wide open in the end zone for a 14-yard scoringn play. That score was set up with a blocked punt by NU's Eric Worley. With 2:55 left in the game, the Wildcats attempted an onside kick, but Purdue recovered and was able to run out the clock.
The NU-Penn State Recap
Oct. 19, 2002 -- Northwestern could not overcome a record-setting rushing performance by Larry Johnson as the Wildcats fell 49-0 at Beaver Stadium. Johnson, who rushed for a PSU-record 257 yards, helped the Nittany Lions accumulate 423 of their 546 total offensive yards on the ground. The Wildcat offense mustered 202 yards of offense, but just nine yards on the ground. A 31-yard loss on a fumble play on the Wildcats' final offensive possession helped contribute to the low rushing figure.
It appeared Northwestern had pulled within four points at 7-3 after booting a 34-yard field goal. A penalty, however, forced NU to kick again, but this time the 39-yard attempt was no good.
Quarterback Tony Stauss (Racine, Wis./Horlick), who replaced the injured Brett Basanez (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) in the starting lineup, completed 29-of-42 passes for 193 yards and a school-record 69.0 completion percentage (minimum 30 attempts). Stauss, however, was sacked five times and finished with 140 yards in total offense. Tailback Jason Wright (Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Bar) rushed for 63 yards and had a career-high five receptions for 26 yards. Wide receiver Jon Schweighardt (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South) equaled a personal best with eight catches (54 yards). In the third quarter, Raheem Covington (Pine Hill, N.J./ Overbrook) notched his third interception of the year. Freshman linebacker Tim McGarigle (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) totaled a career-high 15 tackles.
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 76-60-5 career record in 13 seasons and a 17-25 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 probable lineup (offense and defense only) for Purdue includes six juniors, eight sophomores and four 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 its starting lineup. Seventeen NU players have made their first collegiate start this year.
Injury Update
On his two-point conversion run in the fourth quarter at Minnesota (Oct. 10), quarterback Brett Basanez suffered a fracture to his left fibula (lower leg). The injury occured to a small non-weight-bearing bone. He did not make the trip to Penn State and is listed as doubtful to questionable for Purdue. Safety Dominique Price (Jeffersontown, Ky./DuPont Manual) and offensive guard Jeff Roehl (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), who injured left ankles against Penn State, are questionable and probable, respectively.
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 applying for a medical hardship.
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.)
Turning it Around
After suffering seven turnovers-the most miscues by a Randy Walker-coached team-in its 48-24 loss to TCU, the Wildcats have come back to post a +8 margin (16-to-8) in turnovers their last six games. In two of those games (Navy and Minnesota), Northwestern did not commit a turnover. In four of the six games, the Wildcats committed fewer turnovers than the opponent. Northwestern and Michigan State each committed two turnovers in its Sept. 28 game.
Offensive Gains
Prior to being held to 396 yards in total offense by Ohio State on Oct. 5, NU's offense had accumulated 430 or more yards in three straight games (Duke, Navy, Michigan State) -- 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. Northwestern went over the 500-yard mark for the second time this season when it totaled 522 yards vs. the Gophers on Oct. 10. Following that game, NU was averaging a season-best 409.4 ypg, which ranked 35th nationally. (After two games, the Wildcats ranked 101st nationally [248.0 ypg] in total offense.) On Saturday, the Wildcats hit a road bump, totaling a season-low 202 yards, which dropped their season average to 383.5 ypg. That figure ranks 54th nationally.
All-Stars Austin King and Jeff Roehl
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 39 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.
Both King and Roehl were named to the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) preseason All-America Watch List.
The Wright Stuff
Although he was held to his lowest rushing total in six games-63 yards, Jason Wright is still on pace to become the eighth player in NU history to top the 1,000-yard rushing mark for a season. Through eight games, he has totaled 786 yards. Still, in his last six games, Wright is averaging 122.2 yards per game. Among all Division I-A players, he ranks first in kickoff return average (34.8 ypr), sixth in all-purpose yardage (168.0 ypg) and 32nd in rushing average (98.3 ypg).
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.
Now This is Special
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 second on the Big Ten list and eighth nationally. As a team, NU is averaging 24.5 yards per return. LSU leads the nation with a 28.7 mark.
Strength of Schedule
According to the NCAA's "Toughest Schedule" list, the Wildcats have played the 16th toughest schedule to date. The Wildcats' first eight opponents have a combined record of 38-21 (.644). (Their six losses have come against clubs with a 35-9 combined record. Five of the six clubs are ranked [Air Force, Ohio State, Minnesota and Penn State] or receiving votes [TCU].)
"Baz" Among Nation's Top Frosh QB's
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Basanez, who missed Saturday's game with the broken leg, ranks second nationally among all freshmen quarterbacks (true and redshirt) in passing yardage and in total offense.
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. Schweighardt and Patrick, who lead Northwestern this season with 40 and 30 receptions, respectively, are sixth and eighth on the all-time list with 129 and 120 catches. The two are also moving up on the career yardage list. Schweighardt, who leads NU in receiving yardage this season, has 1,474 yards (ninth place) and Patrick has 1,409 yards (10th place).
Brains and Brawn
The Verizon Academic All-America selection process is underway and Northwestern has nominated six players for the award. To be eligible for the award you must be a sophomore (athletically), a starter or key reserve and own a 3.20 or higher cumulative GPA. NU's six nominees are: DT Luis Castillo, C Austin King, S Dominique Price, G Jeff Roehl, QB Tony Stauss and RB Jason Wright.
On This Date (Oct. 26) in NU History ...
Six years ago (1996): Northwestern extended its winning string to seven games with an exciting 27-24 victory over its instate rival, Illinois. The Wildcats also stayed atop the Big Ten race at 5-0 with the win.
'Cat Tails ...
* Northwestern has faced three of the top five rushing teams in the nation thus far: Air Force (first), Navy (fourth) and Minnesota (fifth). In addition, Ohio State (16th) and Penn State (28th) rank among the nation's top-30 teams.
* The Wildcats ran for 306 yards against Minnesota, its highest single-game figure since totaling 315 yards against Illinois in its 2000 Big Ten-title clinching win on Nov. 18. The Wildcats averaged 7.8 ypc vs. Minnesota. NU's single-game yards per carry record is 8.1, set against Iowa State in 1953. Nine days later at Penn State, the Wildcats averaged 0.3 ypc and totaled nine rushing yards.
* The Wildcats are 2-1 under Randy Walker on homecoming. NU has wins over Iowa (1999) and Minnesota (2001), and a loss to Purdue (2000).
* In their first collegiate starts, freshmen linebackers Tim McGarigle and Eric VanderHorst (Grandville, Mich./Grandville) recorded respective career-high tackle totals of 15 and 10. They each had one tackle for loss.
Up Next
Northwestern remains at Ryan Field next Saturday, Nov. 2, facing Indiana. Kickoff time is noon CST.