Nov. 15, 2004
NU Football Game Notes (vs. Illinois)
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- With a Big Ten championship title out of reach, Northwestern's mission for the next two weeks has been reduced to a straightforward assignment: win two games and become bowl eligible. The Wildcats begin their charge this Saturday, hosting the University of Illinois at 11 a.m. on Senior Day. ESPN Plus is televising the game to a regional audience. Locally, WBBM-TV (Ch. 2, CBS) will air the contest.
Northwestern, which is seeking its fifth straight victory at Ryan Field and its first 4-0 Big Ten home record since 1996, will honor 15 seniors on Saturday. Also at stake is the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk Trophy, a prize that Northwestern and Illinois have been playing for since 1945. That year, the staff members of the two student newspapers conceived the idea of a wooden Indian trophy, "Sweet Sioux." In 1948, the wooden Indian was replaced by the tomahawk trophy, which is still representative of the rivalry. Since the advent of the trophy in '45, Illinois holds a 31-24-2 edge in the series.
Illinois, which had an open date this past weekend, defeated Indiana 26-22 in its last outing to stop a 14-game Big Ten losing skid. The Fighting Illini overcame an eight-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. Illinois is paced offensively by a trio of running backs -- Pierre Thomas, EB Halsey and Jason Davis. That group has combined for 1,442 yards and 12 touchdowns. Thomas leads all Big Ten running backs in yards per carry average with a 6.6 mark. At quarterback, Jon Beutjer and Brad Bower have handled a majority of the snaps this season and combined for 1,740 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
The Fighting Illini have had solid play from its special teams, led by punter Steve Weatherford. Illinois ranks fifth nationally in net punting (40.5 ypp). Illinois also ranks 24th nationally in kickoff returns and 57th in punt returns.
In addition to Senior Day activities, Northwestern is also honoring approximately 50 former female athletes, who competed for the University under the Women's Athletic Association. These former student-athletes did not receive a varsity letter for their participation from the University at the time, but will be presented with varsity letters during halftime ceremonies.
(For a complete set of notes, see the PDF link above.)