Postgame Notes

Jan. 1, 2011

Recap |  Box Score |  Quotes |  AP Photo Gallery 

Northwestern Postgame Notes
Inaugural TicketCity Bowl - Jan. 1, 2011
Cotton Bowl Stadium - Dallas, Texas

Northwestern Team Notes

  • Northwestern made its third straight bowl appearance, its eighth since Jan. 1, 1996, and its ninth overall. The New Year's Day appearance was the Wildcats' second in as many years and its fifth in school history.

  • NU Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald has been a part of the Wildcats' last four New Year's Day games-the first two as a student-athlete (1996 & 1997) and the last two as head coach (2010 & 2011).

  • This was the first meeting between Northwestern and Texas Tech. It was the Wildcats' 33rd game against a Big 12 opponent. NU carried a 21-11 record versus Big 12 teams into the TicketCity Bowl.

  • Northwestern rushed for a season-high 229 yards today on 50 carries for an average of 4.6 yards per carry. The 229 yards were the most since NU had 269 vs. Syracuse on Aug. 30, 2008.

  • Northwestern has now scored in double figures 47 straight games.

  • For the third consecutive year, Northwestern sold its entire allotment of bowl tickets. Northwestern was asked to sell a minimum of 6,000 tickets for the 2011 TicketCity Bowl.

  • Northwestern had just one turnover against Texas Tech, marking the eighth time this season the Wildcats have had one or fewer turnovers in a game.

Northwestern Individual Notes

  • True freshman QB Kain Colter led NU in rushing with a career-best 105 yards. He also scored his first career TD, a 1-yard run, with 6:47 remaining in the second quarter. Colter added a 15-yard TD run in the third quarter.

  • For just the seventh time in school history, a Northwestern quarterback ran for 100-plus yards in a game. QB Dan Persa accomplished the feat earlier this season with a career-high 109 yards vs. Penn State.

  • True freshman RB Adonis Smith also registered a career high for rushing yards, totaling 61 yards on 11 carries.

  • In addition to scoring his first career touchdowns, Colter also completed his first collegiate pass and caught a pass, a 32-yarder from WR Jeremy Ebert. It was Ebert's second pass completion of the year.

  • Ebert totaled three catches for 34 yards, which gave him a team-best 62 receptions for 953 yards in 2010.

  • After racking up a school-record 273 kick return yards in the regular-season finale at Wisconsin, which included a 94-yard return for TD, WR Venric Mark totaled 108 kick return yards vs. Texas Tech, including a game-long 36-yarder. He came into the game ranked 20th nationally in kick return average.

  • Northwestern picked up the game's first takeaway when LB David Nwabuisi forced a fumble on the second half's opening kickoff, which was recovered by WR Charles Brown. Northwestern then turned the fumble recovery into three points.

  • PK Stefan Demos hit an 18-yard field goal early in the second half, the 34th made field goal of his career. He now ranks fifth on NU's all-time field goals made list.

  • WR Demetrius Fields, one of two NU players from Dallas, scored his second TD of the season on an 18-yard pass play from QB Evan Watkins. The scoring play came on fourth-and-four. Fields' first TD this season was the game-winner against Iowa with 1:22 remaining.

  • S Hunter Bates, who equaled a career high with 11 tackles, left the game with just over eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter with a right leg injury.

  • CB Jordan Mabin recorded his first career "pick-six" in the fourth quarter, a 39-yard return after he had tipped the ball away from the receiver. Mabin, who also had a pass breakup in the game, is the Big Ten leader in passes defended this season.

  • LB Quentin Davie posted a career-best in tackles in his final game as a Wildcat, finishing with 15. Davie also led Northwestern with two tackles for loss.

  • LB Nate Williams also concluded his Northwestern career in style, finishing with a career-best 14 tackles.