Sept. 12, 2011
Northwestern (2-0) at Army (0-2)
2:30 p.m. CT Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011
Michie Stadium (38,000) West Point, N.Y.
Television: CBS Sports Network
Radio: ESPN 1000 (WMVP-AM), Sirius (Ch. 112)
Internet: wgnradio.com
Gametracker:
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
For Openers
Northwestern plays the last of three straight nonconference games to open the season when it travels to face Army at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Michie Stadium. NU's success running the ball in its first two games make Saturday's game a matchup of two teams ranked in the top 15 nationally in rushing offense.
Behind a physical performance by its offensive line, Northwestern ran wild in its home opener against Eastern Illinois last week. The 'Cats gained 320 rushing yards--the first time they have topped the 300-yard plateau since 2005--on 67 attempts, the most rushes in a game for NU since 2003 and 10 shy of the school record. NU is riding a streak of three straight games with at least 200 yards on the ground dating to the 2011 TicketCity Bowl.
NU's first eight touchdowns of the season -- three at Boston College and five against Eastern Illinois -- came on running plays, tying them for the fourth-most rushing TD's by any team in the country through two games. That string ended in the fourth quarter against EIU when backup quarterback Trevor Siemian hit Tyris Jones on a 1-yard pass for a touchdown.
The Wildcats enter their tilt with the Black Knights with recent history on their side in several different respects:
NU is 14-1 in its last 15 regular-seasoncontests against nonconference opponents, including an active streak of seven straight.
Northwestern under Pat Fitzgerald ranks among the most successful road teams in the country, having gone 12-5 in true road games since the start of 2008. NU's 12 victories in that span--eight of which came against Big Ten foes--are tied for the sixth-most among all FBS programs.
Northwestern has won six consecutive September games dating to last season, when they were 4-0 in the month.
Northwestern-Army
Series Information
Northwestern leads the overall series with the Black Knights 3-1.
Northwestern is 8-5 in its history against the nation's three primary service academies (Army, Air Force, Navy).
Pat Fitzgerald has gone to great lengths to honor members of the armed forces since becoming head coach. Perhaps most notably, Fitzgerald began a tradition of holding NU's final offsite preseason training camp practice at the Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, inviting young sailors to observe practice and then eat lunch with the 'Cats. The tradition, which has led to groups of servicemen and women visiting Ryan Field for games on several occasions, is a chance for NU players to learn about their peers' daily lives at NSGL.
On the Air
Radio -- ESPN 1000 (WMVP-AM) and wgnradio.com will carry the game live with the broadcast starting at 2 p.m. Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Ted Albrecht (analyst) call the action. The game is also available on WNUR (89.3), NU's student radio station, and on channels 112 (visiting team broadcast) and 134 on Sirius XM Radio.
Television --
CBS Sports Network will carry the game to a national cable audience. Gary Thorne (play-by-play) and Randy Cross (analyst) will call the action.
(For a complete set of game notes, download the PDF above.)
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