| 2014 Northwestern Football -- Game Five |
|
| Northwestern (2-2, 1-0 Big Ten) at No. 17/16 Wisconsin (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) |
|
| Date | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 2:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Ryan Field (47,330) | Evanston, Ill. |
| TV: | ESPN2 | WatchESPN |
| Gametracker | NUsports.com |
| Radio | WGN720 | 87.7 FM The Game | WNUR Online |
| Game Notes | Northwestern | Wisconsin |
| Social Media | @NU_SportsLIVE  | @NUFBFamily | Facebook  |
| Buy 2014 Season Tickets |
888-GO-PURPLE | Online Ticket Office |
|
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After earning an enormous road win at Penn State to begin the Big Ten season, Northwestern now aims for a victory in its first-ever Big Ten West Division contest, hosting No. 17/16 Wisconsin Saturday at Ryan Field. NU has won three straight home matchups with Wisconsin, with the Badgers' last win at Ryan Field coming on Oct. 30, 1999.
In addition to placing the 'Cats in optimal position in their pursuit of a spot in the Big Ten Championship game, a win over the Badgers Saturday also would be NU's first home victory against a ranked opponent since defeating No. 13 Iowa on Nov. 13, 2010.
The game will be carried live to a national audience on ESPN2, with Eamon McAnananey, David Diaz-Infante and Dawn Davenport on the call. Fans may also choose to watch the game online or on their mobile devices via WatchESPN. The game can be found online or on the radio at WGN720 or 87.7 The Game FM, with the veteran tandem of Dave Eanet and Ted Albrecht calling the action from the booth and Jordan Bernfield on the Ryan Field sideline.
Northwestern Game Notes
Northwestern's defensive front-7 received high marks for its effort at Beaver Stadium last Saturday, as the Wildcats limited Penn State to just 50 rushing yards on 25 attempts while racking up 4.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss. The `Cats will be tested up front against the rush-heavy Badgers, who rank No. 1 nationally in rushing yards per attempt (7.04) and third in ground yards per game (343.3).
More notables from Northwestern's defensive prowess in a 29-6 win over Penn State last Saturday:
→ Northwestern's 23-point spread represented the largest margin of victory in a Big Ten road game during
Pat Fitzgerald's head coaching tenure and the second-greatest spread in a Big Ten game overall (behind a 50-14 home
win vs. Illinois in 2012).
→ The 23-point margin also marked Penn State's most lopsided home loss since a 26-point loss to Miami
(Fla.) (33-7) in 2001.
→ NU's 29 points were the most scored against Penn State this season. The Nittany Lions ranked No. 6
nationally in scoring defense entering the game. Northwestern also became the first team to put first-
quarter points on the board against PSU this year, scoring 14 in the period.
→ Defensively, the Wildcats kept an opponent out of the end zone for an entire game for the first time since
defeating Illinois State, 37-3, on Sept. 11, 2010. The 'Cats stymied Penn State on third down, limiting PSU to a 1-for-11 success
rate on its first 12 third-down conversion attempts and 3-of-17 for the game.
Playing in his first Big Ten contest, LB Anthony Walker (Miami, Fla./Monsignor Edward Pace) made his first career start in place of injured senior Collin Ellis and notched a team-leading eight tackles. Walker also secured his first career interception, which he returned 49 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. It was the first "pick-six" ever registered against PSU QB Christian Hackenberg.
Another first-year contributor for the Wildcats, true freshman Xavier Washington (Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill) followed Walker's INT return with a big play of his own on the very next PSU play from scrimmage. The 235-pound defensive end charged unblocked into Hackenberg, delivering a crushing blow and forcing a fumble that was recovered by NU's Connor Mahoney. The play set up a field goal that provided the Wildcats a three-score fourth-quarter lead.
Against Penn State, QB Trevor Siemian threw for 258 yards -- 113 of which came on seven completions to superback Dan Vitale -- but it's his unique rushing line that likely will be remembered for years to come. Accounting for yards lost on a 13-yard pass sack, Siemian finished with (-8) net rushing yards on five attempts, but also scored three 1-yard rushing touchdowns. It's the only instance since at least 2000 of a player recording negative net rushing yardage while also scoring three TDs on the ground.
After two seasons (2011, 2012) without seeing one another, Northwestern and Wisconsin are now set for an annual meeting as members of the Big Ten West Division. A Badgers win last season gave UW a 12-11 edge in the series since 1985 as well as a 4-3 advantage since 2003.
Wisconsin Notes
Wisconsin arrives at Ryan Field ready to kick off its 119th season of Big Ten Conference play. The Badgers have won three in a row after a narrow 28-24 defeat at the hands of No. 13 LSU to open the year.
Junior RB Melvin Gordon ranks fifth nationally in rushing at 153.0 yards per game and is one of just five players to have rushed for at least 140 yards in a game three times this season. At 2,940 for his career, Gordon needs 60 yards to become the 11th 3,000-yard rusher in UW history. Gordon is the nation's active career leader in rushing average at 8.03 yards per carry, the best career mark by an FBS player since Houston RB Chuck Weatherspoon averaged 8.13 yards per rush from 1987-90. With nine total touchdowns on the season, Gordon also leads the Big Ten in scoring at 13.5 points per game.
Defensively, Wisconsin is one of just four schools to rank among the nation's top 20 in all four major statistical categories (scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense, passing defense), joining Baylor, Louisville and TCU. Senior ILB Derek Landisch leads the Big Ten in tackles for loss at 1.5 per game and ranks in a tie for fifth in the league in sacks with 3.0 on the season.
Saturday's game at Ryan Field will be Wisconsin's first on natural grass since playing Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium on Sept. 14, 2013, ending a string of 14 consecutive games played on artificial surfaces. UW's only other game scheduled to be played on grass is at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium on Nov. 8. On the other side, NU's first five games this year have been staged on natural grass.
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter and Instagram, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook and sign up to receive promotional text alerts for the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!