| 2014 Northwestern Football -- Game Seven |
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| Northwestern (3-3, 2-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 17/17 Nebraska (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) |
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| Date | Saturday, Oct. 18 | 6:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Ryan Field (47,330) | Evanston, Ill. |
| TV: | Big Ten Network | BTN2Go |
| Gametracker | NUsports.com |
| Radio | 87.7 FM The Game | WNUR Online |
| Game Notes | Northwestern  | Nebraska
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| Social Media | @NU_SportsLIVE  | @NUFBFamily | Facebook  |
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Monday Press Conference Video: |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern is set for another pivotal Big Ten West contest Saturday as it welcomes 19th-ranked Nebraska into Ryan Field. With a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff, the primetime Homecoming matchup represents Northwestern's first and only scheduled night game of the 2014 season.
The game will be carried live to a national audience on the Big Ten Network, with Kevin Kugler, Glen Mason and Lisa Byington on the call. Fans may also choose to watch the game online or on their mobile devices via BTN2Go. On the radio, the game can be found on 87.7 FM The Game in Chicago or TheGameChicago.com, with the veteran tandem of Dave Eanet and Ted Albrecht calling the action from the booth and Jordan Bernfield on the sideline.
'Cats to Debut 'Northwestern Gothic' Uniforms for Homecoming
Northwestern will take on Nebraska wearing a special 'Northwestern Gothic' uniform created by Under Armour as a reflection of the most beautiful college campus in the nation, and the University it surrounds. The black-purple-gold color scheme is a nod to the school's colors of "purple and 'old gold'" before the University adopted purple as it's only official color. Click here for more on the history that inspired this weekend's uniform accents.
Series Notes
If Saturday's game is anything like the first three meetings for Northwestern and Nebraska since the Huskers' arrival in the Big Ten, spectators may be in for another instant classic. Through 180 minutes of football in their last three meetings, Northwestern and Nebraska are separated on the scoreboard by a cumulative margin of just one point (Nebraska 81, Northwestern 80). A quick look back at the three memorable meetings for these teams since 2011:
Nov. 5, 2011: A 3-5 Northwestern squad made NU's first visit to Lincoln since 1974 and emerged with a stunning 28-25 win over No. 9 Nebraska. Kain Colter accounted for three touchdowns and Jeremy Ebert racked up 147 receiving yards on six catches, while the NU defense held Nebraska's Rex Burkhead to 69 rushing yards.
Oct. 20, 2012: Northwestern held a 21-10 lead late in the third quarter, but the Huskers scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game and a potential game-winning 53-yard field goal try by the Wildcats fell just short as the Huskers stole a 29-28 win in Evanston.
Nov. 2, 2013: Northwestern led by seven points at halftime and kicked a go-ahead field goal with 1:20 left in regulation, but a Huskers prayer was answered with Jordan Westerkamp came down with a batted Hail Mary pass as time expired to lift Nebraska to a 27-24 victory at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Northwestern by a 5-2 margin. Northwestern's 2011 upset of No. 9 Nebraska marked the Wildcats' second all-time win over the Huskers, with the first having come on Oct. 3, 1931, by a 19-7 score in Evanston. The game was the season-opener for the Wildcats in a year in which they finished 7-1-1 and as Big Ten co-champions under head coach Dick Hanley.
Northwestern Game Notes
True freshman RB Justin Jackson has come into his own since the start of Big Ten play, and on Monday earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors following his second straight 100-yard rushing performance and four catches for 50 yards at Minnesota. Jackson's two most recent efforts came against teams ranked in the top six in the Big Ten in rushing defense -- including his 162 yards against a Wisconsin defense that had been allowing just 86.3 yard per game -- as he posted the first back-to-back 100-yard rushing outings by a Wildcat since 2012. Jackson, who has been NU's leading rusher in all six games this season, rushed the ball 33 times against the Badgers, the most by an NU player since Tyrell Sutton had 33 against Indiana in 2007.
Jackson's honor made him the third Wildcat in as many weeks to garner Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades, following LB Anthony Walker's breakout performance at Penn State and Godwin Igwebuike's school-record-tying three interceptions against Wisconsin.
Junior transfer Miles Shuler has integrated himself in the Wildcats' offensive and special teams plans. Shuler set career highs for receptions (6) and receiving yards (60) last Saturday against Minnesota, one week after he scored his first touchdown as a Wildcat vs. Wisconsin when he took a reverse handoff and covered the 16 yards to the end zone. Shuler, who arrived at NU last fall after spending his first two seasons at Rutgers, stands second on the team with 427 all-purpose yards on the year.
The Northwestern defense allowed just two offensive touchdowns against Minnesota and has now surrendered only four touchdowns to opposing offenses in three Big Ten outings this season. At the midway point of 2014, the Wildcats rank No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 11 in the country in scoring defense on the year (17.5 ppg); through six games a year ago, Northwestern was allowing an average of 28.3 points per outing.
One year after leading the Big Ten and ranking sixth nationally in interceptions (19), the Wildcats again have shown the ability to pick the ball off at a prolific rate in 2014. Northwestern is tied with Ohio State and Minnesota for No. 1 in the Big Ten with nine interceptions and now has a total of 38 interceptions in its last 22 games played, dating to 2012.
Junior CB Nick VanHoose recorded Northwestern's lone interception at Minnesota, his second of the season and fifth of his career. VanHoose currently leads the Big Ten and ranks in a tie for fifth nationally in passes defended, with 11 on the year and 1.83 per game. He also now boasts 24 career pass breakups, tied for fourth-most in Northwestern history.
Nebraska Notes
Like Northwestern, Nebraska heads into Saturday's game aiming to stay in the thick of the Big Ten West race, which entering this weekend is led by Minnesota and Iowa, both 2-0 in conference play.
In guiding Nebraska to a 63-25 record during his tenure, head coach Bo Pelini has put himself in impressive company. Among schools currently in a power conference, Pelini is just the eighth head coach in college football history to win at least nine games in each of his first six seasons on the job at that school. The group includes three Nebraska coaches (Bob Devaney, Tom Osborne, Pelini).
Nebraska boasts one of the nation's top rushing attacks, averaging 303.5 yards per game to rank second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally. The Huskers have rushed for better than 300 yards three times this season, including two games of more than 400 yards. The running game was held in check in NU's last outing as Michigan State held Nebraska to just 47 rushing yards on 37 attempts. Still, Nebraska's rushing output in the first six games of the season is the Huskers' best through six games since 2000. The Huskers averaged 366.5 rushing yards per game through six contests in 2000.
Senior I-back Ameer Abdullah has topped 1,000 yards on the ground each of the past two seasons, and is one of only nine players in Nebraska history with a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Abdullah is attempting to become the first player in Husker history with three 1,000-yard seasons. Abdullah, has posted 878 rushing yards through six games in 2014, ranks sixth all-time in Big Ten history in career all-purpose yards (6,089).
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