NCAA Football: Northwestern at MichiganNCAA Football: Northwestern at Michigan

No. 13 Northwestern Suffers First Defeat at No. 18 Michigan

YouTube Opens in a new window
STORIFY SOCIAL MEDIA RECAP

Watch: Highlights | Coach Fitzgerald Press Conference | Players Press Conference  
Photo Gallery | Postgame Notes | Postgame Quotes

ANN ARBOR, Mich. --
No. 18 Michigan took the opening kickoff of the game 96 yards for a touchdown and No. 13 Northwestern never recovered, dropping its first game of the season, 38-0.
 
The 5-1 (1-1) Wildcats return home Saturday, Oct. 17, for a huge West Division showdown against the undefeated Hawkeyes of Iowa for Homecoming 2015 in a game that has huge implications in the Big Ten race. Tickets are available now at NUsports.com.
 
The game will feature a 20th anniversary reunion of the 1995 Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl team. All-America running back Darnell Autry will serve as grand marshal of the Homecoming parade Friday during an entire weekend of festivities. Again, tickets are available now at NUsports.com.
 
On Saturday in Ann Arbor, the Wildcats fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by the Wolverines' Drake Johnson and 2-yard quarterback keeper by Jake Rudock after the opening kick return.
 
The 'Cats' defense was able to slow the Wolverines down in the second quarter, but an interception by Jourdan Lewis was returned 36 yards for a touchdown to extend Michigan's lead to 28-0 at the half.
 
The Wolverines added a field goal on their first drive of the second half, then both teams kept each other off the scoreboard until a late Michigan score with mostly reserves on the field accounted for the final 38-0 score.
 
With 14 of U-M's points coming on a kickoff return and an interception return, the #B1GCats defense surrendered just 17 points in the contest until a late touchdown. Senior Deonte Gibson had a strong day on the D-line, earning a career-high 2.5 sacks to move into the top-10 all-time at Northwestern with 11 in his career. Godwin Igwebuike also made several TFLs among his eight tackles in the game.

The game marked third-consecutive shutout for Michigan, the first time an NCAA FBS Division school has accomplished that feat since 1980.
 

••••••

Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To interact directly with the #B1GCats, visit our Social Media page!