Northwestern University Athletics
Football Team Hosts Iowa in Homecoming Game
10/15/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 15, 1999
NORTHWESTERN FOOTBALL (2-4, 0-3) vs. Iowa (1-4, 0-2)
Date/Time: Oct. 16, 1999/11:00 a.m.
Site/Capacity: Ryan Field (47,130)
Television: ESPN Regional (Channel 2, locally)
Radio: WGN (720 AM)
Game Sponsor: LaSalle Banks
The Wildcats entertain the Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday at Ryan Field for Homecoming 1999. Both teams are looking for their first league wins of the season. Iowa enters the game with a 1-4 record and a 0-2 mark in Big Ten play. Northwestern is currently 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the conference. Saturday?s matchup between Northwestern and Iowa marks the 63rd meeting between the two teams. Iowa won last year, 26-24 ? however, the ?Cats were victorious in the previous three contests.
IOWA SERIES
Series Record: 42-17-3, Iowa leads
First Meeting: 1897, Iowa won, 12-6
Last UI win at NU: 1993, 23-19
Last NU win at NU: 1997, 15-14
Current Series Streak: Iowa, one game
NU?s Largest Victory Margin: 38 points, 44-6 in 1932
UI?s Largest Victory Margin: 72 points, 78-6 in 1913
HEAD COACH RANDY WALKER
Randy Walker took over the reins of the Northwestern football program on January 20, 1999 with an impressive coaching resume. The 45-year-old Walker, who had coached Miami University for nine seasons, departed Oxford as the winningest head coach in school history. His mark at Miami of 59-35-5 (.621) is even more impressive when you consider the coaching greats which Miami had produced: Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler... and the list goes on. Walker graduated from Miami in 1976 with a B.A. in social studies education and earned a master?s degree in educational administration from his alma mater in 1981. He starred for MU as a fullback, leading them to three-straight Tangerine Bowl victories. Upon graduation, Walker was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, but returned to Miami to help as a graduate assistant and the next year became a full-time assistant in charge of running backs under Dick Crum. When Coach Crum departed for North Carolina, Walker joined him and spent the next 10 seasons as a Tar Heel. He coached various positions, ending up as the offensive coordinator. From there, he spent two seasons as Northwestern?s running backs coach (1988-89) and, in 1990, took over as the head coach at Miami.
CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Following the Indiana game, eight players earned Championship Performance recognition from the NU coaching staff. They were Damien Anderson, Kevin Bentley, Leon Brockmeier, Napoleon Harris, Darryl Hodge, Austin King, Tim Long and Kyle Sanders. Each player earned an N-Cat decal that will be placed on his helmet. The offensive player of the game was Damien Anderson, the defensive player of the game was Kevin Bentley and the special teams player of the game was Tim Long. The Defensive Big Playmaker was Harold Blackmon, while the Offensive Big Playmaker was Leon Brockmeier. The Offensive Scout of the Week was Quentin Brown and the Defensive Scout of the Week was Gabe Nyenhuis. These two players also receive N-Cat helmet decals.
NOTES FOLLOWING THE INDIANA GAME
? QB Zak Kustok ran for 75 yards, the most yards in a game for a Northwestern quarterback since Mike Greenfield gained 83 yards against Wisconsin in 1987.
? RB Damien Anderson gained 91 yards against Indiana, giving him 589 for the season. That is his career-high for a single season.
? DB Harold Blackmon recorded his fourth career interception, returning it 75 yards for a TD.
? This year Northwestern has picked off two passes and returned both of them for touchdowns.
? Teddy Johnson, who made a splash as a wide receiver two weeks ago at Purdue, returned kicks for the first time this season against Indiana and had a 64-yard return in the third quarter. That is Northwestern?s longest kickoff return this year. Overall, he returned three kicks a total of 98 yards.
? Kevin Bentley had 25 tackles (21 solo), while Napoleon Harris had 23 tackles (12 solo). Both were career highs.
? The last time an NU player had 20 tackles was last year against Michigan, when Barry Gardner had 20 (11 solo, 9 assisted).
? Northwestern scored on its opening drive for the first time this year. Its 14 first-quarter points marks the best output of the year for that quarter.
? Dwayne Missouri had one TFL and now has a total of 13 for the season. In addition, he extended his TFL game streak to 11 contests. He has 22 career TFLs and had only seven in 1998.
? Missouri?s 37 tackles for the season is a personal high.
INDIANA GAME RECAP
A quick start went for naught last Saturday, as Northwestern scored the first 14 points of its game with Indiana but took a 34-17 loss in Bloomington. NU, led by Zak Kustok making his first collegiate start at QB, sliced right through Indiana's defense on the first possession of the game. The drive went 75 yards in 10 plays with Damien Anderson running it in from four yards out for the score. Anderson was the workhorse on the drive, carrying six times for 41 yards, while Kustok added a key 26-yard gain. Northwestern seemed to be even more in control at the very end of the first, when Harold Blackmon was the beneficiary of a missed reception by the Hoosiers. Collecting the ball at his own 25, Blackmon ran down the right sideline all the way for the score to give NU a 14-0 lead as the quarter ended. It was the second interception for the Wildcats this year, and both have gone for touchdowns. The change in direction on the field, however, served as a metaphor for a change of direction in momentum. In the second quarter, Indiana gained possession of the ball three times, and all three times the drive ended with the Hoosiers in the end zone. IU then started the second half with a field goal (even though the ?Cats got a hand on the attempt) for a 24-14 lead. Northwestern briefly came to life, as Teddy Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 64 yards to the Indiana 28-yard line. The drive stalled on the Hoosiers' 13, though, and the Wildcats had to settle for a 30-yard field goal from Tim Long. Later, a golden opportunity to tie the game went by the boards when a 67-yard TD run by Anderson was brought back on a holding call. That proved to be the final blow NU would land, as Indiana tacked on another field goal and a final touchdown in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring. Kustok?s total on the ground of 75 yards in 11 carries was the best by a Wildcat QB since Mike Greenfield gained 83 against Wisconsin in 1987. Anderson added 91 yards to lead the ground game, giving him 589 yards for the year -- a career high.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Northwestern has recorded two interceptions this season and both have been returned for scores. Kevin Bentley returned a Drew Brees pass 40 yards for a score at Purdue, while Harold Blackmon scampered 75 yards for six points after intercepting an Antwaan Randle El pass at Indiana.
YOUNG TEAM
Did you know that of the 44 players on Northwestern?s two deep, only five are graduating seniors? They are wide receiver Aaron Burrell, tight end John Cerasani, guard Brian Hemmerle, free safety Kyle Sanders and tight end Jay Tant. Tant is currently the lone starter of the five.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Six true freshmen have seen playing time in each of the Wildcats? contests this season. Center Austin King has started in the last four contests, while running back Louis Ayeni has 12 rushes for 37 yards and 15 kickoff returns for 241 yards (16.1 ypr). Wide receiver Jon Schweighardt, who started in the last contest , has tallied six receptions for 90 yards overall and has returned five punts for 18 yards. Linebackers Vince Cartaya, Pat Durr and Regis Eller have notched two, four and two tackles, respectively.
WILDCATS IN THE NFL
As of September 22, the following former Northwestern players were on NFL rosters:
Darrell Ashmore, offensive tackle, Oakland Raiders, D?Wayne Bates, wide receiver, Chicago Bears, Sean Bennett, running back, N.Y. Giants, Bob Christian, running back, Atlanta Falcons, Casey Dailey, linebacker, N.Y. Jets, Barry Gardner, linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles, Brian Gowins, placekicker, Chicago Bears, Bryan LaBelle, offensive tackle, New Orleans Saints, Matt O?Dwyer, offensive guard, Cincinnati Bengals
CHICAGO CONNECTION
Northwestern?s two-deep is loaded with players from the Chicagoland area. On offense: Tight end John Cerasani (Schaumburg/Schaumburg), wide receiver Teddy Johnson (Elgin/Larkin), wide receiver Jon Schweighardt (Wheaton/Wheaton-Warrenville), fullback Mike Sherry (Griffith, Ind./Griffith), wide receiver Derrick Thompson (Harvey/Thornton Township) and offensive lineman Jon Walters (Naperville/Central). On defense: D-Back Harold Blackmon (Chicago/Leo), linebacker Pat Durr (St. Charles/St. Charles), defensive tackle Jeff Dyra (Chicago/St. Patrick), and defensive end Pete Konopka (Marengo/Marion). On special teams: Long snapper Jack Harnedy (Chicago/Mt. Carmel) and punter J.J. Standring (Chicago/St. Rita).
DAMIEN ANDERSON
With five games left to play, Damien Anderson has already had a career-best season in rushing yards. After gaining 537 yards in 1998, the redshirt junior running back has already amassed 589 yards in 1999. He is currently ranked fourth in the conference and 31st in the country with a 98.2 yards per game average. Three weeks ago at Purdue, Anderson set career highs for rushing yards (150) and rushing attempts (38).
KEVIN BENTLEY -- BIG TEN'S LEADING TACKLER
Sophomore linebacker Kevin Bentley has picked up where Barry Gardner left off last year. He is one of the nation?s top tacklers. In six games, he has registered 78 total tackles (tops in the Big Ten), 52 (second in the conference) of which are solo efforts. In addition, he has one pass interception for a 40-yard touchdown to his credit as well as three PBUs, two sacks for 20 yards, four TFLs and two fumble recoveries. Against Indiana, he had a career-high 25 stops, 21 of which were solo.
DWAYNE MISSOURI
Redshirt senior Dwayne Missouri has become a force in the Big Ten from his defensive end position. Since the Ohio State game in 1998, Missouri has recorded a tackle for loss in 11-straight contests. In six games this season, Missouri leads the ?Cats in sacks (five for 39 yards) and tackles for loss (13 for 64 yards). Last year in 12 games, Thor Schmidt led NU in both categories. He had six sacks and 12 TFLs.
SAM SIMMONS
Last year as a true freshman, Sam Simmons made the biggest impact of the 1998 recruiting class. Simmons led the Big Ten and ranked eighth in the nation in kickoff returns (22 for 607 yards, 27.6 ypr). In addition, Simmons made a remarkable 46-yard TD grab at Wisconsin, showed great moves in a 20-yard TD run at Penn State and had a 67-yard kick return at Rice. In six games this season, Simmons has returned 11 punts for an average of 15.4 ypr (including an 87-yard score), five kickoffs for an average of 26.2 ypr, 12 receptions for a 21.8 ypc average (including a 71-yard reception vs. TCU and a 27-yard TD catch in OT at Duke) and 11 rushes, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Simmons was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his 87-yard punt return score in the TCU contest.
BEST CONDITIONED ATHLETES
Strength and conditioning are two topics that Coach Walker preaches the most. His top five best conditioned players are linebacker Kevin Bentley, defensive tackle Jeff Dyra, tight end Jay Tant and linebackers Salem Simon and Conrad Emmerich. The results were based on bench, squat, clean, 40-yard dash, pro shuttle, 300-yard shuttle and vertical leap.
TELEVISED GAMES IN 1999
Since 1995, 47 of NU's 52 contests have been televised. In 1998, all 12 of NU?s games were shown on television. Thus far this season, the TCU (ESPN Regional), Duke (Jefferson Pilot) Purdue (ESPN2), Minnesota (MSC) and Iowa (ESPN Regional) games have been selected for broadcast. Other games may be selected for broadcast 10 to 12 days prior to the contest. Since NU football was first televised on October 27, 1951 ? when the 'Cats entertained Wisconsin in Evanston ? the Wildcats have been featured on 98 occasions.
DYRA LOST FOR THE SEASON
Defensive tackle Jeff Dyra broke his left foot during the Indiana contest and will miss the remainder of the 1999 season. The fifth-year senior was diagnosed with a slight stress fracture in the foot prior to the Duke contest, but was able to play effectively in the next three games. Dyra was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection in 1998 despite missing the final four games due to a sprained knee. He was enjoying his best season prior to the injury. Dyra had a career-best 32 tackles, including five TFLs, two QB sacks, one fumble recovery and one PBU. For his career, he collected 79 tackles, 14 TFLs and five sacks.
OUT FOR THE SEASON
? Ty Garner, a senior offensive lineman, suffered a torn ACL & MCL last year in practice. He took a medical noncounter and even though he has one year of eligibility remaining, his injuries preclude him from returning to football.
? Chris Jones, a sophomore linebacker, tore his ACL in the Miami game. He will have surgery sometime in the near future.
? Scott Musso, a fifth-year senior defensive back, suffered a career-ending injury when he tore his achilles last year. He took a medical noncounter.
THE RANDY WALKER
Look for The Randy Walker Show Tue., Oct. 19 at 5:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Chicago. The show will be repeated at 1:30 a.m. on Wed., Oct. 20 and at 3 p.m. on Fri., Oct. 22. Dave Eanet, the voice of Wildcat Football on WGN Radio, serves as the host. The show will feature an ?Ameritech Ask the Coach? segment. Fans can send in their questions to Coach Walker at nusports.com and if their question is read on the show, they?ll receive a Gift Pack, courtesy of Ameritech.
HARRY CARAY LUNCHEONS
Coach Walker, selected players and Wildcat fans meet at Harry Caray?s Restaurant the Friday before home football games. The festivities begin with a reception at 11:30 a.m. and the luncheon starts at noon. Harry Caray?s is located at 33 West Kinzie in downtown Chicago. Members of the media are invited to cover the luncheon, however, if you wish to eat, please contact Jean Yale at 847-491-3694 to make a reservation. Tickets are $25 apiece.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats have a week off and then return to action on October 30 when they entertain the Wisconsin Badgers. The game time has yet to be announced due to television selections.
