August 31, 1998

NORTHWESTERN (0-0) vs. UNLV (0-0)

Date/Time: Sept. 5, 1998/11:30 a.m. CT
Site/Capacity: Ryan Field/47,129
Television: None in Chicagoland (Las Vegas TV 33 only)
Radio: WGN (720 AM), WNUR (89.3 FM)

The Northwestern Wildcats open the 1998 season this Saturday, Sept. 5, at Ryan Field when they take on the Rebels of UNLV. This is the first matchup for the two teams on the Gridiron and serves as UNLV's season opener as well. Northwestern has a 65-39-5 (.619) record in season openers.

Head Coach Gary Barnett

Gary Barnett is in his seventh season at the helm of the Northwestern Wildcats after overseeing one of the most masterful program turnarounds in college football history. Hired in 1992, he took a school which hadn't enjoyed a winning season in 20 years, and in just four years had it sitting on the top of the world as Big Ten champs. The following year, Barnett proved to the naysayers that 1995 wasn't a fluke by repeating as Big Ten champions. The 52-year-old native of Lakeland, Fla., has won every major "Coach of the Year" award, and has compiled a 32-36-1 record at Northwestern.

Prior to eight seasons as an assistant at the University of Colorado, Barnett served as the head coach for Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., for two years beginning in 1982.

Barnett graduated from the University of Missouri in 1969 with a degree in social studies, and later earned a master's degree in education from his alma mater. At Missouri, he played wide receiver and participated in the 1966 Sugar Bowl and the 1968 Gator Bowl while with the Tigers.

The Captains

As voted upon by their teammates and coaches, the captains for the 1998 Northwestern football team are wide receiver D'Wayne Bates, linebacker Barry Gardner, fullback Matt Hartl and offensive lineman Bryan LaBelle. All four are seniors.

Bates, who missed last season due to a broken leg suffered in the 'Cats victory over Oklahoma in the Pigskin Classic, led the Big Ten in receptions and reception yards in 1996 and was a Playboy All-American in 1997. Gardner is in his second duty as a captain, having served in the same capacity last year. The former walk-on led the Big Ten in total tackles in 1997 and was selected first-team All-Big Ten. Hartl, who was a major force in the Wildcats' drive to the Rose Bowl in 1995, will miss this season while undergoing chemotherapy to fight Hodgkin's Disease. This is his second bout with this form of cancer. LaBelle, a roommate of Hartl's, started in all 12 games last year at tight tackle.

1997 In Review

Northwestern's 1997 football season was buoyed by impressive victories at the beginning and end of the year. The Wildcats opened the 1997 college football season at Soldier Field when they shutout Oklahoma, 24-0, in the Pigskin Classic on Aug. 23 and ended their campaign by beating the Iowa Hawkeyes, 15-14, at Ryan Field on Nov. 15. However, there were many ups and downs in between these triumphs.

After beating Duke in the inaugural game at Ryan Field, the Wildcats saw their 12-game home winning streak come to an end when they lost by six points to Rice. Following a loss to the resurgent Boilermakers in West Lafayette, NU came back strong against Wisconsin in a night game at Evanston. A bit of deja-vu nipped the 'Cats, as it was the Badgers this time who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a last second 48-yard field goal.

Head coach Gary Barnett didn't let his troops lose faith after a four-game losing streak which included a close battle (13-6 in the fourth quarter) with a Michigan team that would later become the nation's No.1 ranked squad. The very next week in Evanston, the 'Cats upset the No. 12 ranked Michigan State Spartans by blocking a last second field goal to seal the win.

After a setback in Columbus to another top 10 team and a close (30-27) call against the No. 2 ranked Nittany Lions, Northwestern righted itself with consecutive victories. The Wildcats ended the season an impressive win in Champaign over rival Illinois and an upset of the No. 22 ranked Hawkeyes at Ryan Field.

Facts and Firsts Following The 1997 Season

The Wildcats have now won three straight over Iowa and Illinois.
Adrian Autry became the seventh Wildcat to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
Casey Dailey became NU's all-time, as well as season, TFL and sack leader. His 26 TFLs last season was tops in the Big Ten.
Barry Gardner led the Big Ten in tackles with 174 stops.
Brian Gowins led the Big Ten in field goals made (20).
Brian Musso finished his career as the Big Ten's all-time leader in punt returns (1,075 yards), only to lose the title the next week to Iowa's Tim Dwight.
The last 10 games in Evanston have been decided by six points or less.

Barnett To Be Launched Into CyberSpace

Head coach Gary Barnett will take part in a live chat session each Wednesday from 7 to 7:15 p.m. during the football season. Fans can logon at nusports.com and go to the football page. The feature begins next Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Big Ten Tackle Leader

In just his second season as a starter, captain Barry Gardner finished 1997 first in the Big Ten in total tackles (174). He also led the conference in solo stops (112) and tackles per game (14.5). Gardner led the team in tackles in nine of the 12 games in 1997, including a career-best 22-tackle performance versus Penn State and two 20-tackle outings at Wake Forest and Michigan.

The senior linebacker has recovered seven fumbles, thus far in his career, and that is tied for first place in the NU record book. Gardner recovered four in 1996 (two versus Michigan and Purdue) and came up with one versus Oklahoma, Wake Forest and Illinois in 1997. Gardner also intercepted two passes last season: one to seal the win against Oklahoma and one in the Rice game which led to an NU touchdown on the very next play.

The 1997 GTE Second-Team Academic All-American's 174 tackles was the fourth-best season total in NU history. Gardner currently has 289 career stops.

Gardner's tackle line in 1997: Oklahoma (11), Wake Forest (20), Duke (13), Rice (14), Purdue (11), Wisconsin (8), Michigan (20), Michigan State (15), Ohio State (14), Penn State (22), Illinois (9) and Iowa (17).

D'Wayne Bates

All-Big Ten receiver D'Wayne Bates returns to the Wildcat lineup after missing most of 1997. In the season opener versus Oklahoma, Bates suffered a broken leg. Below are some of his accomplishments as a Wildcat.

Bates has made at least one reception in his last 21-straight contests and 24 of 25 in his NU career. He has made at least four receptions in 14 of his last 17 games.
Eighty-eight of his career 127 receptions have been for first downs (69.3%).
Bates now has 127 catches for 2,125 yards in his NU career. The 127 catches rank fifth-best in NU history. In fourth place is Brian Musso (1994-97) with 132 receptions, while the career record of 197 is held by Richard Buchanan (1988-90).
Bates is in second place on the all-time NU receiving list with 2,125 yards. The NU career record of 2,474 yards is also held by Buchanan.
Bates set the NU single-season receiving mark in 1996 with 1,196 yards.

Four-Straight 1,000 Yard Rushers

In each of the last four seasons, a Northwestern running back has accumulated more than 1,000 yards on the ground. Dennis Lundy did it in 1994, Darnell Autry in 1995 and 1996 and Adrian Autry accomplished the feat in 1997. The question is who will be the next Wildcat to carry on the 1,000 yard tradition?

Gowins Kicks His Way Into Record Book

Brian Gowins ended the 1997 season in second place on NU's all-time career field goals made list with 41. The senior finished the season as the Big Ten's leader in field goals made. His 20 field goals was an NU record as was his nine-consecutive games making at least one field goal. In addition, Gowins made two or more field goals in a game eight times, also a Wildcat record. His 52-yard field goal at Michigan was the second longest in NU history and was a career best. Gowins, a first-team All-Big Ten selection last year, enters the 1998 season with 190 career points, good for second on NU's all-time kick scoring list

Big 'Uns

For the fifth-straight year, Northwestern boasts a roster with several players over 300 pounds. Offensive lineman and their poundage are as follows: Adam Fay (301), Ryan Friedrich (311), Brian Hemmerle (315), Lance Clelland (301), Bryan LaBelle (317) and Javiar Collins (305).

The starting offensive line of Clelland, Friedrich, Ty Garner (294), Hemmerle and LaBelle combine for a stout average of 307.6, up 8.6 pounds from 1997.

Neighborhood Day

The neighbors surrounding Ryan Field have been invited as guests of the University for the UNLV game. Last year, for the inaugural "Neighborhood Day" more than 600 Ryan Field neighbors turned out to help christen the newly remolded stadium.

Wildcats On The Tube

Since 1995, 33 of NU's 36 contests have been televised. In 1997, 11 of NU's games were selected for broadcast: This season the Duke (ESPN Regional), Wisconsin (ESPN Regional), and Michigan games (ESPN) have already been selected for broadcast. The UNLV (Las Vegas T.V. 33) and Rice games will be televised in their markets only.

Since NU football was first televised on October 27, 1951, when the 'Cats entertained the Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern, the Wildcats have been featured on 83 occasions.

The Gary Barnett Show

Look for The Gary Barnett Show next Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m. on Fox Sports Chicago. The show will be repeated at 1 a.m. on Sept. 9 and 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 10. Dave Eanet, the voice of Wildcat Football on WGN Radio, serves as the host.

A new feature this year is "Ask the Coach." Fans can send in their questions to Coach Barnett at nusports.com and if their question is read on the show, they'll receive an Northwestern football cap courtesy of adidas and NU.

Up Next

Following the UNLV contest, Northwestern's next game will be versus Duke at Ryan Field on Sept. 12 at 11:30 a.m. The game will be televised in the Chicagoland area by ESPN Regional.

Northwestern University Athletics