Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats and Illinois Set to Renew Rivalry
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
September 28, 1998
NORTHWESTERN (2-2, 0-1) vs. Illinois (1-3, 0-1 )
Date/Time: Oct, 2, 1998/11:10 a.m. CT
Site/Capacity: Ryan Field/47,129
Television: ESPN Regional -- WBBM-Ch. 2 in Chicago
Radio: WGN (720 AM)
Northwestern fell to Wisconsin in Madison last Saturday, and in the process dropped to 2-2 overall, 0-1 in the Big Ten.
The Wildcats tried unsuccessfully to attempt an onside kick to start the game, but the defense came out strong and stopped the Badger offense on its first possession. The 'Cats then collected two first downs before their drive stalled on an incomplete pass on third and 16. The ensuing punt was blocked and it was returned for a touchdown. That seemed to typify the Wildcats' play all day; decent ball movement that would end due to penalties and incomplete passes on third and long situations.
Northwestern did have some bright spots in its setback. Freshman Sam Simmons continued his great freshman campaign by scoring his first collegiate touchdown in the waning seconds of the contest. He made a diving 46-yard catch in the end zone from quarterback Nick Kreinbrink.
All-America candidate D'Wayne Bates caught seven passes for 96 yards for the second game in a row. In the process, he became Northwestern's all-time receiving yards leader (2,499). The Biletnikoff candidate has now caught at least one pass in 25-consecutive starts, tying him for first place in the Wildcat record book with Mark Bailey (1975-77).
Butkus Award candidate Barry Gardner led the defense with 14 tackles (10 solo), followed by Conrad Emmerich and Mycal Jones who each had eight stops. Gardner has now recorded double-figure tackles in 13 of his last 16 games and leads the Big Ten in tackles with 59.
The 'Cats will try to right themselves this Saturday when they take on state-rival Illinois at Ryan Field. The Wildcats hope to extend their winning streak over the Illini to four games in the battle for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk.
Game time is set for 11:10 a.m. and the game can be seen in the Chicagoland area on WBBM-Ch 2. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling the Wildcat Ticket Office at 847-491-CATS.
Illinois Series
Series Record: UI leads, 47-39-5
First Meeting: 1892, tied 16-16
Last UI Win at NU 1994, 28-7
Last NU Win at NU 1996, 27-24
Current Series Streak: NU, 3 games
UIs Largest Margin of Victory: 66 pts., 66-0 in 1894
NUs Largest Margin of Victory: 48 pts., 48-0 in 1970
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 34-38-1 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.
Facts and Firsts Following Wisconsin
Brian Gowins inched one point closer to becoming NU's all-time overall leading scorer. Gowins has 216 career points, while Darnell Autry ended his career with 222 points.
Barry Gardner's 14 tackles on Saturday marked the 13th time in his last 16 games that he has recorded double-figures in stops.
Gardner now has 352 career tackles, surpassing Eric Collier (342 from 1994-97) and Paul Maly (343 from 1973-77) for fourth place on NU's all-time tackle list.
D'Wayne Bates had 96 yards receiving, and in the process became NU's all-time career receiving leader. Bates currently has 2,499 yards, surpassing Richard Buchanan (1987-90) who ended his career with 2,474 yards.
Bates has caught a pass in his last 25-consecutive games, tying the NU record set by Mark Bailey from 1975-77.
Honoring The 1949 Rose Bowl Team
At halftime of the Illinois game, Northwestern will honor the 1949 Rose Bowl team. It has been 50 years since the 1948 Wildcat team made the trip to Pasadena and downed California, 20-14.
Head coach Bob Voigts will be in attendance and an amazing 40 members from that team will be on the field Saturday. They are: John Aberson, Thomas Allen, William Biel, Rudy Cernoch, Littrell Clark, Peter Clarke, Armand Cureau, Lawrence Day, Loran Day, Ray Farley, Richard Flowers, William Forman, Charles Hagmann, George Hlebasko, Burton Keddie, Bernard Knauer, George Maddock, John Mallory, Robert Martin, Howard Medbery, Robert Meeder, Sr., Gene Miller, John Miller, Edward Neemeth, Robert Nowicki, Leroy Pantera, James Parsegian, Gaspar Perricone, Charles Petter, Ralph Rossi, Alex Sarkisian, W. Stephen Sawle, Joseph Sewell, Donald Stonesifer, George Sundheim, Jr., Edward Tunnicliff, Thomas Worthington, John Yungwirth, Joseph Zuravleff. Also on the field will be assistant coach Robert Clifford, team trainer Lyle Hancock and manager Dick Coldren.
Sarkisian To Be Honored For Hall Induction
Also at halftime, Alex Sarkisian, the captain of the 1949 Rose Bowl team, will be honored for his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Jay Burwanger, the first-ever winner of the Heisman Trophy, will be at midfield to present a commemorative plaque from the College Football Foundation to Sarkisian.
Kickoff Time for Iowa Game Announced
The Wildcats' game at Iowa on October 10 has been set for 11:10 a.m. central time. The game will be televised live by ESPN2.
Fourth-Quarter Defense
The Wildcats have allowed just 141 fourth-quarter yards this season for a 35.3 yards per game average. In the last two games, Rice and Wisconsin combined for just 39 yards on 26 plays in the fourth quarter. No offensive touchdowns have been scored against NU in the closing quarter, however, Duke did manage a field goal. Wisconsin's TD came on special teams.
The Captains
As voted upon by their teammates and coaches, the captains for the 1998 Northwestern football team are wide receiver DWayne 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 Hartls, started in all 12 games last year at tight tackle.
Lost In (Cyber) Space
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 log on at nusports.com and go to the football page. The feature, which began on Wednesday, Sept. 9, was the most highly attended chat session that fansonly.com (nusports.com's web server) has ever had. Barnett was also the featured guest on America On-Line's Athlete Direct Prime last month.
Big Ten Tackle Leader
Two-time 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). This year, he is off to a great start, leading the Wildcat defense to a smothering attack against UNLV. NU limited the Rebels to just 35 yards rushing and only eight first downs. The 'Cats also only allowed UNLV to convert two of its 13 third-down conversion attempts. Versus Duke Gardner tallied 19 total tackles (15 solo stops) to lead NU. At Rice, the senior led all players with 20 tackles, 13 of which were solo efforts. In Madison, he again led all players, this time with 14 total tackles (10 solo). Gardner has now produced double figure tackle games in 13 of the last 16 contests.
The 1997 GTE Second-Team Academic All-American's 174 tackles was the fourth-best season total in NU history. Gardner currently has 352 career stops, good for fourth place on NU's career tackle list. He leaped-frogged over Eric Collier (342 from 1994-97) and Paul Maly (343 from 1973-77). William Bennett holds down the third spot with 418 tackles (1992-95).
Gardner's 59 tackles this year leads the Big Ten. The Butkus Award candidate's tackle line in 1998: UNLV (6), Duke (19), Rice (20) and Wisconsin (14).
Best Conditioned Athletes
Wildcat strength coach Larry Lilja is legendary at NU for the grueling workouts that he puts the Wildcats through. His top five conditioned players with their bench and 40-yard dash statistics are:
1) LB Barry Gardner: Bench (435), 40 Yard Dash (4.68)
2) DL Jeff Dyra: Bench (425), 40 Yard Dash (4.88)
3) FB Sean Bennett: Bench (375), 40 Yard Dash (4.51)
4) TE John Cerasani: Bench (404), 40 Yard Dash (4.97)
5) FS Rashad Morton: Bench (335), 40 Yard Dash (4.54)
D'Wayne Bates
All-Big Ten receiver D'Wayne Bates returned to the Wildcat lineup in dramatic fashion after missing most of 1997 with a broken leg. Against UNLV he caught nine passes for 156 yards and scored two touchdowns. In the process, he became the first Wildcat to record 10 games of 100 or more yards in receiving. Also this season, he became NU's all-time career receiving yards leader when he caught seven passes for 96 yards at Wisconsin. Below are a list of some of Bates' accomplishments as a Wildcat. The Big Ten Conference tabbed him the Offensive Player of the Week for his play against UNLV.
Bates has made at least one reception in his last 25-straight contests and 28 of 29 in his NU career. He has made at least four receptions in 17 of his last 21 games.
102 of his career 153 catches have been for first downs (67%).
Bates now has 153 catches in his NU career. This tally ranks third-best in NU history. In second place is Lee Gissendaner with 156 receptions, while the career record of 197 is held by Richard Buchanan (1988-90).
Bates is in first place on the all-time NU receiving list with 2,499 yards.
Bates has caught a pass in his last 25-consecutive games, tying the NU record set by Mark Bailey from 1975-77.
Bates set the NU single-season receiving mark in 1996 with 1,196 yards.
Although Bates has an NU record 12 career 100-yard receiving games, he also has recorded six other games where he has recorded between 90-99 yards receiving, including the last two at Rice and Wisconsin.
Gowins Kicks His Way Into Record Book
Brian Gowins, who led the Big Ten in field goals made last year (20), is methodically kicking his way to the top of a lot of the charts in the NU record book. Below are the records the first-team All-Big Ten performer holds or is close to breaking:
Most points scored by a kicker: 216 points, first place.
Career field goals made: 47, first place
Most field goals in a season: 20, first place.
Most consecutive games making a field goal: nine-consecutive games in 1997, first place.
Two or more field goals in a game: nine (season), 19 (career), first place.
Most field goals 40-yards or more: 17, first place.
Longest field goal: 52 yards, second on NU list, two yards shy of Nick Mirkopulos' 54 yarder in 1975
Career scoring leaders: 216 points, second place, six behind Darnell Autry (222 points from 1994-1996).
Biletnikoff Award
D'Wayne Bates has been named to the initial "Watch List" for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the nation's best college football receiver. A selection committee will pare down the list to 10 semifinalists in late October. This is the second year that Bates has been named to the Biletnikoff watch list.
Thorpe Award
Mike Nelson is one of 44 prospects for the 1998 Jim Thorpe Award given annually to the nation's best defensive back in college football. Three finalists will be invited to ESPN's College Football Awards Show, broadcast December 10 from Disney World.
Butkus Award
Barry Gardner is one of 68 players on the Butkus Award's initial watch list. The Butkus Award is given annually to the nation's best collegiate linebacker. The list will be trimmed to 10 finalists on October 15 and three finalists will be announced via a national teleconference on November 12. The winner will be announced on December 11 at the Butkus Award Gala in Orlando.
Youth Movement
Traditionally, college freshmen arrive at school and are immediately given a red shirt to wear around for the whole year. Not really a "red shirt", but a redshirt year to get bigger, stronger and smarter in their new surroundings. Coach Barnett and his staff are not subscribing to the conventional wisdom this season. As many as 10 freshmen could see playing time in 1998.
True freshmen who have played this season are Kevin Bentley, a linebacker from Van Nuys, Calif., Blake Henry, a offensive tackle from Towson, Md., Wayne Lucier, a tight end/offensive tackle from Salem, N.H., and Sam Simmons, a wide receiver from Kansas City, Mo. Against Duke, Barnett utilized two more freshmen Billy Silva and Rashidi Wheeler. Silva played on special teams while Wheeler saw three plays in the defensive backfield.
Other players who might see action this season are:
Pete Chapman, defensive line, Aurora, Colo.
Raheem Covington, defensive back, Pine Hill, N.J.
Chris Jones, linebacker, Garland, Texas
A Star Is Born
True freshman Sam Simmons is the brightest star of the 1998 recruiting class, thus far. Simmons, who is ranked fifth in the nation in kick-off returns, has turned quite a few heads in the 'Cats first four games. In addition to his remarkable 46-yard TD grab at Wisconsin, below is a look at the wide receivers statistics:
Kick Returns: eight for 285 yards, 35.6 average, long of 67
Receiving: four for 120 yards, 30.0 average, one TD, long of 46
Rushing: five for 19 yards, 3.8 average, long of 11
Wildcats On The Tube
Since 1995, 36 of NU's 39 contests have been televised. In 1997, 11 of NU's games were selected for broadcast: This season the Duke (ESPN Regional), Wisconsin (ESPN Regional), Illinois (ESPN Regional), Iowa (ESPN2) and Michigan games (ESPN) have already been selected for broadcast. The UNLV (Las Vegas T.V. 33) game was televised in its market only, while the Rice contest was not televised.
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 85 occasions.
Award Winners
Below is a list award winners, thus far, for the 1998 season:
D'Wayne Bates, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week -- 9/7
Brian Gowins, Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week -- 9/21
Nationally Ranked
The following Wildcats were ranked among the national leaders in the following categories:
Kickoff Return: Sam Simmons, 35.63 ypr -- 5th
Pass Receptions: D'Wayne Bates, 6.50 cpg -- 18th
Receiving Yards: D'Wayne Bates, 93.50 ypg -- 24th
Interceptions: Mike Nelson, .50 ipg -- (t) 34th
Field Goals: Brian Gowins, 1.5 fgpg -- (t) 14th
As a team the Wildcats were ranked in the top 25 in the following categories:
Kickoff Returns: 26.4 avg. -- 16th
Pass Efficiency Defense 49.45 comp. pct. -- 45th
The Champions
After the Illinois contest, the NU coaching staff named the following players as plaque winners of the weekly "Champion Club." O-Line: none; O-Back: D'Wayne Bates; D-Line: None; D-Back: Barry Gardner; Kick: J.J. Standring, Rookie: Chris Stiernagle; Scout: Mark Lapadula.
The Gary Barnett Show
Look for The Gary Barnett Show Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 4:00 p.m. on Fox Sports Chicago. The show will be repeated at 1 a.m. on Sept. 30 and 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 1. 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, theyll receive an Northwestern football cap courtesy of adidas and NU.
Up Next
Following the Illinois contest, the Wildcats take to the road to do battle with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Game time is 11:10 a.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
