Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Entertain Penn State This Weekend
11/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 3, 2003
NU FB Notes vs. Penn State
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The Game
After dropping a 34-14 decision at 16th-ranked Purdue, Northwestern returns to Ryan Field this week, entertaining Penn State at 11 a.m. this Saturday. The Wildcats close out their home schedule the following week with a contest vs. Michigan (the kickoff time for this game may not be announced until Nov. 10). ESPN2 is televising the matchup between the Wildcats and Nittany Lions-it is Northwestern's third straight nationally televised contest.
Penn State, still seeking its first Big Ten win, is coming off a stretch of playing three straight nationally ranked clubs. In their last outing, the Nittany Lions turned in a valiant effort against defending national champion Ohio State, but succumbed to the Buckeyes, 21-20. Penn State held a 17-7 halftime advantage before Ohio State rallied for the victory. The Nittany Lions have lost four of their last seven games by eight points or less. Penn State got a lift on Saturday from quarterback Zack Mills, who has returned from a mid-season knee sprain. Mills, who missed nearly three games, completed 27-of-42 passes for 253 yards against the Buckeyes. With his career-high 27 completions, Mills became PSU's career leader in completions (406). He also moved past Kerry Collins into second place on the school's all-time total offense list with 5,482 yards. The Nittany Lions are averaging 179.1 passing yards per game. Austin Scott leads the Penn State rushing game, which averages 126.4 yards per game. Scott has 394 yards (4.2 ypc) and a team-best five touchdowns. Michael Robinson, the Lions' backup quarterback, has rushed for 217 yards (3.3 ypc) in eight games, and also has thrown for 725 yards. Defensively, the Nittany Lions are allowing 209.3 rushing yards per game and 129.9 passing yards per game. Linebacker Gino Capone, the Big Ten's leading tackler, has 97 hits for 10.8 per game. Defensive backs Yaacov Yisrael and Alan Zemaitis have all seven Penn State interceptions, and the duo has combined for 318 return yards and two touchdowns.
Tickets are still available (847-491-CATS) for this weekend's contest.
The Series With Penn State
Series Record: Penn State leads 7-1
At Evanston: Penn State leads 3-1
At State College: Penn State leads 4-0
Last Result: 49-0, Penn State, 2002 (in State College)
Series Streak: 5, Penn State (dating to 1996)
Series Notes: In their last two appearances at Ryan Field, the Nittany Lions have escaped with three-point victories-30-27 in 1997 and 38-35 in 2001 ... NU's series win came in 1995, 21-10.
Northwestern Head Coach Randy Walker
Randy Walker's passion for excellence continues to be the driving force in his mission to return Northwestern's football program to the top of the Big Ten Conference, and among the nation's elite. A 27-year coaching veteran who has been associated with some of the game's greatest mentors, Walker places a high value on a student-athlete not only excelling on the field, but also in the classroom and in the community.
In his fifth season with the Wildcats, Walker has produced a 22-33 record, highlighted by an 8-4 mark in 2000. That season, the Wildcats won a share of the Big Ten title-NU's third conference crown since 1995. Overall, in his 14th year as a college head coach, Walker is 81-68-5. He spent his first nine years at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Walker departed his alma mater as the program's winningest coach with a 59-35-5 (.621) record.
The Northwestern-Purdue Recap
An uncharacteristic performance from the Northwestern offense was too much to overcome as the Wildcats saw their two-game Big Ten winning streak end with a 34-14 loss to 18th-ranked Purdue last Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium. The Wildcats (4-5, 2-3 Big Ten) entered the game as the nation's leader in fumbles lost (two)-and the only team in the country without a lost fumble by a member of its offensive backfield (quarterbacks/running backs).
Purdue's defense, though, kept the pressure on the Wildcats all day and forced four fumbles, including three costly ones in the first half. Two of those led to Purdue's first two touchdowns and a 14-0 lead. After a Northwestern goal-line stand limited the Boilermakers to a field goal and a 17-0 lead, the Wildcats came back with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that was capped when Noah Herron (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) picked up an NU fumble at the 2-yard line and ran in for the score with 45 seconds remaining in the half. The Boilermakers, however, used a 41-yard kickoff return-the longest kick return against Northwestern this season-to set up a 48-yard drive which ended with another field goal and a 20-7 Purdue halftime advantage. In the second half, after Purdue moved ahead 27-7 with a touchdown on its first third-quarter series. The Wildcats had two golden opportunities to score later in the half, but fourth-down plays at Purdue's 2- and 20-yard lines came up empty. NU's final touchdown came on a 5-yard run by Derell Jenkins (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) with 1:14 remaining-his first career score.
NU Receives Academic Kudos From the AFCA ... Again
Once again, Northwestern's football program was lauded for its exemplary graduation rates by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 2003. Since the Wildcats have been eligible for the award (starting in 1998), they have either won the award (1998 and 2002) or received honorable mention recognition (for a graduation rate of 90 percent or better).
Northwestern was one of six schools with a 90 percent or better graduation rate (for its freshman class from the 1997-98 academic year), joining Boston College, Connecticut, Rice, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. Duke won the 2003 title with a 100 percent graduation rate. Northwestern or Duke have held the title all but two years since 1993.
Big Ten schools became eligible for the award in 1998.
NU Picks Up a Pair of Early-Season Big Ten Honors
In the season's first two weeks, Northwestern players were honored by the Big Ten Conference for their performances against Kansas and Air Force. For his performance in the season-opening victory over Kansas, senior running back Jason Wright earned his fourth career Big Ten Player-of-the-Week. In that game, Wright equaled a career high in rushing yards (196) and rushing touchdowns (4). He also set a personal best with 41 rushing attempts. The 196 yards were the second-most on college football's opening weekend.
The following week against Air Force, and for the first time since the 2000 season, a member of Northwestern's defensive unit picked up Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Junior safety Marvin Ward (Landover, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt), who was a late replacement in the starting lineup for the injured Louis Ayeni (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury), shared the honor with Ohio State's Will Allen. Ward collected a career-high 17 tackles (11 solos) and a key fumble recovery in the Air Force game. He played a key role in helping contain the Falcons' vaunted option attack. Only three of Air Force's 53 rushing plays went for distances of 10 or more yards. Ward is sixth on Northwestern's tackle chart with 53 hits.
Wright One of NU's Four Academic All-America Candidates
Northwestern running back Jason Wright is one of four Northwestern players up for Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. To be nominated, an athlete must be a starter and/or key reserve, carry a 3.20 cumulative GPA and be in his second year of athletic eligibility. Also up for the honor is defensive tackle Luis Castillo (Garfield, N.J./Garfield), linebacker Braden Jones (Harrisburg, Ill./Harrisburg) and cornerback Jeff Backes (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington).
The Wright Stuff
The 2002 season was a breakout year for running back Jason Wright. After toiling as a reserve receiver in 2001 (7 catches for 48 yards), Wright finished 2002 by being named an honorable mention all-Big Ten running back. In the Wildcats' outing vs. Wisconsin, when Wright totaled 150 all-purpose yards (97 rushing, 53 receiving) and scored two touchdowns, he injured his ankle. Wright saw limited action in practice last week, but started against Purdue. The injury, however, was still bothering him and he played sparingly after the first quarter. He totaled a season-low seven rushing attempts (28 yards) and had one catch for 27 yards.
Wright has climbed to fifth place on NU's career rushing chart (see column at left). Wright, who has 11 100-yard games in has last 19 outings, is fourth in Big Ten rushing, first in Big Ten scoring, and fourth in Big Ten all-purpose yardage. Against Wisconsin, he became the sixth player at NU to top the 2,000-yard mark for rushing yards.
According to a CBS Sportsline player ranking (rankings are based on a statistics and strength of schedule formula), Wright is ranked 16th nationally among running backs. He is the second-ranked running back in the Big Ten behind Michigan's Chris Perry.
Wright is one of 43 candidates for the Doak Walker Award, awarded annually to the nation's top running back. He is one of four Big Ten running backs on the list.
An update on some other notable items/numbers for Wright:
* Had a string of 383 consecutive carries without a fumble (streak spanned 18 games and came to an end vs. Purdue on Nov. 1, 2003).
* Needs 383 rushing yards to move into fourth place on NU's all-time rushing list.
* Needs 44 all-purpose yards to move into seventh place on NU's all-time list; 141 yards to move into sixth place.
* Averaging 106.6 rushing ypg in his last 19 outings.
* Missed NU's preseason scrimmage (Aug. 16) in order to take the medical school entrance exam (MCAT).
* Delivered the players' keynote address at the 2003 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon.
* Sang the national anthem prior to an NU men's basketball game (vs. Ohio State) and prior to a 2003 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament session at the United Center.
What They're Saying About Jason Wright
* "He can do some damage. He catches the ball out of the backfield very well and he is really a fine player."-Kansas coach Mark Mangino
* "Jason Wright is a very underrated back in this league. He's got great vision. If you're out of position, he finds it."- Minnesota coach Glen Mason
* "He's terrific. He's an extraordinary individual in all aspects of his life. He's got a lot of things going for him." - Indiana coach Gerry DiNardo
* "He's a productive player, and one of the better running backs, I believe, in the Big Ten."-Ohio State defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio
* "Their running back (Wright) is obviously a great player. He's really improved since last year." - Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk
* "A lot of backs, you say 'block' and they don't understand English. Jason is willing to do whatever it takes, whether it's being good in the passing game, being a good blocker ... He's really a complete player and takes pride in being that. And as good a football player he is, he's an even better person off the field. They don't come any better than him." - Northwestern coach Randy Walker
Red-Zone Leaders
Although the Wildcat defense is still surrendering more yards than they would like, they are stiffening when the opposition gets inside the 20-yard line. Northwestern continues to rank first in the league in red-zone defense with a .629 percentage. The opponents have been inside the 20-yard line 35 times, but only 22 times have they come away with points-15 touchdowns and seven field goals. Conversely, NU has gone inside the opponents' 20-yard line 31 times and scored 23 times (20 TDs, 3 FGs) for a .742 percentage.
Heavy Stuff
With the losses of offensive linemen Austin King and Jeff Roehl to graduation and the NFL, there were off-season concerns about replacing those two players. Those fears have been reduced somewhat, after Northwestern's starting offensive line, which weighs an average of 310 pounds (12th heaviest in I-A football), has helped the Wildcats total 400-plus yards on four occasions (a season-high 467 yards vs. Kansas). Zach Strief (Milford, Ohio/Milford), the Wildcats' biggest player at 6-foot-7, 335 pounds, has led the way this season with seven "championship-game" performances in nine outings. The last two weeks, Northwestern has rolled up 245 rushing yards on Wisconsin and 161 yards on Purdue-the most allowed by either team this year.
Patrick Leads Nation in Reception String
Dating to his freshman season, receiver Kunle Patrick (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) has caught at least one pass in 43 consecutive games, which leads the nation. USC's Kareem Kelly set the NCAA Division I-A record last year, concluding his career with a 47-game streak.
Patrick caught three passes vs. Purdue, and ranks third and fourth, respectively, on NU's career receiving and receiving yardage lists.
'Cats' "D" Turns in Top Effort of Year vs. Wisconsin
With two of its top defensive players in the lineup together for the first time this year-Tim McGarigle (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) and Louis Ayeni-Northwestern turned in its best outing of the year in its 16-7 win over Wisconsin. The Wildcats held the Badgers to 135 rushing yards (3.6 ypc) and limited Wisconsin to just two plays of 20 or more yards-a 28-yard run by Anthony Davis and a 30-yard reception by Lee Evans. Defensive end Loren Howard (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) led NU's effort up front with five tackles (three TFLs, including 1.5 sacks). He also had three hurries. McGarigle had a career-high 17 tackles in the game.
Durr's Return Helps Spark Defense
Senior Pat Durr (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles), who tore every major ligament in his right knee in the 2002 season-opening game at Air Force, has come back to help lead NU's defensive revival. Durr has registered some solid play in the 2003 season, totaling 15 tackles at Ohio State on Sept. 27 before eclipsing that previous personal best with 22 tackles at Indiana (Oct. 11). After nine games, Durr is first on the team's tackle chart with 91 hits and third in sacks with two. He now has 264 career tackles.
Injury Shelves Another Wideout
For the second time in three outings, NU lost one of its front-line wide receivers to injury. Mark Philmore (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/ Reynoldsburg) joined Ashton Aikens (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) on the sideline with a possible season-ending knee injury against Wisconsin. Philmore was third in team receptions (20) and also had posted some impressive punt return numbers (22.0 ypr) since taking over those duties against Indiana.
The Bubble Bursts
Entering last week's game at Purdue, Northwestern was tied for the national lead in fumbles lost (two). In addition, it was the only Division I-A program without a lost fumble by its offensive backfield (quarterbacks/running backs). That claim quickly crumbled in the Purdue contest when the Wildcats suffered four lost fumbles-three by quarterback Brett Basanez and a fourth by running back Jason Wright. Wright's miscue ended a streak of 383 consecutive carries without a fumble.
NU now ranks 29th nationally with six lost fumbles.
It's Called "Fastball"
NU coach Randy Walker went to his bag of trick plays and pulled out "Fastball"-Walker's version of the fumblerooski-in the Wisconsin win. The play was dubbed ESPN's college football "play of the day." With its field goal unit running the play, the ball is snapped to the holder, who appears to spin around to begin an option play, but instead, places the ball between the legs of another player who pretends to be a blocker. That player holds the ball for two to three seconds before taking off to his right around the right end.
That's More Like It
Throughout his coaching career, Randy Walker has proven to be nearly unbeatable when his teams carry a lead into the fourth quarter. The Wildcats added to that impressive mark when they carried a 16-7 lead into the final frame vs. Wisconsin. Walker's club uncharacteristically lost a fourth-quarter lead earlier this season, letting a 21-7 advantage turn into a 22-21 defeat to unbeaten Air Force. In his 14 years as a head coach, Walker's teams have compiled a 65-3-1 record when leading at the end of the third quarter. At NU, he is 16-2. (The other loss came to Penn State in 2001.)
Playing the Best
Several publications noted that NU's 2003 schedule would be one of the toughest in the country, and nine games into the season, the facts support that claim. According to the NCAA, NU's 12-game schedule presently ranks as the 34th-toughest slate in Division I-A football. NU's 12 opponents presently have a combined record of 61-49 (.555). NU's first eight opponents sport a 50-31 (.617) mark, making that the 16th-toughest schedule played to date. In the latest Anderson and Hester computer ranking (one of the computer rankings used in the BCS formula), NU's strength of schedule is ranked ninth nationally; the Sagarin rating ranks it the 12th-most difficult.
Ball Hogs
Besides its run defense, one of the major statistical improvements for Northwestern is time of possession. Running primarily out of a no-huddle offense last year, the Wildcats' average offensive time of possession was 25:46, which ranked last in the Big Ten by two-plus minutes. This year, operating out of a huddle offense much of the season, the Wildcats rank fourth in the Big Ten with a possession time of 31:21. Penn State, this week's opponent, is last in the Big Ten with a time of 27:16.
'Cats in the NFL
Northwestern has 10 former players competing in the NFL:
* Damien Anderson-Arizona Cardinals
* D'Wayne Bates-Minnesota Vikings
* Kevin Bentley-Cleveland Browns
* Javiar Collins-Dallas Cowboys
* Barry Gardner-Cleveland Browns
* Napoleon Harris-Oakland Raiders
* Austin King-Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* Matt O'Dwyer-Cincinnati Bengals
* Jeff Roehl-New York Giants
* Sam Simmons-Miami Dolphins
Baz on Three Top-10 Lists
After 13 career games, sophomore quarterback Brett Basanez (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) moved into the Wildcats' No. 10 spot on the school's career passing yardage list. Basanez now has 3,729 career yards and is closing in on the eighth (3,839) and ninth spots (3,836) on the all-time list. He is seventh on NU's all-time total offense list (3,943 yards) and seventh in career pass completions (319).
After suffering a broken fibula midway through the 2002 season, Basanez came back to play the final three games and lead all freshman quarterbacks nationally in passing yardage (220.4 ypg). He concluded his season with a career-best 368-yard effort vs. Illinois.
'Cat Tails
* Helping pick up some of the slack left with the absence of Jason Wright vs. Purdue, sophomore Terrell Jordan (Clarkston, Ga./Tucker) ran for a career-high 87 yards on 16 carries (5.4 ypc) at Purdue. He shared the game's leading rusher honors with Purdue's Jerod Void, but Jordan had a better ypc average. His 87 yards were the second-most allowed by a Purdue defense this season. (Wisconsin's Anthony Davis rushed for 96 yards vs. Purdue).
* Led by Loren Howard, Northwestern has three blocked kicks this year. Howard has two of those blocks-one on a field goal attempt and the other on a PAT attempt. Northwestern did not block any kicks in 2002, and just two in 2001.
* Punter/kicker Brian Huffman (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg), a Ray Guy Award candidate, now has booted 15 of his 54 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Another five punts have found the end zone for touchbacks. Huffman is currently 36th nationally with a 42.3 ypp average.
* Northwestern's opponents have only returned 13 kickoffs (out of 35) this year (for a total of 248 yards and a 19.1 ypr average). Huffman has handled all but three of the kickoffs this season.
* With three roads win in 2003, NU has equaled its road victory total of 2000, when it won the Big Ten championship. NU has not won four road games in a season since 1996, when it went 9-3.
