Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Close Nonconference Play at Duke Saturday
9/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 15, 2003
NU Football Game Notes (vs. Duke)
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The Game
Before opening its Big Ten season at defending national champion Ohio State next week, Northwestern plays its final nonconference tilt at 2 p.m. EDT this Saturday versus Duke University in Durham, N.C. There is no television coverage for this game.
While the Wildcats came up short the past two weeks at Ryan Field, the Blue Devils have taken advantage of their home field and posted victories over I-AA Western Carolina (29-3) and Rice (27-24, overtime) to move to 2-1 on the season. The back-to-back wins are the first consecutive victories since Carl Franks became the Blue Devils' coach in 1999. Duke opened the season with 27-0 road defeat to then-18th-ranked Virginia.
The Blue Devils escaped with their second-straight win on Saturday after Brent Garber drilled a 30-yard field goal in the first overtime. Duke went ahead 24-14 early in the fourth quarter on Chris Douglas' 1-yard run before Rice came back to tie it with two long scoring drives. After the Owls moved within a touchdown following a 46-yard field goal with 6:20 remaining, they got the ball back on their own 25 with 3:24 remaining. Rice then marched 75 yards in 15 plays and tied the game with a 9-yard TD pass with three seconds remaining. In overtime, Duke went on offense first and came away with the Garber field goal. Then the Blue Devils' defense stiffened as a 34-yard field goal attempt by Rice was no good.
Douglas is leading the Blue Devil offense, averaging 101.7 rushing yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. Redshirt freshman Mike Schneider has taken over the starting quarterback duties. He has completed 26-of-49 passes for 322 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Schneider is also a threat on the ground, averaging 26.3 yards per game, second on the team behind Douglas. Reggie Love leads Duke with nine receptions for 82 yards. Three of his nine catches have resulted in Blue Devil touchdowns. Defensively, the Blue Devils are holding their opposition to 321.7 yards per game and 18.0 points per game. Nine starters are back from a unit that led the ACC and ranked 28th nationally in rushing defense (120.5 ypg). This year, the Blue Devils are allowing 184.7 ypg on the ground. Linebacker Ryan Fowler and defensive tackle Matt Zielinski lead the Blue Devils.
The Series With Duke
Series Record: Duke leads 7-6
At Evanston: Duke leads 4-3
At Durham: Series tied 3-3
Last Result: 26-21 (in 2002), Northwestern
Series Streak: 4, Northwestern
Series Notes: This is the eighth consecutive year the Wildcats and Blue Devils have met on the gridiron. After this year's contest, the two schools will take a three-year series hiatus before resuming another multi-year deal in 2007 ... Northwestern has won four games in a row in this series. Duke won the first six meetings (1985-90) with Northwestern. Since then, the Wildcats have gone 6-1 against the Blue Devils ... Northwestern has won the last three games played in Durham: 38-13 in 1996, 15-12 (OT) in 1999 and 44-7 in 2001.
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 19-30 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 78-65-5. 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 NU-Miami Recap
Northwestern had no answer for Ben Roethlisberger, as the RedHawk quarterback completed 28-of-37 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns and led Miami University to a 44-14 victory over the Wildcats. Following a 5-yard touchdown run from Jason Wright (Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Bar) with 8:04 remaining in the second quarter, the RedHawks scored 34 unanswered points to move ahead 44-7. Two of those touchdowns came on 26- and 61-yard pass plays from Roethlisberger, Miami's Heisman Trophy candidate. Northwestern's Terrell Jordan (Clarkston, Ga./Tucker) scored on a 10-yard scamper with 3:50 left in the game to halt the Miami scoring string.
Offensively, the Wildcats could not get their running game in gear as they finished with just 41 yards rushing. Northwestern came into the contest with the nation's 18th-best rushing unit (233.0 ypg). Through three quarters, Northwestern had accumulated just four rushing yards. With the Wildcats unable to gain yards on the ground, they were forced to go to the air, but Miami kept the pressure on the NU quarterbacks. Brett Basanez (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) and Alexander Webb (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) combined for 22-of-44 passing for 273 yards. NU, however, was unable to find the end zone with its passing game.
NU Receives Academic Recognition 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 ailing 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 currently leads the NU defense with 24 tackles.
Wright Nominated for National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Postgraduate Scholarship
Northwestern running back Jason Wright is the Wildcats' nominee for the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame postgraduate fellowship. To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a senior or graduate student in his final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have shown superior academic application and performance, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Wright was named a first-team Verizon Academic All-American last year.
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. Although he was held to a career-low 20 rushing yards last week against Miami, Wright still has nine 100-yard rushing performances in his last 13 games. He also is poised to climb a couple notches higher on NU's all-time rushing list (see chart to the lower left). Wright is fourth in Big Ten rushing, third in Big Ten scoring, and seventh in Big Ten all-purpose yardage.
An update on some other notable items/numbers for Wright:
* Owns a string of 271 consecutive carries without a fumble (fumbled once in 2002).
* Needs 27 rushing yards to move into ninth place on NU's all-time rushing list; 38 yards to move into eighth place; and 279 yards to move into seventh place.
* Needs 504 all-purpose yards to crack NU's top-10 career list.
* Averaging 115.8 rushing ypg in his last 13 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.
Jason Wright on Doak Walker Award List
Jason Wright is one of 39 preseason candidates for the 2003 Doak Walker Award, awarded annually to the nation's top college running back. He is one of four Big Ten running backs on the list, joining Wisconsin's Anthony Davis, Michigan's Chris Perry and Iowa's Fred Russell. The SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select eight semifinalists on Nov. 19, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will vote on the winner in late November. Penn State's Larry Johnson won last year's award.
Stiff Schedule
There is no question that Wildcats are facing one of the nation's most difficult schedules. A 12-game slate that College Football News rated the toughest in the Big Ten is challenging NU this fall. Overall, the 'Cats are facing seven teams that were invited to postseason play a year ago. Eight of this year's 12 opponents were ranked or received votes in the AP and coaches' preseason polls.
Safety in Numbers
Northwestern worked hard in the off-season, shoring up its play at the safety positions. Former running back/receiver Louis Ayeni was moved to defense, joining another former running back, Torri Stuckey (Robbins, Ill./Eisenhower). In the season-opening tilt at Kansas, Ayeni was the star of the game, totaling seven tackles, a bone-crushing hit that forced a fumble, and a fumble recovery. The following week with Ayeni sidelined with an injury against Air Force, Marvin Ward filled in at safety and all he did was earn Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors. (Ayeni has missed the last two games with an injury.) Junior Dominique Price (Louisville, Ky./DuPont Manual) is also playing well at safety, with 19 tackles and a forced fumble in three games.
O-Line Measuring Up
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 up front. Those fears have been reduced somewhat, after Northwestern's offensive line, which weighs an average of 317 pounds (fourth heaviest in I-A football), has produced an offensive average of 411.0 yards per game (42nd most nationally) and allowed four sacks. Redshirt sophomore Zach Strief (Milford, Ohio/Milford), the Wildcats' biggest player at 6-foot-7, 335 pounds, has led the way this season with three "championship-game" performances in as many outings.
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 37 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.
In Saturday's game vs. Miami, Patrick, who ranks fourth and seventh, respectively, on NU's career receiving and receiving yardage lists, caught three passes for 14 yards.
Out of Character
Throughout his coaching career, Randy Walker has proven to be nearly unbeatable when his teams carry a lead into the fourth quarter. But for the second time in three years, Walker's club lost a game (vs. Air Force) fter starting the final frame with a lead. In his 14 years as a head coach, Walker's teams have compiled a 63-3-1 record when leading at the end of the third quarter. At NU, he is 14-2. (The other loss came to Penn State in 2001.)
Durr Leading the "D"
Northwestern's 2002 defensive woes are well-documented, and the rough year was certainly not helped by the absence of Pat Durr (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles), who tore every major ligament in his right knee in the season-opening game at Air Force. Durr has since completed an impressive rehabilitation process and registered some solid play in the early going of the 2003 season. After three games, Durr is second on the team's tackle chart with 22 hits.
Webb Makes First 2003 Appearance
It was just over a year ago that backup quarterback Alexander Webb was lost for the season when he had his liver lacerated in a game vs. TCU. Webb has since recovered and he made his first 2003 appearance on Saturday vs. Miami (Ohio). Webb completed 10-of-24 passes for 147 yards and one interception. He did hook up with sophomore Brandon Horn (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) for a 59-yard reception, the Wildcats' longest pass play since Kunle Patrick caught an 80-yard touchdown reception against Bowling Green on Nov. 17, 2001. Horn finished the game with two receptions for 93 yards.
Baz in the Top 10
In just 13 career games, sophomore quarterback Brett Basanez (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) has moved into the Wildcats' No. 10 spot on the school's career passing yardage list. With his 126 yards against Miami, Basanez passed Randy Dean (1975-76, 2,699 yards) and now totals 2,783 yards. 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 368-yard effort vs. Illinois.
A Tale of Two Seasons
Through the first seven quarters of the 2003 season, Northwestern was dominating its opposition, holding a clear advantage in every major statistical category: points (49 to 27), offense (873 to 684 yards), first downs (44 to 25) and turnover margin (+4). In its last five quarters of play, however, the 'Cats resemble a different team: points (14 to 59), offense (360 to 595 yards), first downs (19 to 28) and turnover margin (-3).
'Cat Tails
* In their first three games, the Wildcats already have eclipsed their cumulative blocked kick totals from the last two years. Led by sophomore Loren Howard (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro), Northwestern has three blocks 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 eight of his 19 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Another two punts went into the end zone for a touchback. Huffman is currently sixth in the Big Ten with a punting average of 40.7.
* Reserve place-kicker Joel Howells (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) handled the kickoffs for the Wildcats in place of Brian Huffman, who was nursing a sore leg. Redshirt freshman Bryan Heinz (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) earned his first collegiate start at safety. He logged 59 plays and recorded four solo tackles.
