Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Hosts Arizona State This Saturday in Home Opener
9/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 6, 2004
NU-ASU Football Game Notes
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- For the first time since meeting USC in the 1996 Rose Bowl, Northwestern battles a Pac-10 foe, hosting Arizona State University at 11 a.m. this Saturday, Sept. 11 at Ryan Field. ESPN2 is televising the game to a national audience.
Both the Sun Devils and Wildcats opened the season Thursday, Sept. 2, with Northwestern losing a heartbreaker at TCU, 48-45 in double overtime, and Arizona State winning at home over UTEP, 41-9. The Sun Devils are led by quarterback Andrew Walter, who has thrown for nearly 8,000 career yards. He opened the season with a 241-yard and three-TD effort in the lopsided win over the Miners. He now has tossed 58 career TD passes, seven shy of the school record (65) held by current Denver Bronco Jake Plummer.
While Walter and the Sun Devil offense had a solid game, ASU's defense was the story of the game, led by cornerback Emmanuel Franklin, who had two interceptions, including one that was returned 48 yards for a TD. The Sun Devils held the Miners to 87 rushing yards and 283 yards overall.
Northwestern worked hard in the off-season to improve its passing game, and with TCU forcing the Wildcats to throw the football, NU and quarterback Brett Basanez (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) responded in a huge way with a record-setting 513-yard night. The Wildcats finished the game with 637 yards of total offense (on 100 plays) -- just 17 yards shy of their school mark, set in 2000 in that memorable 54-51 win over Michigan. (NU had totaled 615 yards of offense prior to the overtime periods.) Basanez was named the Big Ten Conference's Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Saturday's home opener is Heroes' Day, with NU honoring all uniformed policemen, firefighters and military personnel/veterans, along with their immediate families. Uniformed personnel, who enter through Gate J with their families that day, will be admitted free after presenting official identification. NU also will honor former ASU and Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman, who died while serving his country earlier this year. At halftime, Northwestern will pay tribute to former NU great Otto Graham, who passed away last December. NU will unveil the Otto Graham Wildcat Honor Roll, on the west facade of Ryan Field, on Saturday.
Tickets are still available for Saturday's game, including NU's new $15 end-zone seat. Premium tickets can be purchased for $30.
For a complete set of game notes, see the PDF file above.
