Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Close Out Homestand With Primetime Game vs. Duke
9/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 10, 2007
NU FB Game Notes (vs. Duke)
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Coach Fitzgerald's opening statement.
Fitzgerald talk about how his team adjusted against Nevada.
Fitzgerald discuss his team's maturity.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Before opening Big Ten Conference action next week at Ohio State, Northwestern closes out its season-opening three-game homestand this Saturday, Sept. 15 with a Big Ten Network primetime game against Atlantic Coast Conference foe Duke University. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Ryan Field.
Saturday is "Take a Kid to the Game Night" as two children (eighth grade and under) will be admitted free with each adult ticket purchased at the regular price. (Offer is valid on day of the game only and may not be combined with any other offer.) Saturday also is "Band Night" and "Salute to Midwest Football Night." Tickets for Saturday's game ($30 for reserved seats, $20 for end zone seats) are available by calling 847-491-CATS or purchasing online at NUsports.com
The Wildcats are coming off a riveting 36-31 come-from-behind victory over Nevada on Saturday, which kept NU unbeaten on the year at 2-0 and pushed its overall win streak to three games. Northwestern is seeking its first 3-0 start to a season since 2001 and its first four-game winning streak since 1996.
Versus the Wolf Pack, Northwestern ran six plays in 51 seconds and traveled 80 yards to score the game-winning touchdown with 21 seconds left. The TD, a 13-yard strike from quarterback C.J. Bachér (Sacramento, Calif./Jesuit) to a diving Ross Lane (Ft. Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot) in the back of the end zone, and the ensuing PAT kick by Amado Villarreal (Englewood, Colo./Englewood), lifted the 'Cats to a 34-31 advantage. A safety by Kevin Mims (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) on the game's final play made the final score 36-31.
The Wildcats scored 26 of the game's final 33 points to erase a 24-10 halftime deficit and notch their biggest comeback since overcoming a 24-7 deficit to Iowa in 2005.
The Blue Devils, this week's opponent, tried to stage a comeback of their own last Saturday in Charlottesville, Va., but came up short in a 24-13 loss to Virginia. Duke trailed 17-2 at halftime, but then scored 11 third-quarter points--a touchdown, a 2-point conversion and a field goal--to cut the Cavaliers lead to 17-13 with 1:04 to play in the third quarter. UVA gained some breathing room with just under 10 minutes to play with a 15-play, 82-yard touchdown drive, which closed out the game's scoring.
Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis completed 14-of-30 passes for 137 yards, a TD and an interception against Virginia. Lewis, who is one of 11 returning Blue Devil starters on offense, completed 180-of-340 passes for 2,134 yards and 11 TD's as a freshman last year. He earned honorable mention Freshman All-America honors in 2006. Defensively, five starters are back, led by linebacker Michael Tauiliili (7.0 tackles per game) and end Patrick Bailey (7.5 tackles per game, 3.5 TFL's). Linebacker Vincent Rey is averaging a team-best 11.5 tpg.
The Broadcasts
Radio -- WGN (720 AM) is carrying the entire game on a tape-delay basis. The radio broadcast can be heard live, however, via the internet at wgnradio.com. That broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Ted Albrecht (analyst) call the action. WNUR (89.3), NU's student radio station, also will carry the game live. The contest is also available on the XM Satellite Radio network. (Channels 196-199).
Television -- The Big Ten Network is televising the game to a national audience. Mark Neely (play-by-play), Glen Mason (analyst) and Marshall Harris (sideline) call the action.
Kickoff Announced For Sept. 22 Game at Ohio State
Northwestern's Big Ten Conference opener at Ohio State will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) at Ohio Stadium. ESPN will televise the contest. ABC will televise the game in the Chicago market.
(For a complete set of game notes, download the above PDF.)
