Northwestern University Athletics
INDIANA 21, No. 22 NORTHWESTERN 19
10/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 25, 2008
Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, Ind.
• Northwestern won the toss and elected to kick off. It was the first time in six games that the Wildcats had won the coin toss.
• With the loss, Northwestern suffered its first road defeat of the year (2-1). The Wildcats, ranked No. 22 in this week's BCS standings and ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches' poll, fell to 6-2 overall, 2-2 in the Big Ten.
• Northwestern now leads the overall series with Indiana 42-34-1. NU had its four-game series winning streak snapped and dropped its first game in Bloomington since the 2001 season.
• Northwestern's game-opening drive went a season-long 20 plays and 90 yards, before being capped by a 25-yard field goal from PK Amado Villarreal. The three points were the first scored by NU in the opening quarter in Big Ten play this season. Villarreal kicked a pair of field goals (on two attempts) to improve to 15-of-18 (.833) on the season. Villarreal is five field goals shy of equaling NU's single-season record for made FG's.
• Northwestern lost just its fourth game in its last 20 that have been decided by seven points or less.
• DE Corey Wootton notched another sack today and moved into a fifth-place tie on NU's all-time sack list with 11. He now has a team-leading 5.5 sacks. As a team, Northwestern totaled 3.0 sacks today to up its season total to 24.
• RB Tyrell Sutton finished with a team-high 77 rushing yards on a season-high 27 carries.
• Sutton scored his 37th career TD (31st career rushing TD), on a 1-yard run, to move him within one of NU's career record for touchdowns scored (38).
• QB C.J. Bachér totaled 219 yards of total offense, which included a career-high 64 rushing yards.
• P Stefan Demos booted a career-long 63-yard punt in the third quarter, and another one inside the 20-yard line. Demos came into the game with 14 of his 32 punts landing inside the opposition's 20-yard line. Demos' first two punts of the game went inside the 20, the second punt -- his 63-yarder -- was downed at the 1-yard line. Demos finished the day with a 48.3 yards per punt average (on three punts).
• Northwestern went 10-of-19 on third-down opportunities, while NU's defense held Indiana to 5-of-17. NU came into the game ranked second in the Big Ten in offensive and defensive third-down conversions.
• Senior WR Ross Lane led the Wildcats with six receptions for 37 yards.
• Junior safety Brad Phillips led the Wildcat defense with eight tackles.
• Senior DT John Gill recorded a career-best 3.0 TFL's, including 2.0 sacks totaling 19 yards. Gill now has 10 career sacks and moves into a three-way tie for eighth place on NU's career pass sacks list.
• Northwestern played penalty-free football until early in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats were whistled for a late-hit personal foul.
