Post-game Notes

Nov. 21, 2009

Northwestern Post-Game Notes

Northwestern finishes the regular season 8-4 overall, 5-3 in the Big Ten (tied for fourth place in the Big Ten with Wisconsin). NU has compiled a 5-3 conference record four times since 2004 and also for a second consecutive season.

Northwestern has won 17 games in back-to-back seasons, ranking only behind the 19 games won in 1995 and '96, and the 18 won in 1903 and '04. The Wildcats will have a chance to win their 18th game since the start of the 2008 season in their bowl game (bowl announcement will come no later than Sunday, Dec. 6).

Northwestern has won four of the last six against Wisconsin and six of 11 games vs. the Badgers. The Wildcats have won the last three games vs. Wisconsin in Evanston (2003, 2005 and 2009).

Northwestern is 6-1 in games decided by seven points or less this season and now 24-6 in its last 30 games that were decided by seven or less.

The Wildcat senior class totaled 34 wins in their career (for the last five seasons), most by any five-year class since the early 1900s, and has defeated five nationally ranked teams, including Wisconsin twice.

Of those five wins against nationally ranked teams, two came this season (Iowa and Wisconsin in two of Northwestern's last three contests).

Pat Fitzgerald has won 27 games as the Wildcats' head coach, winning more games faster than any previous NU head coach in the past 100 years. NU, 9-4 in November games under Fitzgerald in his four years, has a November record of 6-1 the past two seasons with wins over three nationally ranked teams (No. 17 (BCS) Minnesota in 2008, No. 4 Iowa in 2009 and No. 16 Wisconsin in 2009).

For the first time in his career, a Fitzgerald-coached NU team won three consecutive Big Ten games (Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin). NU last accomplished the feat in 2005.

Coming into the game, the Wildcats had eight offensive plays that exceeded 30 yards. Today NU had four 30-plus plays in the first half alone. Northwestern ended up with six over-30 yard plays vs. the Badgers.

Northwestern held the Big Ten's leading rushing attack (208.0 ypg) to 99 yards and Big Ten rushing leader John Clay to 100 yards (12 yards under his per-game average).

In NU's first 10 games, the team that led in rushing yards won the game. In Northwestern's last two games, the Wildcats prevailed despite being out-rushed in both contests.

For the sixth time this season, Northwestern committed one turnover or less (all games were victories). NU did not commit a turnover last week against Illinois.

QB Mike Kafka was 26-of-40 for 326 passing yards in the game and 343 yards of total offense. He now has 2,898 yards passing this season and 3,163 yards of total offense. He ranks third on the Wildcats' single-season list for passing yards, jumping four spots on the all time list today.

For the fourth straight game, Kafka did not throw an interception. He closed the regular season with 116 consecutive attempts without a pick.

Kafka also ranks fourth now in single-season total offense, passing Zak Kustok (2000) and Brett Basanez (2004) today.

Kafka, the ninth player in NU history to top the 4,000-yard mark for total offense in a career, passed Damien Anderson and now ranks eighth among all Wildcats with 4,590 yards.

Kafka, who notched his fifth 300-yard passing game of the season, has won 11 games in 18 career starts.

Kafka completed his 26 passes to eight different receivers. He has 272 completions, which ranks third on NU's single-season completions list.

WR Zeke Markshausen caught three passes today, giving him 79 receptions for the season, which is tied for fourth on NU's single-season list with Shaun Herbert.

Markshausen's 38-yard touchdown pass to WR Sidney Stewart was the first scoring toss of his career.

Stewart has two career TD receptions, both from wide receivers. Last season, he caught a TD pass from wide receiver Eric Peterman against Purdue.

RB Stephen Simmons' 64-yard kickoff return was Northwestern's longest this season and the second longest of his career (he had a 99-yard TD return against Ohio State in 2007). Simmons is now averaging 24.5 ypr for his career.

WR Andrew Brewer, who caught at least one touchdown pass in six games this season, had his first career multiple TD game. He leads the 'Cats with seven scoring catches in 2009. The seven receiving TD's ranks sixth on NU's single-season list with four other players.

Brewer upped his team-leading yards per reception average to 16.2 yards per reception after averaging 17.0 yards per catch today (102 yards, six catches).

PK Stefan Demos is now 18-of-23 on field goal attempts, having booted four field goals for a second time this season (Purdue was the first occasion). His 18 field goals ranks fourth on NU's single-season list, just two shy of the school record (co-held by Brian Gowins, 1997, and Amado Villarreal, 2008).

Demos' two 45-yard field goals today gives him six this season (in nine attempts) from over 40 yards.

Northwestern went over the 400-yard mark for total offense for the fifth time this season. The Wildcats finished with 437 total yards.

S Brad Phillips led Northwestern with 12 tackles (a personal-best 11 solos), along with a sack, two tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.

DE Corey Wootton started his 48th career game today, an NU record. Wootton notched one sack and one tackle for loss in the game, giving him 19.5 sacks and 38 TFL's for his career. Wootton is ranked third in Wildcat career sacks and fourth in TFL's.

Northwestern, ranked 10th nationally in third-down conversion percentage, converted on 6-of-14 third down tries today.

LB Bryce McNaul started his first collegiate game against Wisconsin, and became the 21st different player to start a game on the defensive side of the football.

CB Jordan Mabin clinched the victory with an interception with 33 seconds remaining. It was his second interception of the year and the fifth of his career. It was also the Wildcats' 15th interception of the season. They came into the game ranked 13th nationally in passes intercepted.

LB Quentin Davie came up with a key forced fumble late in the game (on Wisconsin's John Clay), his fourth of the season. He now shares the team lead for forced fumbles with Brad Phillips. S Brian Peters recovered the fumble (with 1:44 remaining in the game), his team-leading third of the season.

SB Drake Dunsmore came into the game tied with Wisconsin's Garrett Graham for the Big Ten lead in receptions among tight ends with 35. Dunsmore had three catches for 45 yards while Graham totaled six catches for 98 yards and 2 TD's.

Wisconsin Post-Game Notes

Team Notes

In its last nine games, Wisconsin has forced 20 turnovers and scored points off of 13 of those turnovers (11 TDs, 2 FGs). Over that span, UW has turned 10 interceptions into eight touchdowns.

In 46 trips to the red zone this season, UW has scored 42 times (91.3 percent). 34 of those scores have been touchdowns (73.9 percent). In the last five games, UW is 21-of-21 in the red zone.

Offensive Notes

John Clay's two-yard TD run in the second quarter was his 13th of the season and 22nd of his career. Eleven of his 13 scores this season have been two yards or less. He is now tied for 10th on UW's single-season rushing TDs list.

Clay finished with 23 carries for 100 yards, his seventh game this season with 100 or more rushing yards.

Scott Tolzien's two touchdown passes to Garrett Graham were his 15th and 16th of the season, putting him in eighth place on UW's single-season list. He has thrown at least one scoring toss in eight of 11 games this season.

Tolzien finished with 235 passing yards, making it his fifth game this season with over 200 yards.

Graham now has seven TD receptions on the season and 16 in his career. His seven TDS this season are tied for eighth on UW's single-season list while his 16 career receiving TDs are tied for fifth in school history. Graham also has 1,370 career receiving yards, good for 13th-best in school history.

Graham's 98 receiving yards were a career high.

With 80 receiving yards today, Nick Toon now has 970 on the season, which puts him in fifth place on UW's single-season list.

Toon set a career-high with seven receptions today.

Defensive Notes

Freshman linebacker Chris Borland forced his fifth fumble of the season, stripping Northwestern's Scott Concannon in the second quarter. Fellow linebacker Jaevery McFadden recovered the fumble, the second recovery of his career.

Northwestern finished with 73 rushing yards, making them the eighth Big Ten opponent to rush for less than 100 yards against Wisconsin this season. That is a school record, surpassing the former mark of five held by three teams (1951, 2003 and 2005). Wisconsin is now the first team since Ohio State in 1998 to go an entire Big Ten season without allowing a team to run for 100 yards in a game.

Junior linebacker Blake Sorensen finished with a career high eight tackles.

Special Teams Notes

Since missing a 38-yard field goal in the second half against Iowa, kicker Philip Welch has made six straight field goals. Welch missed his first three field goals of the season but has made 14-of-17 (.824) since then. On his career, Welch is 34-of-44 (.773), good for the second-best field goal percentage in school history.

David Gilreath returned a third-quarter punt 68 yards for a touchdown. It was Gilreath's first return of any kind for a touchdown in his career (163 combined punt and kickoff return attempts). It was Wisconsin's first non-blocked punt return for a touchdown since Brandon Williams returned one 63 yards for a TD against Indiana on Oct. 1, 2005. UW has scored four touchdowns on special teams this season. It was UW's longest punt return for a TD since Josh Hunt's 89-yard return vs. Western Michigan on Aug. 31, 2000.

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Andrew Brewer

Scott Concannon

Quentin Davie

Stefan Demos

Drake Dunsmore

Mike Kafka

Jordan Mabin

Zeke Markshausen

Bryce McNaul

Eric Peterman

Brian Peters

Brad Phillips

Stephen Simmons

Sidney Stewart

Amado Villarreal

Brandon Williams

Corey Wootton

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