Postgame Notes

Nov. 13, 2010

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NO. 13/13 IOWA at NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern 21, Iowa 17
Nov. 13, 2010
Ryan Field - Evanston, Ill.
Attendance: 47,130 (sellout)

Northwestern Post-Game Notes

TEAM NOTES

This was the 72nd all-time meeting between the two schools, and the 41st meeting in Evanston. Northwestern's win marked the first time since 2005 that the home team has won in this series. NU has now won three in a row in the series and five of the last six meetings, including three games at Kinnick Stadium in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Iowa leads the overall series 46-23-3, although NU has won 9 of the last 14 meetings since 1995.

The victory assured Northwestern of a third consecutive winning season (9-4 in 2008, 8-5 in 2009 and 7 wins thus far in 2010). NU last recorded three successive winning seasons from 1958-60.

Since 1995, Northwestern has now posted seven seasons with seven or more victories.

Since 2008, Northwestern now owns a 7-2 record in the month of November. Overall, NU coach Pat Fitzgerald's teams have compiled a 10-5 November mark.

Northwestern is now 4-4 versus its last eight ranked foes. The Wildcats als
defeated No. 8 (AP) Iowa (No. 4 BCS) last year in Iowa City when the Hawkeyes were 9-0.

Northwestern has either led or been tied in the second half of 26 straight games dating to November 2008.

In its last 37 games decided by seven points or less, Northwestern is now 29-8, including 11-3 since the start of the 2009 season. NU is 5-1 this season in games decided by seven points or less.

For the ninth time in 10 games this season, Northwestern got on the scoreboard first. For the second straight week, he Wildcats tallied a touchdown on the game's opening series to take a 7-0 lead.

Northwestern nearly held its fifth 2010 opponent to less than 100 yards rushing. Iowa finished the game with 101 yards, the same total as the Wildcats.

Northwestern converted 9-of-16 third downs (.563), which upped its season percentage to .507 (78-of-154). NU entered the game with the nation's 14th-best third-down conversion percentage.

The Wildcats ran 82 offensive plays, their second-highest single-season total (NU had 83 vs. Purdue). NU ranks first among Big Ten schools in offensive plays per game.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

QB Dan Persa set single-game career bests for completions (32), attempts (43) and passing yards (318). His .744 completion percentage (32-of-43) marked the seventh time this season he's completed 70 percent or more of his pass attempts.

With Persa suffering a season-ending injury (a ruptured Achilles tendon) on his game-winning touchdown pass, he closes his junior season as the new Big Ten season record holder for pass completion percentage. Persa completed 222-of-302 passes for 2,581 yards, 15 TD's and just 4 interceptions. His .735 pass completion mark shatters the previous Big Ten mark of .678 held by Wisconsin's Darrell Bevell, set in 1993. Persa also is NU's single-season rushing leader (519 yards) through 10 games.

Persa als
totaled 50 rushing yards, giving him 368 yards of total offense. It is the seventh time this season he has totaled 300 or more yards of total offense.

Persa was responsible for all three touchdowns, throwing for two and running for another, a 2-yard run in the first quarter. His rushing TD was his ninth of the season, two shy of the NU single-season rushing TD mark (11), held by Zak Kustok (2001).

SB Drake Dunsmore led all receivers with eight receptions (65 receiving yards). With his 65 yards, Dunsmore becomes the second current Wildcat to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving yardage mark. Dunsmore now has 1,003 career receiving yards.

With his 51 rushing yards, RB Mike Trumpy led the Wildcats in rushing for the fourth time this season.

WR Jeremy Ebert caught his team-leading eighth touchdown pass of the season (four shy of NU's single-season record). He also is NU's leading receiver with 54 catches for 849 yards. Ebert is attempting to become just the third different player in NU history to notch 1,000 receiving yards in a season. (D'Wayne Bates did it twice, with 1,245 yards in 1998 and 1,196 yards in 1996; Richard Buchanan did it with 1,115 yards in 1989.)

WR Demetrius Fields, who caught the game-winning TD reception with 1:22 to play, caught his first TD reception of the season, and his first since the 2009 game at Syracuse.

S Brian Peters led Northwestern's defense with 10 tackles, his fifth career interception (his first of the season), a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

LB Quentin Williams totaled four tackles in a row during the first quarter, which included a 7-yard quarterback sack. He finished with five tackles.

PK Stefan Demos had all four of his kickoffs sail into the end zone for touchbacks.

P Brandon Williams averaged 43.7 yards per punt (six kicks) with two of his six kicks landing inside the opposition's 20-yard line.

Eight Northwestern players caught passes today, and each receiver had two or more receptions. RB Mike Trumpy set single-game career bests with five catches for 55 yards. Trumpy finished with a game-high 106 all-purpose yards.

Northwestern University Athletics