Northwestern University Athletics
Postgame Notes
11/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 27, 2010
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NORTHWESTERN at 5/5/5 WISCONSIN
Wisconsin 70, Northwestern 23
Nov. 27, 2010
Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, Wis.
Attendance: 80,011
Northwestern Postgame Notes
TEAM NOTES
• This was the 94th meeting between the two schools and the 45th meeting in Madison. It was the first meeting at Camp Randall since Oct. 7, 2006. The rivalry with Wisconsin is Northwestern's oldest among Big Ten teams (dating to 1890).
• NU has won four of the last seven games vs. Wisconsin despite today's loss.
• Northwestern has now scored in double figures in 46 straight games.
• Northwestern totaled 325 yards in kickoff return yardage, breaking the previous single-game mark of 270, set vs. TCU in 2002. NU had 11 kickoff returns, one shy of the single-game school mark.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Northwestern was without its starting QB Dan Persa (Achilles tendon) and starting RB Mike Trumpy (fractured wrist). Heading into today's games, those two players represented a combined 83 percent of NU's 2010 offense.
• Senior RB Stephen Simmons made his seventh career start and his first since Oct. 17, 2009 (vs. Michigan State) at running back in place of the injured Mike Trumpy. Simmons finished the game with 55 rushing yards and 41 kickoff return yards.
• QB Evan Watkins scored his first career touchdown in the second quarter on a 6-yard scamper. He finished the game with 34 rushing yards, a single-game career best.
• With 4:11 remaining in the third quarter, Watkins tossed his first career TD pass, a 20-yard scoring strike to SB Drake Dunsmore. It was Dunsmore's fifth TD grab of the season.
• WR Venric Mark scored his first career special teams touchdown, returning a kickoff 94 yards for a score late in the second quarter. That was NU's first kickoff return for a TD since Sept. 22, 2007, vs. Ohio State when RB Stephen Simmons returned the opening kickoff of the second half 99 yards for a TD. Mark's 94-yard return was the eighth-longest kick return in NU history.
• Mark set NU's single-game kickoff return record with 273 yards on nine returns (30.3 ypr average). He broke the record that was previously held by Jason Wright (191 yards vs. TCU in 2002). Mark's 273 yards are 10 yards shy of the Big Ten single-game record held by Minnesota's Trey Stoudamire.
• Mark finished with 281 all-purpose yards. NU's single-game all-purpose mark is 336 held by Jason Wright vs. Bowling Green, 2003.
• With three catches today, WR Jeremy Ebert finished the regular season as Northwestern's receiving leader (59 for 919 yards). He needs 81 yards in NU's last game to become the third different player in Wildcat history to notch 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
• With his one made field goal, PK Stefan Demos upped his season field goal percentage to .682 (15-of-22). He now has 33 career field goals. The 33 field goals moves Demos into a fifth-place tie on NU's all-time field goals made list (tied with Amado Villarreal, 2005-08).
• S David Arnold finished the game with a single-game career best nine tackles.
