Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Set to Host Purdue in Primetime Game
4/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 21, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will entertain Big Ten Conference rival Purdue under the lights on Saturday, Oct. 9 at Ryan Field. The Wildcats and Boilermakers will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Big Ten Network (BTN) televising the contest.
This is just the 12th night game (night game defined as a 6 p.m. start or later) in Dyche Stadium/Ryan Field history, and the Wildcats' first night game since entertaining Duke on Sept. 15, 2007. It is the Wildcats' first Big Ten home night contest since Michigan visited on Oct. 29, 2005.
"It's always an exciting environment at Ryan Field when we play under the lights," says NU head coach Pat Fitzgerald. "We're thrilled to have the Big Ten Network carrying this game nationally in a primetime window."
This is the only game involving two Big Ten teams that the BTN is televising under the lights this fall.
The game will be played almost 75 years to the day of the first-ever night game in Big Ten history. That game also involved Northwestern and Purdue, on Oct. 5, 1935 in Evanston. Purdue and Northwestern have not met in a night game since that inaugural game under the lights.
Northwestern will be announcing kickoff times for some of its other nonconference games in the coming weeks.
Northwestern, which is coming off back-to-back bowl appearances, has won 17 games (10-6 in the Big Ten) the past two seasons. The Wildcats played Auburn on New Year's Day in the 2010 Outback Bowl.
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