Northwestern vs. Indiana - Postgame Notes

Oct. 29, 2011

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Northwestern Postgame Notes
NU vs. Indiana - Oct. 29, 2011
Memorial Stadium - Bloomington, Ind.

Northwestern Team Notes

This was the 80th all-time meeting between Northwestern and Indiana. Northwestern has now won seven of the last eight contests in the series and the Wildcats lead the overall series, 45-34-1.

Prior to today's double-digit victory, the past seven games in this series had been decided by a total of 26 points.

Northwestern, which entered the game ranked sixth nationally in fewest turnovers (7), lost just one fumble in the game.

Northwestern's 59 points are the most scored by a Pat Fitzgerald-team and the most since NU scored 61 vs. Illinois in 2000. (61 is NU's modern-era record for points in a game.)

Northwestern totaled a season-high 616 yards in total offense. (NU's single-game record is 674, set vs. Wisconsin in 2005).

Northwestern has now scored in double figures 55 straight games.

The Wildcats' 17 first-quarter points represented a season-high for points in a quarter. NU finished the first half with 38 points, three shy of their school record for points in a half (41), set against Wake Forest in 1991 and Wisconsin in 2005.

Northwestern scored on its first five offensive possessions of the game--four touchdowns and a field goal to take an early 31-14 lead in the game. NU's sixth offensive possession was thwarted by a lost fumble on the punt return. NU's first punt of the game came with 11:35 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Northwestern finished 7-of-8 in red zone scoring chances after taking a knee in the IU red zone at the end of the fourth quarter.

Northwestern equaled its school record for touchdown passes in a game with five (set against Minnesota in 1973 and Michigan State in 2007).

Northwestern Individual Notes

Senior S Brian Peters recorded the Wildcats' only takeaway of the game, intercepting his 10th career pass in the first quarter. That pick moved Peters into a three-way tie for fourth place on NU's career interception list with Harold Blackmon (1997-2000), currently an intern on NU's football coaching staff, and Eric Hutchinson (1969-71). Peters has tallied six of his 10 interceptions in the Wildcats' past 12 games.

Senior QB Dan Persa completed 16-of-20 passes for 261 yards and three TDs, and finished the game with 302 yards of total offense. Persa moved past Damien Anderson on NU's career total offense list and now has 4,774 yards (Mike Kafka is eighth with 5,152 yards.).

Persa's 80.0 percent completion percentage was his best for a game in 2011. Persa's 71.4 percent mark against Illinois (his first game back since suffering the Achilles' tendon injury last year) is his worst percentage of the year.

Persa's three TD tosses give him 26 career TD passes, moving him into a sixth-place tie with Mitch Anderson (1972-74) on NU's all-time list.

Senior SB Drake Dunsmore set Northwestern's all-time receiving yardage mark by a tight end on his second touchdown catch of the game. (Jon Harvey (1982-83) was NU's previous record holder with 1,356 yards.) Dunsmore finished the game with a season-high 112 receiving yards and a school-record four touchdown receptions. Dunsmore now has 1,373 career receiving yards and 14 career TD receptions.

Dunsmore becomes the third FBS player this season with four or more touchdown receptions. He is the first Wildcat to score four TDs of any kind in a game since Tyrell Sutton against Wisconsin in 2005.

QB/WR Kain Colter finished with a career-high 115 receiving yards and totaled 153 all-purpose yards (38 rushing yards on five carries). In addition, Colter completed 2-of-3 passes for a career- best two touchdowns.

Dunsmore and Colter both eclipsed the 100-yard mark in receiving yardage giving NU its first tandem with 100 or more receiving yards since the 2010 Outback Bowl (Jan. 1, 2010) when Dunsmore had 120 receiving yards and Andrew Brewer totaled 133 yards.

RB Jacob Schmidt finished the game with a single-game career-best 110 yards (his first 100-yard rushing game) and two touchdowns. He totaled a career-best 144 all-purpose yards. Schmidt had a career-long 32-yard run in the game.

LB Damien Proby, making his second career start, finished the game with a career-best 14 tackles. He also totaled a career-best 10 solo tackles.

KR/WR Venric Mark had a game-long 46-yard kickoff return to go along with a single-game career-best 47 rushing yards (11.8 ypc). Mark totaled 106 all-purpose yards.

PK Jeff Budzien converted his only field goal attempt (37 yards) of the game and finished with a single-game-best 11 points.

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern vs. Indiana - Postgame Notes

Players Mentioned

Jeff Budzien

Kain Colter

Drake Dunsmore

Venric Mark

Dan Persa

Brian Peters

Damien Proby

Jacob Schmidt

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