Northwestern vs. Eastern Illinois Game Notes
9/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 10, 2011
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Northwestern Postgame Notes
Eastern Illinois at Northwestern
Sept. 10, 2011 o Ryan Field o Evanston, Ill.
Attendance: 28,042
Northwestern Team Notes
- Northwestern's win against Eastern Illinois comes in the first meeting between the Wildcats and any of the current members of the Ohio Valley Conference.
- In their last five games against FCS foes, the Wildcats have outscored those five by an aggregate score of 186-45.
- NU has won its last five home openers and six of its last seven.
- The 'Cats have won six consecutive September games, dating to last season, when they were 4-0.
- NU is 14-1 overall in its last 15 regular-season contests against nonconference opponents. NU has won seven consecutive games vs. nonconference opposition.
- Northwestern gained 320 rushing yards on 67 attempts for five touchdowns. The last time NU rushed for over 300 yards was against Illinois in 2005, when it gained 356 yards.
- The last time the Wildcats scored five rushing touchdowns in a game was against Towson in NU's 2009 season opener (Sept. 5, 2009).
- So far in 2011, Northwestern has eight rushing TD's and one passing TD. The passing TD came today against Eastern Illinois. Last season, the Wildcats had 22 rushing and 17 passing scores.
- The 67 rushing attempts are the most since NU ran the ball 70 times against Illinois on Nov. 22, 2003. The 67 rushes were 10 shy of the school mark, set on three occasions, the last time in 1975 vs. Indiana.
- NU has now posted three consecutive 200-yard rushing games (dating to the 2011 TicketCity Bowl) for the first time since the 2000 season-266 yards vs. Wisconsin (Sept. 23), 346 vs. Michigan State (Sept. 30) and 417 vs. Indiana (Oct. 7).
- For the second straight game, three Wildcats (QB Kain Colter, RB Treyvon Green, RB Jacob Schmidt) scored rushing touchdowns.
- Northwestern has now scored in double figures in 49 straight games.
- Northwestern converted 8-of-13 third-down conversions (61.5 percent), and has now converted 50 percent of its third-down conversions on the season. NU has ranked among the nation's leaders in third-down conversion the past three years.
- After Eastern Illinois had a possession time of 11:11 in the first quarter, the Wildcats dominated TOP the final three quarters, holding onto the ball for 32:33 of a possible 45:00.
- Today's attendance of 28,042 was the highest for a nonconference opening home game since the 1998 season.
Northwestern Individual Notes
- In his second start at QB, Kain Colter ran for a career-high 109 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns. The rushing total ties him for fourth most on the all-time Wildcat single-game quarterback rushing list with Dan Persa, who gained 109 vs. Penn State last season.
- Colter's three individual scores are the most since Persa had three TDs against Michigan State in 2010.
- With his 104 passing yards on a 10-of-13 performance, Colter combined for 213 yards total offense.
- RB Treyvon Green ran for a career-high 70 yards (5.0 yard per carry average), while RB Adonis Smith topped his season-high of 53 yards vs. BC last week with a 55-yard effort today. RB Jacob Schmidt's 57 rushing yards is also a season high, as he scored his first touchdown of the season.
- Green's two-yard scoring run in the second quarter was his first career TD.
- Smith also tied for the lead with all receivers today with three catches.
- RB Tyris Jones's first career reception was also his first career touchdown as he scored on a one-yard pass from QB Trevor Siemian, who notched his first career touchdown pass on the play.
- WR Demetrius Fields tied Smith for the most NU receptions and led all Wildcats with 41 receiving yards.
- DL Vince Browne's QB sack today gives him 17 for his career, tied for fourth on the all-time Northwestern sack list with Dwayne Missouri. Browne also has 32 career tackles for loss, good for ninth on NU's career TFL list.
- LB Bryce McNaul led all Wildcats with seven tackles and his first career pass interception.
- DB Jeravin Matthews paced NU with five solo tackles and had the team's only pass breakup.
- Going into today's game WR Venric Mark ranked third on the all-time Northwestern kickoff return average list at 25.9 yards per return. Today, Mark had three returns for 120 yards (40-yard average).
- Mark's 63-yard return, was the longest since he returned a kickoff for 94 yards and a touchdown against Wisconsin last season.
- Mark's 120 kickoff returns yards are the most for a Wildcat since he had 108 in the TicketCity Bowl against Texas Tech on Jan. 1, 2011.
- Sophomore DL Will Hampton made his first collegiate start today and had two tackles.
