Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats, Hawkeyes Square Off Saturday in Kinnick Stadium
10/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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| 2014 Northwestern Football -- Game Eight |
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| Northwestern (3-4, 2-2 Big Ten) at Iowa (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten) |
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| Date | Saturday, Nov. 1 | 11 a.m. CT |
| Location | Kinnick Stadium (70,585) | Iowa City, Iowa |
| TV: | Big Ten Network | BTN2Go |
| Gametracker | NUsports.com |
| Radio | WGN720 | 87.7 FM The Game | WNUR Online |
| Game Notes | Northwestern  | Iowa
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| Social Media | @NU_SportsLIVE  | @NUFBFamily | Facebook  |
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888-GO-PURPLE | Online Ticket Office |
Monday Press Conference Video: Coach Fitzgerald | Student-Athletes
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Fresh off its second and final bye week of 2014, Northwestern begins its five-week sprint to the end of the regular season as it travels to Iowa's Kinnick Stadium this Saturday (11 a.m. CT, BTN).
The game will be carried live to a national audience on the Big Ten Network, with Eric Collins, Chuck Long and J Leman on the call. Fans may also choose to watch the game online or on their mobile devices via BTN2Go. On the radio, the game can be found on WGN720 and 87.7 FM The Game in Chicago or TheGameChicago.com, with the veteran tandem of Dave Eanet and Ted Albrecht being joined for the first time by 2013 Northwestern All-American place-kicker Jeff Budzien on sideline duty.
• With five games in the upcoming month of November, it's fitting to note that the Wildcats have traditionally been a strong squad in the final month of the regular season. Northwestern is 16-12 (.571) in November during Pat Fitzgerald's head coaching tenure and 13-9 (.591) since 2008. Three of NU's four November losses over the last two seasons were decided by a single score.
Series Notes
• With a combined 25 years in their respective positions, Kirk Ferentz (16) and Pat Fitzgerald (9) rank as the two longest-tenured active head coaches in the Big Ten. Fitzgerald is 5-3 in his head coaching career against Ferentz and the Hawkeyes. Ferentz' 66 career Big Ten victories place him in a tie for ninth all-time with George Perles (Michigan State) and Murray Warmath (Minnesota).
• Northwestern has won six of the last nine meetings in the series and had won three straight at Kinnick Stadium before dropping consecutive outcomes in Iowa City in 2011 and 2013. Twice since 2009 the Wildcats have succeeded in upending a top-15-ranked Hawkeyes squad.
Northwestern Game Notes
• True freshman RB Justin Jackson has come into his own since the start of Big Ten play, and enters play at Iowa with a string of three consecutive 100-yard rushing performances. Jackson's three straight games over the century mark came against a trio of opponents ranked in the top 8 in the Big Ten in rushing defense (162 vs. Wisconsin, 106 vs. Minnesota, 128 vs. Nebraska).
• Jackson's 90.0 rushing yards per game rank as the sixth-best per-game average in the country by a freshman tailback, and fourth-most by a freshman in a Power 5 conference. Only Jarvion Franklin (Western Michigan), Nick Wilson (Arizona), Marlon Mack (South Florida), Samaje Perine (Oklahoma) and Royce Freeman (Oregon) rank as rookies with better per-game rushing averages than Jackson.
• Northwestern enters this weekend as one of 15 FBS programs to have lost two or fewer fumbles on the year. One of NU's two lost fumbles came on a lateral attempt following a blocked field goal vs. Western Illinois.
• Junior CB Nick VanHoose continues to lead the Big Ten in both passes defended (11) and passes defended per game (1.57), with his 1.6 passes defended per contest tying him for 10th in the country. With 24 career pass breakups, VanHoose has moved into fourth place all-time at NU, six behind Sherrick McManis ('09) in third.
• Trevor Siemian's 220.5 passing yards per game in four Big Ten outings are good for fourth among conference signal-callers this season, behind only Connor Cook (MSU), Gary Nova (RU) and Christian Hackenberg (PSU).
• LB Chi Chi Ariguzo has had a reputation as a ball-hawk for Northwestern's defense ever since recording a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception in his first career game as a starter (Syracuse, 2012). Now a senior, Ariguzo is tied for seventh all-time at NU with five career fumble recoveries and ranks second among active NU players with six career interceptions. Ariguzo, who has started 32 consecutive games for NU, ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 8.9 tackles per game this season.
Iowa Notes
• Like Northwestern, Iowa is entering the game coming off a loss followed by a bye week after falling 38-31 in its first-ever matchup with Maryland. The Hawkeyes are one win shy of securing bowl eligibility for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons.
• QB Jake Rudock has 3,708 career passing yards, the 10th-highest total in school history. His 27 career touchdown passes are the ninth-most in program history. Lining up behind Rudock is senior tailback Mark Weisman, one of eight Hawkeyes in school history to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards and 20 career rushing TDs.
• The Iowa defense has allowed only six passing touchdowns on the year, the second-fewest surrendered by a Big Ten team this season.
Download complete Northwestern and Iowa game notes at the top of the page.
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