Northwestern University Athletics
Postgame Notes: Northwestern 38, Purdue 14
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Northwestern Postgame Notes
Northwestern 38, Purdue 14 • Nov. 22, 2014
Ross-Ade Stadium
Attendance: 30,117
Northwestern Team Notes
• Today marked the 79th all-time meeting between Northwestern and Purdue, with the Boilers holding a 50-28-1 lead in the all-time series. NU and Purdue had not met since 2010 and had not squared off in West Lafayette since the 2009 campaign.
• Northwestern recorded four turnovers in the first half (three fumble recoveries, one interception). It marks the fourth game this season in which NU has notched at least four takeaways.
• Northwestern improved to 4-0 in games in which it wins the turnover battle this season.
• Northwestern held Purdue to 61 net rushing yards, the third time this year the 'Cats have kept an opponent below 100 rushing yards in a game. NU limited Western Illinois to 84 yards and Penn State to 50 yards on the ground.
• NU will head into its final regular-season game of the year needing one more victory to reach bowl eligibility for the sixth time in seven seasons. Northwestern hosts Illinois at 11 a.m. CT Saturday.
Northwestern Individual Notes
• Freshman RB Justin Jackson entered the game needing 90 rushing yards to reach 1,000 in his rookie season. Jackson surpassed the milestone with a 68-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter, his longest run of the year. Jackson now has 1,057 yards, recording the 16th 1,000-yard rushing season in school history.
• Jackson's 1,057 yards rank as the second-best performance by a freshman in program history, behind only Tyrell Sutton's 1,474 yards in 2005.
• Early in the second quarter, senior WR Tony Jones caught a Purdue punt, broke a tackle and sprinted 64 yards for his first career punt return touchdown. The play was NU's first punt return for a touchdown since Venric Mark's 75-yard score at Penn State on Oct. 6, 2012.
• After beginning the game 0-of-3 passing, senior QB Trevor Siemian completed six of his next seven attempts for 86 yards and one touchdown. Siemian left the game with a lower body injury in the second quarter, however, and did not return to the game.
• Redshirt freshman QB Matt Alviti, who ran for a touchdown last week at Notre Dame, recorded his first career passing attempt today against Purdue, completing a 3-yard pass to Jayme Taylor.
• One week after recording two key fumble recoveries at Notre Dame, senior LB Jimmy Hall notched two first-quarter takeaways against the Boilermakers. Hall snared a tipped pass for his second interception of the season and the third of his career, and two Purdue possessions later forced a fumble that he also recovered.
• Junior QB Zack Oliver threw for 85 yards on 5-of-11 passing in relieve of Siemian, also scoring his first career rushing touchdown on a fourth-quarter QB sneak.
• Junior SB Dan Vitale caught four passes for 43 yards with his seventh career touchdown, a 25-yard strike in the opening quarter. Vitale now has exactly 100 receptions in his 36 career games played, compiling 1,060 receiving yards.
• Senior safety Ibraheim Campbell recorded his third forced fumble in two weeks and now has six in his career. Campbell also notched the 11th interception of his career, moving into a tie for third all-time at Northwestern. Brian Peters (2008-11) and Malcolm Hunter (1974-77) also intercepted 11 passes.
• Redshirt freshman LB Anthony Walker notched his first career fumble recovery and finished with a team-best nine tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.
• Senior RB Treyvon Green recorded a 44-yard rush in the first quarter, one week after breaking off a run of 45 yards at Notre Dame.
• Sophomore PK and reigning Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week Jack Mitchell was 1-of-2 on field goal attempts on Saturday. Mitchell was true from 32 yards and missed a 42-yard attempt.
• Redshirt freshman CB Marcus McShepard made his first career start at cornerback Saturday in place of injured junior Nick VanHoose. VanHoose had started 22 consecutive games dating to 2012 prior to missing today's contest.
