Northwestern University Athletics
Postgame Notes: Illinois 47, Northwestern 33
11/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Illinois 47, Northwestern 33
Nov. 29, 2014
Ryan Field • Evanston, Ill.
Attendance: 31,137
Northwestern Team Notes
• This was the 108th meeting between Northwestern and Illinois, with the series 55-48-5 in the Fighting Illini's favor. Illinois today broke the Wildcats' two-game series win streak. Northwestern has won four of the last seven meetings.
• Illinois broke a four-game Northwestern winning streak at Ryan Field (Illinois defeated Northwestern in 2010 at Wrigley Field, technically an NU home game). The Illini today won in Evanston for the first time since 2002.
• The teams have split the six games for the Land of Lincoln trophy. Northwestern won the final Sweet Sioux Tomahawk trophy in 2008.
• With DB Matthew Harris's pickoff (his career second), Northwestern now has 45 interceptions in its last 28 games played, dating to 2012.
• Going into the game third in the Big Ten and 12th nationally in turnovers gained, Northwestern has coaxed its opponents into 13 turnovers over the last four games. NU finishes the season with 27 turnovers (15 interceptions, 12 fumbles recovered).
• With 372 yards, NU exceeded 350 total offense yards for the third consecutive game. The Wildcats also exceeded 30 points for the third straight game after not reaching the mark in their first nine games of 2014.
• Northwestern converted on all three of its red zone opportunities and ends the season 35-of-42 in the red zone (.833).
• The 22-man departing senior class ended their careers with a 33-30 record.
Northwestern Individual Notes
• RB Solomon Vault's 89-yard kickoff return for touchdown in the second quarter came on the 11th kickoff return of his career. It was NU's first kickoff return for a touchdown since Venric Mark returned a kickoff 94 yards against Wisconsin on Nov. 27, 2010 (like Vault, Mark also was a true freshman at the time).
• Vault's previous longest kickoff return this season was 31yards, which he accomplished twice (vs. Penn State and vs. Minnesota).
• RB Justin Jackson rushed for his ninth and 10th touchdowns, the most rushing TDs by any Wildcat this season. With a TD reception earlier this year, Jackson's 11 total touchdowns also pace NU in 2014.
• Today marked the third time Jackson rushed for multiple scores in 2014 (2 vs. Nebraska and two vs. Purdue).
• Jackson's 1,187 rushing yards (98.9 yards per game) rank as the 11th-best single-season total in school history and as the second-best performance by a freshman, behind only Tyrell Sutton's 1,474 yards in 2005.
• Jackson was Northwestern's leading rusher in all 12 games this season.
• Jackson earned his sixth 100-yard rushing performance (130 yards on 24 carries) this year and his third straight to end the year (149 yards vs. Notre Dame, 147 vs. Purdue).
• Jackson's 35-yard touchdown run and 35-yard pass reception were the two longest NU plays from scrimmage today.
• In addition to his 24 rushing attempts, Jackson caught three passes for 46 yards, finishing with 176 all-purpose yards.
• In his first career start, QB Zack Oliver had career highs with 23 completions, 38 attempts and 221 yards.
• Oliver's 4-yard touchdown pass to RB Treyvon Green was his second career scoring toss.
• Green ends his career with rushing 1,490 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.
• Green's 4-yard scoring catch in the fourth quarter was his second career TD reception and his first this season.
• Senior WR Tony Jones caught a team-tying high of four passes for 50 yards to finish his career with 130 receptions for 1,445 yards and 10 touchdowns.
• SB Dan Vitale had two catches to give him 40 this season (second on the team to WR Kyle Prater's 51 receptions), but with one season of eligibility remaining, brings him within striking distance of Drake Dunsmore's tight end career record of 143 catches (Vitale has 102 in his career).
• WR Mike McHugh caught a career-high four passes for 37 yards.
• LB Chi Chi Ariguzo led all Wildcats and tied for a game high of 12 tackles (with seven solo stops).
• The team's leading tackler this season with 104 tackles, Ariguzo ends his Northwestern career with 333 tackles which is tied for 10th all-time with Thomas Homco (1988-91).
• Ariguzo has exceeded 100 tackles in the past two seasons (106 in 2013).
• Ariguzo had 1.5 tackles for loss today, which gives him 24.5 in his career, the leading mark among the active Wildcats.
• S Ibrabeim Campbell made nine tackles today and ends his career with 316 stops to go along with 11 interceptions.
• LB Jimmy Hall tied his career best with 11 tackles and set a career high with seven solos.
• Redshirt freshman LB Anthony Walker notched a team-leading two tackles for loss, giving him 4.5 TFLs in the last two games.
• With his 34-yard field goal in the third quarter, K Jack Mitchell finishes the season 14-of-18 on field goal attempts (.778).
