Northwestern
Maryland
GAME NOTES: ’Cats Hit the Road for First-Ever Meeting versus Maryland
10/11/2017 3:34:00 PM | Football
| NORTHWESTERN FOOTBALL: GAME DAY INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | BROADCAST | LIVE STATS |
| Saturday, October 14 | Maryland | 2:30 p.m. | Maryland Stadium College Park, Md. |
TV: ESPN2 RADIO: WGN 720 |
UMTerps.com |
| ESPN2: Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Ahmad Brooks (analyst), Roddy Jones (sideline) WGN 720: Dave Eanet (play-by-play), Ted Albrecht (analyst), Adam Hoge (sideline) Social: Twitter (@NUFBFamily and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (@nufbfamily) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern | Maryland | Big Ten |
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EVANSTON, Ill. — The Northwestern and Maryland football programs will meet for the first time in program history on Saturday afternoon inside Maryland Stadium.
The Wildcats (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) and Terrapins (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) will kick off on ESPN2 at 2:30 p.m. CT., with Anish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks and Roddy Jones on the call. As always, fans can also listen to the contest on WGN 720 with the voice of the Wildcats Dave Eanet, Ted Albrecht and Adam Hoge.
ANDERSON IN SIGHT: JACKSON EYES PROGRAM RECORDS
Senior running back Justin Jackson leads Northwestern with 339 yards on 80 carries through five games and is on the cusp of becoming Northwestern's all-time leading rusher. Jackson enters Saturday's game at Maryland just 18 yards shy of passing Damien Anderson's (1998-2001) program record of 4,485 career rushing yards. The Carol Stream, Illinois, native is also just 95 all-purpose yards from surpassing Anderson in that category as well.
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Redshirt first-year linebacker Paddy Fisher has quickly forced his way into the conversation as one of the nation's best newcomers. Fisher leads the Wildcats with 43 tackles, ranking tops in the nation among first-year players and second overall in the Big Ten at 8.6 tackles per game. A native of Katy, Texas, Fisher's season-high 18 tackles at Duke on Sept. 9 are tied for the sixth most in a FBS game this season and the most in a game by a first-year player.
NATE HALL Y'ALL
Junior linebacker Nate Hall made a career-high eight solo tackles and career-high two tackles for loss, coming just one total tackle shy of his career high, in the Wildcats' contest versus Penn State last week. Hall has made at least five tackles in all five games this season and 11 straight dating back to last season.
THORSON CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Junior quarterback Clayton Thorson continued to move up the Northwestern record book last week and has his sights set on current Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian. Thorson needs just 25 yards to pass Siemian (5,931; 2011-14) for fourth on Northwestern's all-time passing list and is 93 yards shy of becoming just the fourth player in program history to surpass 6,000. See below for more notes on the junior signal caller:
• Ranks fifth in program history with 36 career passing touchdowns, just eight shy of Brett Basanez' (2002-05) and Len Williams' (1990-93) program record.
• Needs 11 completions to pass Trevor Siemian (550) for fourth in program history.
• Ranks fifth in program history for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 12.
• Ranks third in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (240.6).
PARTY IN THE BACKFIELD
Northwestern made a season-high five sacks and 12 tackles for loss versus No. 4 Penn State last week. Sophomore defensive lineman Alex Miller made his first career sack, while first-year defensive lineman Samdup Miller (1.5), redshirt first-year linebacker Paddy Fisher (1.5) and senior safety Kyle Queiro (2.0) had career high tackle for loss marks.
MR. SKY TEAM
Senior safety Godwin Igwebuike made a team-high 11 tackles versus Penn State, recording his second double-digit tackling performance of the season and fifth of his career. Igwebuike made eight solo stops and had a tackle for loss. He has finished with at least seven tackles in 16 of his last 18 games dating back to the start of the 2015 season. See below for more notes on the senior captain:
• Ranks eighth among active FBS players with 187 career solo tackles, 14th with 286 total tackles and 28th with 4.45 solo tackles per game.
• Igwebuike is tied with junior Montre Hartage for the most interceptions by an active Wildcat with six, just two shy of racking the NU top-10 list all time.
• Needs 47 tackles to move into the top 10 all time at Northwestern.
RED ALERT: 'CATS COMIN'
The Wildcats rank 35th in the country and third in the Big Ten in red zone offense, converting at a 89.5 percent clip (17-of-19). The 'Cats had converted 16-straight trips prior to last week's game versus Penn State in which they went 1-for-2. Chicago's Big Ten Team has scored 15 touchdowns (9 rushing/6 passing) and made two field goals during the stretch.
OFF THE EDGE
Sophomore defensive end Joe Gaziano recorded a sack in the second straight game on Saturday to continue his early dominance of Big Ten opponents. Gaziano enters Saturday's game at Maryland with 7.5 career sacks, seven of which have come in his first 11 career games versus Big Ten foes. The Scituate, Massachusetts, native is just 4.5 sacks shy of cracking Northwestern's top-10 list all time.
COMING HOME
A pair of Wildcats will get their first opportunity to play in their home state Saturday when the 'Cats take on Maryland at 2:30 p.m. CT. Junior wide receiver Jelani Roberts and sophomore cornerback Alonzo Mayo attended The Gilman School and helped the Greyhounds to become MIAA Co-Champions.
JUSTIN JACKSON CONTINUES TO CLIMB THE CHARTS
Senior running back Justin Jackson eclipsed the 100-yard plateau for the second time this season and 22nd time in his career with a season-high 121 rushing yards versus Bowling Green. Jackson ranks 13th in Big Ten history with 4,468 career rushing yards and is just 50 yards shy of cracking the top 10. He is the second-active leading rusher in FBS behind only Oregon's Royce Freeman (4,800). See below for more notes on Jackson:
• Ranks second in program history with 935 career rushing attempts.
• Ranks third in program history with 34 career rushing touchdowns, just one shy of Darnell Autry (35; 1994-96) for second and four shy of Damien Anderson's (38; 1998-01) program record.
• Set the program record versus Penn State for most plays in a career with 1,032.
• Northwestern is 18-4 when Jackson has surpassed the 100-yard plateau.
ALVITI EMBRACING ROLE
Senior quarterback Matt Alviti has embraced his role as the Wildcats' backup quarterback and shined when given the opportunity this season. Alviti set a career high with 56 passing yards and scored his second career rushing touchdown versus Penn State last week. The #HOMEGROWN product of Park Ridge, Illinois, has appeared in three games, completing 7-of-11 passes (63.7 percent) for 105 yards and a score, while rushing four times for 88 yards and another touchdown this season.
KUHBANDER KICKS
First-year kicker Charlie Kuhbander made his 16th-consecutive and only extra-point attempt last week versus Penn State to inch closer to the program record for most points by a first-year kicker. Kuhbander has made 3-of-4 field goal attempts to start his career and has 25 points through five games, leaving him 23 shy of Ira Adler's record of 48 set in 1987.
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