Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Ohio State
GAME NOTES: Big Ten Title on the Line versus No. 6 Ohio State
11/28/2018 2:19:00 PM | Football
| NORTHWESTERN FOOTBALL: GAME DAY INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | BROADCAST | LIVE STATS |
| Saturday, Dec. 1 |
Ohio State | 7 p.m. | Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Ind. |
TV: FOX RADIO: WGN 720 |
StatBroadcast.com |
| FOX: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Jenny Taft (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 | Ohio State Fitzgerald Press Conference | Student-Athlete Press Conference |
|||||
EVANSTON, Ill. — The 21st-ranked Northwestern Wildcats will battle No. 6 Ohio State in the 2018 Big Ten Championship presented by Discover at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Saturday night.
The Wildcats (8-4, 8-1 Big Ten) are seeking their first Big Ten Championship in 18 years and making their first-ever appearance in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) are making their fourth appearance in the title game under head coach Urban Meyer.
The game will be broadcast to a national audience on FOX with Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft. As always, fans can listen to the contest with the voice of the Wildcats Dave Eanet, Ted Albrecht and Adam Hoge on WGN 720 AM.
HOW THE WEST WAS WON -- Northwestern claimed the Big Ten West Division by sweeping its inner-divisional opponents for the first time in program history and finishing the Big Ten slate with an 8-1 mark. The Wildcats are appearing in the Big Ten Championship game for the first time in program history.
SETTING THE [CHAMPIONSHIP] STAGE -- The Wildcats enter the 2018 Big Ten Championship game with victories in seven of the last eight overall, a winning streak of nine games away from Ryan Field and wins in 15 of their last 16 Big Ten contests. The 'Cats allowed just 18.8 points per game during conference play while limiting opponents to just 371.1 yards per game.
GROUND GAME GOIN' -- True first-year running back Isaiah Bowser has been key in the Wildcats' last six games, rushing for 734 yards (122.3 per game) and six touchdowns while leading the 'Cats to a 5-1 mark. Bowser's 734 yards over the last six weeks are the 12th most in the nation, while his 159 carries are the most of any FBS player.
THE #HAT STAYS HOME -- Northwestern defeated in-state rival Illinois to retain the Land of Lincoln Trophy for the fourth-straight year with a 24-16 victory in the regular-season finale. The Wildcats rushed for a season-high 261 yards in the win.
FITZGERALD'S PROGRAM -- Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald earned his 95th career victory in the win over Illinois. Fitzgerald has been a staple of the NU Football family since his playing days in the mid-90's, leading the Wildcats to 13 of their 15 bowl games in program history as a head coach, assistant coach or student-athlete.
BEHIND CENTER -- Senior quarterback Clayton Thorson is the only quarterback in Big Ten history to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 20 touchdowns in his career.
AT THE TOP OF THE LIST -- Senior quarterback Clayton Thorson started his 51st-consecutive game last week, setting a new Big Ten mark for the most starts by a quarterback. Thorson's 51 career starts are the fourth most overall in Big Ten history and his consecutive-starts streak of 51 games is tied for the longest among FBS quarterbacks with Washington's Jake Browning.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS -- Thorson has climbed to No. 6 on the Big Ten's all-time passing list with 10,233 yards and is now just 239 shy of passing Chuck Long (10,461; Iowa, 1981-85) for fifth. The Wheaton, Illinois, native needs just 358 yards to break Brett Basanez's program record of 10,580 and move into fourth on the Big Ten list. Thorson already holds the NU program records for career wins (35), Big Ten wins (26), passing touchdowns (58), attempts (1,622) and completions (943).
DUAL THREAT -- Thorson is the only quarterback in Big Ten history to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 20 touchdowns. He scored his 25th career rushing touchdown in the victory over Illinois, moving within one of Noah Herron (26; 2001-04) for seventh in program history. Last week marked the seventh game in which Thorson has thrown for at least two touchdowns and scored another on the ground. The Wildcats are a perfect 7-0 in Thorson's career when he does so.
IN THE RANKINGS -- Thorson ranks fourth in the Big Ten in passing yards (2,675) and completions per game (20.91), fifth in passing yards per game (222.9) and is tied for ninth in the league with eight rushing touchdowns. He is 23rd nationally in completions per game after completing a pass to 10 different receivers in the victory over Illinois last week.
ROAD WARRIORS -- Northwestern has won nine-straight games away from Ryan Field, including a program-record eight-straight true road games and the 2017 Music City Bowl. NU went a perfect 5-0 on the road this season, marking the first perfect road record for the program since going 4-0 in 1995. The Wildcats' eight-straight road wins over Big Ten opponents is also a program record. NU's defense has been particularly strong during the stretch, limiting opponents to under 20 points five times and allowing just 17.7 points per game.
A complete notes packet is available at the top of the page.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
