Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, October 18
Evanston, Ill.
2 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Purdue
Northwestern Seeks Fourth Straight Victory as it Hosts Purdue
10/17/2025 11:52:00 AM | Football
EVANSTON, Ill. — Riding a three-game winning streak, Northwestern returns home to host Purdue in Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. CT. The Wildcats will honor the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Rose Bowl and Big Ten Championship team.
Last time out, the Wildcats (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) defeated Penn State 22-21 for their first road victory of the season and first in State College since 2014. Northwestern held the Nittany Lions to season lows in points (21) and total yards (274). Graduate student kicker Jack Olsen was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after draining all three of his field goal attempts and one point-after try. The FWAA selected the Wildcats as the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good National Team of the Week for the sixth-time in program history.
"Being able to go on the road in the Big Ten and come home with a win is something that has an opportunity to build confidence," Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. "And how do you continue to build off that confidence? You build off it with a great week of preparation. We got a really good Purdue football team coming in here."
The game will air on Big Ten Network with Rhett Lewis (play-by-play), Yogi Roth (color) and Carolina Hendershot (sideline). It can be heard on WGN Radio 720 with The Voice of the Wildcats, Dave Eanet, who is in his 36th season calling Northwestern football, and 32nd-year analyst Ted Albrecht. Former Wildcat defensive lineman Jake Saunders, (2016-2020) is in his first season as the duo's sideline reporter.
Stay tuned to Northwestern football's Twitter and Instagram channels for live highlights, photos and reactions throughout Northwestern's final game on the shores of Lake Michigan.
1. Northwestern off to its strongest start under Braun
With their 4-2 start, the Wildcats are off to the team's best start since the 2020 season (5-1).
Following a season-opening road setback to Tulane, Northwestern has won four of its last five. With a win on Saturday, the Wildcats would extend their winning streak to four, tying the longest during Braun's tenure.
2. Secondary stepping up
In all six games this season, the Wildcats have held their opponent to fewer than 200 passing yards. They are one of only three teams in the country, along with Alabama and Indiana, to accomplish the feat.
Northwestern boasts the nation's No. 17 pass defense, surrendering just 160.3 yards per game.
Braun said that he feels confident in the ability of his boundary corners, feeling he has three high-level players in redshirt sophomore Josh Fussell and graduate students Ore Adeyi and Fred Davis II.
Redshirt junior Braden Turner, the team's starting slot cornerback, is coming off a week where he was named to the PFF Big Ten Team of the Week. He registered seven tackles and one tackle for loss against Penn State.
3. Defense's health improving
In their venture to Happy Valley, the Wildcats saw the return of Fussell and redshirt sophomore defensive back Damon Walters from injuries. Both played a limited snap count.
Fussell had missed Northwestern's prior two games against UCLA and ULM. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native led the Big Ten in pass deflections earlier this season prior to his injury.
Fussell recorded a pass breakup, his fifth of the season, on a critical third down this past weekend.
"We were going to be mindful about how we integrated Josh coming back off injury, but he looked great, played at a really high level," Braun said.
Walters made his season debut on Saturday after missing the first five games of the season. Last season, Walters had a breakout redshirt first-year campaign in which he posted 42 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, and an interception en route to earning All-Big Ten Hnorable Mention honors.
"You could tell Damon was a little rusty, wasn't himself, but [I'm] so excited for him to have a full week of preparation, full week of practice as we prepare for Purdue," Braun said.
In lieu of Walters' absence, redshirt junior Robert Fitzgerald and graduate student Garner Wallace have been the team's primary safeties.
4. Running the ball
The Wildcats have seen great success running the ball this season, posting an average of 183.2 yards per game, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten. It is Northwestern's most rushing yards over the first six games of the season since 2015 (213.7).
Caleb Komolafe is the team's leading rusher with 416 yards and five touchdowns. He ran for 72 yards and the game-winning score at Penn State, finding the end zone for the fourth straight game. Joseph Himon II led the Wildcats in all-purpose yards against Penn State with 103 yards (65 rushing, 38 receiving).
5. Matching up with the Boilermakers
Purdue will be the first team that Braun has faced three times in his tenure at Northwestern. In 2023, Braun led his squad to defeat Purdue in the final game at old Ryan Field, 23-15. Last season, the Wildcats pulled off a 26-20 walk-off victory in overtime on the road.
Northwestern is looking to defeat Purdue three consecutive times for the first time since 2016-2018.
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 29th nationally with 1,541 passing yards. On the other side of the ball, the Boilermakers have shown an ability to get after the quarterback, posting 2.33 sacks per game, ranking sixth in the conference.
Last time out, the Wildcats (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) defeated Penn State 22-21 for their first road victory of the season and first in State College since 2014. Northwestern held the Nittany Lions to season lows in points (21) and total yards (274). Graduate student kicker Jack Olsen was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after draining all three of his field goal attempts and one point-after try. The FWAA selected the Wildcats as the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good National Team of the Week for the sixth-time in program history.
"Being able to go on the road in the Big Ten and come home with a win is something that has an opportunity to build confidence," Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. "And how do you continue to build off that confidence? You build off it with a great week of preparation. We got a really good Purdue football team coming in here."
The game will air on Big Ten Network with Rhett Lewis (play-by-play), Yogi Roth (color) and Carolina Hendershot (sideline). It can be heard on WGN Radio 720 with The Voice of the Wildcats, Dave Eanet, who is in his 36th season calling Northwestern football, and 32nd-year analyst Ted Albrecht. Former Wildcat defensive lineman Jake Saunders, (2016-2020) is in his first season as the duo's sideline reporter.
Stay tuned to Northwestern football's Twitter and Instagram channels for live highlights, photos and reactions throughout Northwestern's final game on the shores of Lake Michigan.
1. Northwestern off to its strongest start under Braun
With their 4-2 start, the Wildcats are off to the team's best start since the 2020 season (5-1).
Following a season-opening road setback to Tulane, Northwestern has won four of its last five. With a win on Saturday, the Wildcats would extend their winning streak to four, tying the longest during Braun's tenure.
2. Secondary stepping up
In all six games this season, the Wildcats have held their opponent to fewer than 200 passing yards. They are one of only three teams in the country, along with Alabama and Indiana, to accomplish the feat.
Northwestern boasts the nation's No. 17 pass defense, surrendering just 160.3 yards per game.
Braun said that he feels confident in the ability of his boundary corners, feeling he has three high-level players in redshirt sophomore Josh Fussell and graduate students Ore Adeyi and Fred Davis II.
Redshirt junior Braden Turner, the team's starting slot cornerback, is coming off a week where he was named to the PFF Big Ten Team of the Week. He registered seven tackles and one tackle for loss against Penn State.
3. Defense's health improving
In their venture to Happy Valley, the Wildcats saw the return of Fussell and redshirt sophomore defensive back Damon Walters from injuries. Both played a limited snap count.
Fussell had missed Northwestern's prior two games against UCLA and ULM. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native led the Big Ten in pass deflections earlier this season prior to his injury.
Fussell recorded a pass breakup, his fifth of the season, on a critical third down this past weekend.
"We were going to be mindful about how we integrated Josh coming back off injury, but he looked great, played at a really high level," Braun said.
Walters made his season debut on Saturday after missing the first five games of the season. Last season, Walters had a breakout redshirt first-year campaign in which he posted 42 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, and an interception en route to earning All-Big Ten Hnorable Mention honors.
"You could tell Damon was a little rusty, wasn't himself, but [I'm] so excited for him to have a full week of preparation, full week of practice as we prepare for Purdue," Braun said.
In lieu of Walters' absence, redshirt junior Robert Fitzgerald and graduate student Garner Wallace have been the team's primary safeties.
4. Running the ball
The Wildcats have seen great success running the ball this season, posting an average of 183.2 yards per game, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten. It is Northwestern's most rushing yards over the first six games of the season since 2015 (213.7).
Caleb Komolafe is the team's leading rusher with 416 yards and five touchdowns. He ran for 72 yards and the game-winning score at Penn State, finding the end zone for the fourth straight game. Joseph Himon II led the Wildcats in all-purpose yards against Penn State with 103 yards (65 rushing, 38 receiving).
5. Matching up with the Boilermakers
Purdue will be the first team that Braun has faced three times in his tenure at Northwestern. In 2023, Braun led his squad to defeat Purdue in the final game at old Ryan Field, 23-15. Last season, the Wildcats pulled off a 26-20 walk-off victory in overtime on the road.
Northwestern is looking to defeat Purdue three consecutive times for the first time since 2016-2018.
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 29th nationally with 1,541 passing yards. On the other side of the ball, the Boilermakers have shown an ability to get after the quarterback, posting 2.33 sacks per game, ranking sixth in the conference.
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballFootball - David Braun Joins B1G Today (10/17/25)
Friday, October 17
Football - Purdue Game Week Press Conference (10/13/25)
Monday, October 13
Football - Penn State Postgame Press Conference (10/11/25)
Saturday, October 11
Football - Northwestern Stuns Penn State on the Road, 22-21 (10/11/25)
Saturday, October 11
