Wildcats Face Penultimate Road Test on Saturday Against Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Northwestern football hits the road for the penultimate time in the 2026 season, making the trip to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 20 Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 14. Kickoff from Ohio Stadium is slated for 11 a.m. CT.

“We understand we’re going into a hostile environment,” Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. “We understand the quality of opponent that we’re playing, but we can’t get caught up in, ‘Oh, it’s Ohio State.’ No, be objective. Evaluate the tape. Understand our opponent and then attack. Focus on us. This team has proven that we can go into hostile environments against some of the best in the country and compete. But we’re not just here to compete. We’re here to win games.”

The game will be broadcast on FOX, with Connor Onion doing play-by-play, Robert Griffin III as analyst and Alexa Landestoy reporting on the sidelines. It can also be heard on WGN Radio and WGN Extra and SiriusXM Channel 263, with The Voice of the Wildcats, Dave Eanet, in his 37th season calling Northwestern football, and 33-year analyst Ted Albrecht.

Stay tuned to Northwestern football's X and Instagram channels for live highlights, photos, and reactions throughout the game.

The Wildcats (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) suffered a 24-10 setback against Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Ryan Field. Northwestern dropped to 5-1 in home games this season after starting a season 5-0 at home for the first time since 1996.

Fifth-year quarterback Nicco Marchiol completed 75.0% of his passes (24-of-32) for 181 passing yards and one passing touchdown, while adding a team-high 52 rushing yards. Three Wildcats recorded 5+ receptions for the first time since 2022, as fourth-year wide receiver Griffin Wilde and third-year tight end Luke Dehnicke posted identical performances of five receptions for 52 receiving yards. Third-year wide receiver Hayden Eligon II notched five receptions and 33 receiving yards. Fifth-year running back Joseph Himon II scored Northwestern’s lone touchdown with his fourth receiving score of the season, the most by a running back in a single season in program history.

The Hawkeyes totaled just 296 yards of offense, the second-fewest the Wildcats have surrendered in a game this season. In his first game back from injury, fifth-year defensive back Robert Fitzgerald recorded seven tackles and an interception, his third consecutive game picking off an opposing quarterback. Fifth-year linebacker Braydon Brus also posted seven tackles, as well as 1.0 tackle for loss. He has logged 1.0 or more tackles for loss in each game this season. Third-year defensive lineman Dominic Kirks tabbed his first career sack and forced fumble in the outing, while fifth-year linebacker Kobie McKinzie paced the team with nine tackles.

1. Robert Fitzgerald: In his past three games, Fitzgerald has notched an interception, becoming the first player to register an interception in three consecutive appearances since Blake Gallagher in 2019. During the game against the Hawkeyes, Fitzgerald also became the first Wildcat defensive back to reach 225+ career tackles and 5+ career interceptions since Godwin Igwebuike (2013-17). The fifth-year defensive back is just one of eight players in the Big Ten with at least three interceptions this season.
2. Griffin Wilde: Wilde’s 813 receiving yards this season rank fourth in the Big Ten and 16th nationally. Wilde needs 43 receiving yards to move into the top 10 for single-season receiving yards in program history, putting him on pace to join D’Wayne Bates (1994-98) and Jeremy Ebert (2008-11) as the only players in program history to record multiple seasons on the top-10 list. Wilde has 22 consecutive games with 2+ receptions, the longest streak by a Northwestern player since Ebert also had 22 straight from 2009-11.
3. Brendan Flakes: Flakes returned as a starter for the Wildcats against Iowa after missing two games against Rutgers and Oregon. His last game before injury was the Wildcats’ victory against Michigan State, in which the fifth-year defensive lineman blocked a field goal attempt in the final two minutes of the game. Flakes became the first Northwestern player to block a field goal attempt since the 2024 season. Flakes has started all seven games he has appeared in this season, tallying 14 tackles and 1.0 sacks.
4. Hayden Eligon II: Eligon comes off a contest in which he recorded a season-high five receptions. Last year, Eligon became the first Wildcat underclassman to post 500+ receiving yards in a season since Ben Skowronek in 2017. Toward the end of the 2025 season, he posted 127 yards versus Minnesota, followed by 99 yards at Illinois to become the first Northwestern underclassman with 90+ receiving yards in consecutive games since D’Wayne Bates in the 1996-97 season.
5. Dominic Kirks: Coming off his career game, Kirks looks to continue his momentum against his former team this weekend. The third-year defensive lineman spent his first two collegiate seasons as a Buckeye, winning a national championship in the 2024 season. On the campaign, Kirks has 12 tackles, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble and one pass breakup.

On Robert Fitzgerald’s return to the field…

• “The production speaks for itself, but it’s also the leadership. It’s the communication. It’s getting all 11 guys on the same page. Something that I share with all NFL personnel that comes through the building [is] something that’s a differentiating factor in the way that Fitz operates is, it’s one thing to say, ‘Hey, this guy has a really high level football IQ.’ It’s a whole nother level when you feel like you truly have an extension of the coaching staff on the field. I know Fitz has plans of playing football for a long, long time, and I believe that he will. I don’t think his plans are to get into coaching post-playing career, but I’m telling you right now: if that’s something he turns to at some point, way down the road, he’s going to be awfully gifted in that space. When you have an extension of your coaching staff on the field, that’s a force multiplier, and I think that shows up when Fitz is out there.”

On winning the turnover margin in six straight games…

•  “When you win the turnover margin, you’re giving yourself a chance to win. I think it’s a reflection of the habits that we create in practice in all three phases, and that needs to continue. It’s something that can’t be taken for granted. It’s also an attitude that it’s our football, so when we possess it, we protect it to the furthest degree. And when we don’t possess it, we attack it. We strive to get it back. Even a fourth down opportunity on defense, there’s this mentality that, ‘With a fourth down stop, we’re giving the ball back to our offense.’ It’s a combination of all of those things, but it’s certainly something that can’t be taken for granted. It needs to show up in our habits at practice.”

On Luke Dehnicke’s continued success at the FBS level…

• “It’s, first off and foremost, a credit to his competitive spirit and his skillset, which we all get to see on full display. He doesn’t flinch. It doesn’t matter what level he’s playing at, who the competition is. He just shows up and plays at full speed and plays with a ton of confidence. One thing that I love most about Luke is just the joy that he finds in playing the game of football. It doesn’t matter if it’s game day in front of thousands of people or it’s practice in front of just the program. [He] loves the game of football. He’s one of the guys that as we’re going to execute an onside kick against Iowa, that dude is dialed in. He knows onside is coming. He knows he’s on that unit. He’s sprinting down to get in the huddle. He truly believes that we’re going to come up with that football. It’s an honor to coach that guy, and it’s been really neat to see his progression. Where I give him a lot of credit, as well, [is] coming off the injury. That was a long stretch where he wasn’t playing football, or at least on game day. He got himself in a spot where he stayed ready so that when he returned, he could be playing at a really high level.”

The Buckeyes (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) have lost their previous two games, falling at USC, 30-18, and at home against Oregon, 41-28. Ohio State has made the College Football Playoffs in each of the past two seasons, including winning the National Championship in 2024.

“Coach [Ryan] Day, there’s no one I hold in higher regard in terms of just who he is as a coach, who he is as a competitor, the way that he builds that program,” Braun said.

Averaging 35.7 points and 467.9 total yards of offense per game, the Buckeyes boast the Big Ten’s best offense statistically. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has recorded 69 receptions (T-4th nationally), 1,200 receiving yards (2nd) and 14 receiving touchdowns (T-1st) this season. He leads the conference in receiving yards, as he did in each of the previous two seasons.

Ohio State’s defense has been stout, surrendering just 18.3 points and 287.0 yards per game, both of which are top-25 marks nationally. The Buckeyes allow just 97.1 rushing yards per game, ranking 15th in the country.

SERIES HISTORY

Northwestern trails the all-time series against Ohio State, 66-14-1. The Wildcats are eyeing their first victory over the Buckeyes since Oct. 2, 2004 (33-27, OT) and their first road win since Nov. 13, 1971 (14-10). Northwestern last played at Ohio Stadium in 2016.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats play their final road game of the season at Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 21. Kickoff from Huntington Bank Stadium is set for 11 a.m. CT on FS1.