Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern 30, Nebraska 28 • Postgame Notes

NORTHWESTERN POSTGAME NOTES

Northwestern at Nebraska  • October 24, 2015
Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Neb.
Attendance:  89,493
 
Team Notes
  • Northwestern improved to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play with 30-28 win over Nebraska Saturday.
    • The Wildcats are bowl eligible for the sixth time under head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the 12th time in program history.
       
  • The Wildcats are now 3-6 all time against the Cornhuskers.
    • Four of the five meetings between the Wildcats and Huskers have been decided by 3 points or less since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011.
    • Each of the Wildcats’ two victories over the Cornhuskers in Big Ten play have come on the road.
       
  • Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald improved to 66-55 overall 32-44 in Big Ten play.
     
  • Northwestern outgained Nebraska 156-82 Saturday and are now 6-0 this season when outgaining its opponents on the ground.
    • The Wildcats are 49-16 under head coach Pat Fitzgerald when they have more rushing yards than their opponent.
       
  • For the third time this season Northwestern finished the game without committing a turnover. The Wildcats are 5-0 this season when winning the turnover battle and 39-14 under Fitzgerald.
     
  • The Wildcats’ defense finished with season-high nine tackles for loss – totaling 41 yards – and a season-high seven pass break ups.
     
  • Nebraska entered Saturday averaging 195.0 yards per game rushing and were held to just 82 by the Wildcats. 
Individual Notes
  • DE Dean Lowry recorded career highs of 10 tackles, six tackles for loss and two sack.
    • Lowry’s six tackles for loss set a new Northwestern record and marked the sixth most in Big Ten history.
    • His 2.0 sacks move him into a tie for seventh in Northwestern history with 12.0 career sacks.
    • Lowry is now just half a tackle for loss shy of cracking the top 10 in program history.
       
  • LB Anthony Walker Jr. recorded double digit tackles for the third time this season, finishing with a game-high 13.
    • Walker finished with a game-high eight solo tackles, five assisted tackles and one tackles for loss.
       
  • DB Nick VanHoose recorded his sixth career interception in the second quarter, returning it 72 yards for his first career interception return for a touchdown.
    • VanHoose had a team-high two pass break ups and now has 33 for his career (3rd all time).
    • The defensive touchdown was the third of the season for the Wildcats.
       
  • QB Clayton Thorson had a season-long 68-yard rush in the first quarter. Thorson followed the run with a 1-yard quarterback keeper for his fifth career rushing touchdown.
    • Thorson finished the game with nine carries for a career-high 126 rushing yards.
    • Today marked the first time in 20 games that a player other than Justin Jackson led the Wildcats in rushing.
       
  • Thorson completed 13-of-28 passes for 177 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown strike to senior SB Dan Vitale.
    • Thorson accounted for 303 of the Wildcats’ 333 offensive yards.
       
  • RB Justin Jackson finished with catches of 28 and 27 yards for a career-high 55 yards receiving. Jackson and Vitale led Northwestern with 55 receiving yards each.
    • Jackson had 40 yards rushing in the contest and is now 28 shy of moving into the top 10 in Northwestern history.
       
  • SB Dan Vitale finished with five catches for 55 yards and his third touchdown catch of the season. Vitale leads all active Wildcats with 125 career receptions.
     
  • K Jack Mitchell made field goals of 28, 18 and 27 yards and is now 14-for-28 on the season. Mitchell is 12-for-13 on field goals inside 40 yards.
    • Mitchell now has 28 career field goals, which is the eighth most in program history.
       
  • WR Miles Shuler matched a career best with three kickoff returns and set a new career-high with 71 kickoff return yards.
    • Shuler’s 30-yard kick return in the 3rd quarter was also career best.