2007 Northwestern Wildcats Additional Information

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Additional Information




Coaching Staff

Head Coach:
Official School Bio - Pat Fitzgerald

Assistant Coaches:
Official School Bios - Assistant Coaches
Randy Bates - Linebackers Coach
Jerry Brown - Asst. Head Coach/Defensive Backs Coach
Greg Colby - Defensive Coordinator
Adam Cushing - Superbacks Coach
Eric Evans - Offensive Graduate Assistant
Matt Harper - Director of Video Operations
Bret Ingalls - Offensive Line Coach
Kevin Johns - Wide Receivers Coach/Recruiting Coord.
Nolan Jones - Director of Football Operations
Matt MacPherson - Running Backs Coach
Garrick McGee - Offensive Coordinator
Rayna Stewart - Defensive Graduate Assistant
Eric Washington - Defensive Line Coach
Matt Clark - Student Assistant Coach
Ryan Kessenich - Recruiting Assistant
Niel Stopczynski - Office Assistant/FB Operations Assistant
Dayne Brown - Asst. Director of Football Operations

In Memory of Randy Walker - NU Sports
​

Recruiting

Starters Returning: 15 (Offense 7, Defense 8, Special Teams 0)
Letterman Returning: 40 (Offense 18, Defense 21, Special Teams 1)
Notable Returners:
OT Dylan Thiry, OG Adam Crum, C Trevor Rees, WR Ross Lane, WR Eric Peterman, RB Tyrell Sutton, QB C.J. Bach?r, DE Kevin Mims, DT Adam Hahn, DT John Gill, DE Corey Wootton, LB Adam Kadela, CB Deante Battle, FS Reggie McPherson, SS Brendan Smith

Starters Lost: 9 (Offense 4, Defense 3, Special Teams 2)
Letterman Lost: 18 (Offense 8, Defense 8, Special Teams 2)
Notable Losses:
OT Ryan Keenan, OG Joe Tripodi, WR Shaun Herbert, SB Erryn Cobb, LB Nick Roach, LB Demetrius Eaton, CB Marquice Cole, K Joel Howells, P Slade Larscheid


Incoming Recruits:

Northwestern Wildcats Past Recruiting Classes

2004 Recruiting Class
S David Oredugba (Beverly Hills HS) Beverly Hills, CA 6-3/185
QB C.J. Bacher (Jesuit HS) Carmichael, CA 6-2/180
RB Brandon Roberson (Pearland HS) Pearland, TX 5-9/190
RB Gerard Hamlett (St. Thomas Aquinas HS) Ft. Lauderdale, FL 5-10/175
OL Alex Rucks (Adlai E. Stevenson HS) Lincolnshire, IL 6-5/285
OL Joel Belding (Cloverleaf HS) Lodi, OH 6-5/285
**S Andre Butler (Thornwood HS) South Holland, IL 5-11/190
**TE Ryan Cibulka (Lake Park HS) Roselle, IL 6-4/222
DT Kevin Mims (The Woodlands HS) The Woodlands, TX 6-4/250
**RB Akeem Hunter (Leo Catholic HS) Chicago, Illinois 6-0/210
**TE Ben Rinker (Barrington HS) Barrington, IL 6-4.5/230
LB Rejaie Johnson (La Marque HS) La Marque, TX 6-2/215
WR Jeff Yarbrough (Rich South Campus HS) Richton Park, IL 6-0/175
WR Ross Lane (Bishop Verot HS) Ft. Myers, FL 6-4/185
**DT Matt Clark (Lake Highland Prep) Orlando, FL 6-4/300

** No longer with team

Fun Facts:
Northwestern's class of 2004 was ranked 71st in the country by Scout.com and 78th by Rivals.com. Both totals were ranked last in the Big-10...

The class was headlined by 3* prospects C.J. Bacher and Rejaie Johnson. Bacher was rated the #31 QB in the country by Scout.com and the #14 Dual-Threat QB by Rivals.com. Bacher was also tabbed as a SuperPrep All-American by recruiting guru Allen Wallace...

Rejaie Johnson's brother, Rod, played football at NC State and snared a school-record-tying three interceptions for the Wolfpack in their 2003 win over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl...

Ross Lane finished 3rd to former Buckeye QB recruit Xavier Lee and WR Xavier Carter (LSU track star) in Mr. Football voting in the state of Florida...

2005 Recruiting Class
DT Desmond Taylor (Loyola HS) Los Angeles, CA 6-3/270
DT Keegan Kennedy (Cardinal Newman HS) West Palm Beach, FL 6-3/240
DE Corey Wootton (Don Bosco Prep) Ramsey, NJ 6-6/240
QB Andrew Brewer (Jenks HS) Jenks, OK 6-2/205
OL John Gill (Bellarmine College Prep) San Jose, CA 6-3/285
WR Rasheed Ward (Harper HS) Chicago, IL 5-11/165
DT Adam Hahn (Hartford Union HS) Hartford, WI 6-4/280
OL Tyler Compton (Humble HS) Humble, TX 6-5/290
OL Kurt Mattes (Wyoming Valley West HS) Plymouth, PA 6-6/280
QB Mike Kafka (St. Rita HS) Chicago, IL 6-3/185
LB Malcolm Arrington (St. Mary Prep School) Orchard Lake, MI 6-1/225
RB Omar Conteh (Cy-Fair HS) Cypress, TX 6-0/197
LB Chris Jeske (Joliet Catholic Academy) Joliet, IL 6-1/230
DT Thomas Bemenderfer (Penn HS) Mishawaka, IN 6-5/270
S Brendan Smith (The New Hampton School) New Hampton, NH 6-1/212
LB Prince Kwateng (Munster HS) Munster, IN 6-2/215
OL Ramon Diaz (Morris Community HS) Morris, IL 6-5/275
QB Eric Peterman (Sacred Heart Griffin HS) Springfield, IL 6-1/200
RB Tyrell Sutton (Archbishop Hoban HS) Akron, OH 5-9/190
LB Mike Dinard (Padua Franciscan HS) Cleveland, OH 6-2/225

Fun Facts:
The Wildcats' class of 2005 was ranked 51st overall by Scout.com and 52nd by Rivals.com. Both services ranked the Cats 9th in the Big-10...

Every member of the 2005 class made it to, and is currently still on campus...

The class headliners were 3* prospects Eric Peterman, Tyrell Sutton, Chris Jeske, and Mike Kafka. Peterman was ranked as the #49 QB in the country by Scout.com and the #22 Dual-Threat QB by Rivals.com. Jeske was tabbed as the #19 Inside Linebacker by Rivals.com...

Tyrell Sutton was 2004's Mr. Football for the State of Ohio. Sutton is the all-time rushing leader in Ohio and tallied the 2nd most rushing touchdowns in state history...

Malcolm Arrington attended the same high school as current Buckeye players Aaron Gant and Taurian Washington...

Arrington's father, Fred, starred at Purdue and played in the NFL with the New York Jets and Detroit Lions...

2006 Recruiting Class
DE Corbin Bryant (Morgan Park HS) Chicago, IL 6-4/240
RB Sherrick McManis (Richwoods HS) Peoria, IL 6-0/175
WR Lee Coleman (East Hall HS) Gainesville, GA 6-0/170
DT Marshall Thomas (Belen Jesuit Prep) Miami, FL 6-3/270
**DT Kendall Mason (Boca Raton HS) Boca Raton, FL 6-1/275
**OL Connor Smith (Smithson Valley HS) Spring Branch, TX 6-4/285
OL Mike Boyle (The Hun School) Princeton, NJ 6-7/270
LB Quentin Davie (Cardinal Ritter College Prep) St. Louis, MO 6-3.5/189
S Justan Vaughn (Pearland HS) Pearland, TX 6-0/165
LB Nate Williams (Central Catholic HS) Pittsburgh, PA 6-2/220
RB Stephen Simmons (St. Louis University HS) St. Louis, MO 5-7/169
WR Carl Fisher (Bolingbrook HS) Bolingbrook, IL 6-1/198
QB Joe Mauro (Bell HS) Hurst, TX 6-4/210
WR Sidney Stewart (Harrison HS) Farmington Hills, MI 6-0/170
TE Brendan Mitchell (Western Reserve Academy) Hudson, OH 6-3/220
K Stefan Demos (Horizon HS) Scottsdale, AZ 5-10/190
S Brad Phillips (Franklin Regional SHS) Murrysville, PA 6-3/205

Fun Facts:
Northwestern's class of 2006 was tabbed as the nation's 71st ranked class by Scout.com and the 81st ranked class by Rivals.com. Both tallies were good for 10th in the Big-10...

The class was headlined by 3* prospects Brendan Mitchell, Joe Mauro, and Quentin Davie. Mitchell was rated as the #33 TE in the country and Mauro was tabbed as the #49 QB in the country by Scout.com...

Brendan Mitchell's father, Alan, played WR for Michigan and in the NFL...

2007 Recruiting Class
WR Ben Johnson (Shoreland Lutheran HS) Somers, WI 6-4/205
S Brian Peters (Pickerington Central HS) Pickerington, OH 6-4.5/205
DE Jack DiNardo (Hinsdale Central HS) Hinsdale, IL 6-4/205
OG Ben Burkett (St. John's Jesuit HS) Toledo, OH 6-4/260
TE Alex Netter (Cardinal Newman HS) Santa Rosa, CA 6-6/260
CB Jordan Mabin (Nordonia HS) Macedonia, OH 5-11/175
WR Charles Brown (Robeson HS) Chicago, IL 5-11/175
S David Arnold (Copley HS) Copley, OH 6-1/190
RB Drake Dunsmore (St. Thomas Aquinas HS) Overland Park, KS 6-3/220
DT Josh Rooks (Holland Christian HS) Holland, MI 6-5/245
LB Bryce McNaul (Eden Prairie SHS) Eden Prairie, MN 6-4/235
S Michael Bolden (Evanston Twp HS) Evanston, IL 6-1/185
OL Niko Mafuli (St. Louis University HS) St. Louis, MO 6-3/305
DE Vincent Browne (David Anderson Jr/Sr HS) Lisbon, OH 6-5/240
TE Cameron Joplin (Pioneer HS) Ann Arbor, MI 6-5/250
QB Dan Persa (Liberty HS) Bethlehem, PA 6-1.5/207
RB Scott Concannon (Rock Bridge SHS) Columbia, MO 5-10/180
DE Kevin Watt (Glenbard West HS) Glen Ellyn, IL 6-4/230
OL Colin Armstrong (Benet Academy) Lisle, IL 6-5/275

Fun Facts:
The 2007 Wildcat class was rated as the 56th best class in the nation by Scout.com and as the 53rd best class by Rivals.com. Both services ranked the classes as 8th in the Big-10...

The class headliners were 4* Jordan Mabin and 3* prospects Bryce McNaul, David Arnold, Vincent Browne, and Niko Mafuli. Scout.com tabbed Mabin as the nation's 21st rated CB, McNaul as the 32nd best MLB, Arnold as the 44th rated S, Browne as the 59th rated DE, and Mafuli as the 13th rated C...

David Arnold's father, Dave, played football for Michigan and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1989. His Uncle, Steve Arnold, is the head basketball coach for Warren Harding HS in Ohio...

Michael Bolden's father, James, played football for Michigan from 1973-76...

Jack DiNardo's father, Larry, was a two-time All-American at Notre Dame (1969-70) and his uncle, Gerry DiNardo, was an All-American at Notre Dame (1974), as well as the former head football coach at Vanderbilt, LSU and Indiana. His uncle, John Voorhees, was Northwestern's 1971 football team MVP...
​

Behind the Numbers

Not as Bad as You Think

As funny as it sounds, Northwestern got caught "looking ahead". This phrase is usually used of a big-time program who lays an egg against a mediocre opponent a week before taking on their big-time rival. It is nevertheless true when applied to the Wildcats' performance in the SAT Bowl.

And it wasn't just the players who took the Blue Devils lightly, or didn't have their heads in the game. The biggest problem was with coaching. That fact is borne out by some interesting numbers from that game.

3: Number of 4th downs that Northwestern failed to convert while in field goal range BEFORE their ill-fated last play.
3: Fewest number of yards necessary to make a first down on any of those failed 4th down attempts.
3: Number of points taken off the board by the Wildcats so as to try their "luck" on one of those 4th downs.
6: Number of points Northwestern needed to tie the game with the ball at Duke's 7-yard-line on the last play of the game.​

That's right, if Northwestern had only gone 1 for 3 on very make-able field goals (with a very good field goal kicker), they would have had another chip-shot to make to put the game in overtime. What's worse, they HAD made one of those field goals; but took the points off the board after a penalty turned a 4th and 8 into a 4th and 3.

To make matters even worse (if that's possible), their 4 failed 4th down plays ended 4 of their last 6 possessions. Those 4 possessions each averaged 66.25 yards, and all came away with nothing. The Wildcats did not even attempt one of those potential 3 pointers.

Completely unrelated made-up number:

3: Number of Ryan Pretorius' grandchildren who are older than NU coach Pat Fitzgerald.​

OK, maybe I'm being too hard on Coach Fitzgerald (and OSU's placekicker); but he will be second guessed about this game for years.

Total Yards

NU: 506
Duke: 309​

First Downs

NU: 25
Duke: 15​

OK, maybe I'm not being too hard on Pat Fitzgerald. His kids dominated the Blue Devils and he gave them something less than the best chance to win.

The point of all this is that, after 3 home games against cupcakes, it is highly unlikely that Northwestern will take unwise chances while playing their first road game of the season, in Ohio Stadium no less. Northwestern is better than they showed last Saturday, and they'll try to prove it against the Buckeyes.

Speaking of Cupcakes

Ohio State's opponents have statistically outperformed Northwestern's opponents in 4 key defensive categories in spite of having played tougher schedules. Similarly, OSU's opponents have almost kept pace with Northwestern's opponents in 4 key offensive categories in spite of having one third of their data against Ohio State's defense.

This table gives the average national rank for the teams' opponents in the defensive categories.

_______Rush D.____Pass Eff.____Total____Scoring
OSU_____56.00_______49.00______51.67______43.00
NU______97.67_______76.67______96.67______86.67
​

Clearly, OSU played much better defenses, especially when you keep in mind that these defenses faced better teams than did Northwestern's opponents.

Against these defenses, the teams posted the following rankings in the respective offensive statistics.

_______Rush O.____Pass Eff.____Total____Scoring
OSU______30__________25_________48________40
NU_______48__________62_________29________69​

Conclusion: OSU put up better offensive statistics in 3 of the 4 categories (including the all-important scoring category) in spite of playing a tougher schedule.

The same statistics have been calculated for the other side of the ball so as to compare the teams' defenses; but do you really need to see them' Northwestern is ranked lower in the defensive categories than any of OSU's opponents, and they're about to go even lower than that.

For those who wish to test the claim that OSU has played a tougher schedule, here are the opponents each has faced.

_____________Ohio State_____Northwestern
week 1__________YSU_________Northeastern
week 2__________Akron__________Nevada
week 3_______Washington________Duke
​

YSU is one of the best I-AA teams, Northeastern is a bad FCS team. Akron is better than Duke, the Blue Devils' shiny new 1-game winning streak notwithstanding. Washington is vastly superior to Nevada.

Clearly, OSU's Statistical Superiority to Northwestern will grow on Saturday.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

POP QUIZ: Which of Saturday's combatants have surrendered more points in the 3rd quarter of their previous games?

HINT: Not every statistical category is a showcase for Buckeye Superiority.
.
.
ANSWER: Northwestern has yet to surrender a single point in the 3rd quarter this year. The Buckeyes gave up a field goal in the 3rd stanza against YSU (on a 3 play, 3 yard drive), so Northwestern wins this round.

Watch out for that Wildcat defense!

What's actually more interesting than comparing defense to defense is to compare the quarter-by-quarter scoring of OSU's Offense to NU's Defense.

________________Q1____Q2____Q3____Q4
OSU Offense______7____20____27____37
NU Defense______14____30_____0_____7​

Ohio State scored a touchdown on the first drive of the season for their only first quarter points so far. In fact, they haven't crossed the goal line in the first half of either of the last two games.

Combating this trend is Northwestern's slow starting defense, who have given up exactly twice as many points in the first half of games as the Buckeyes have given up all season.

It will be interesting to see if the Buckeyes' scoring by quarter begins to even out this Saturday.

Speaking of Trends

While the perusal of historical numbers can be interesting, it is both more effective and more interesting to examine intangibles when attempting to predict how statistics will change as the season goes on. To wit; 30 of Ohio State's 64 second-half points on the year came against Washington, the best defense that the Buckeyes have faced. This sudden change in the OSU offense was borne of the best intangible of all: confidence.

The barrage of points started with a picture perfect throw by Todd Boeckman to Brian Robiskie. Former Buckeye Quarterback Kirk Herbstreit opined on his radio show (1460thefan.com) that it was the kind of throw that can shape a new quarterback's season... on the road, struggled in the first half, quick change, perfect execution.

But it's not just the offense that bloomed in the land of grunge, microbrews and coffee. If you look behind the numbers, something special may have happened that affected the whole team.

Washington on 3rd down in the first half: 6 of 10
Washington on 3rd down in the second half: Zero for 7​

That's right, the Buckeye defense was perfect on 3rd down in the second half last week.

They didn't start out perfectly. Washington drove to the 19. Down 7-3 already, the situation looked bleak. The game, indeed the season was in doubt. Then something changed. Something inside the Buckeyes that no statistical analysis can measure.

Collectively, the Buckeyes chose that moment to say "This far and no further". They chose that moment to reach within themselves and find more than anyone else knew was there. They did not suffer the Huskies another positive play on that drive, forcing them back 10 yards in 3 plays.

Then came the famous field goal block and Jim Tressel's reaction that we will be talking about long after the numbers of this season have faded from our memories. It was the moment that changed a game, but the numbers changed so dramatically after that moment that we can't help but think that it may have been more. This look behind the numbers suggests it may have been a moment like ones we've seen before.

It may have been the kind of moment that you only really see when you step back from the season at a later date. The kind of moment we saw against Purdue in 1968 and again in 2002. We may not have the same destination as those Buckeyes of seasons past. We may not find the same pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. Then again, we just might.

Buckle up Northwestern. You're next.​

The Lighter Side

College football pre-game analysts have become the equivalent of your local weatherman. It seems every winter, at least twice, I'll turn on the local news and discover that there is a monster storm on it's way to Columbus which has the potential to completely paralyze the city for months. We are given live updates from the salt-barns about how the "road warriors" are already working overtime getting salt on the roads in anticipation of the epic blizzard. After a few moments of "real news" we go back to the salt-barns to get bi-minutely updates on what sort of freezing carnage awaits, along with file footage of local grocery store bottled water aisles. And, then, the storm passes dropping upwards of a half inch of snow and people go back to waiting for the next weather red alert.

That's pretty much exactly what the pre-game Washington coverage was like. Washington had beaten Syracuse (the same Syracuse that was good enough for Jim Brown to go to school there) and Boise State (the same Boise State that beat Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl ... and have you seen OU now??) and you'd have thought they were poised to teach Ohio State a lesson as well. But, as it turns out, Syracuse is awful, and Boise State has already left its high water mark. Washington was better than these two, but much like the storm that never comes, they really weren't that big of a deal. Sure, they have a gamer in Jake Locker. He'll be a real good one. But, as it stands right now, Locker is the owner of the worst shovel-pass I've ever seen. Sure, Washington had a 7 - 3 halftime lead. But, even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally. When all was said and done, after all the hype, Washington was a good 20 points worse than the Buckeyes, even at home.

I guess, as I think about it, some pre-game analysts don't strike me as weathermen. There are a few who strike me as under-informed, biased, crazier than Ross Perot, blow hards with dreadful speech impediments. Lou Holtz. The fact that he still has a job is astonishing. Consider the following predictions concerning 2007 for illustration. Chad Henne will win the Heisman. Notre Dame will win 10 games, and Iowa will win the Big Ten. Chad Henne? The Heisman? So laughable I won't spend any time on it here. Iowa win the Big Ten? What the hell? I think Lou has Trev Albert's former office and found a hidden cache of Trev's old notes? Iowa? The team that just lost to a dreadful Iowa State team? An Iowa State team that lost to Kent friggin State and Northern Iowa? I know the derivative analysis doesn't really work, but Iowa lost it's heart and soul (Drew Tate) and that heart and soul wasn't even that good to begin with. And, finally ... of course, Notre Dame and its 10 wins.

10 wins? How about Notre Dame establish it can gain a single yard on the ground first. Minus 14. That's how many yards Notre Dame has now gained on ground this year. Minus 14 yards. How bad is Notre Dame's rushing? They were shut down by Michigan. MICHIGAN! For the love of God! Michigan, shut them down. Cold. If you can't gain positive yards against the same group that gave up 160 to Division I-AA App. State and 331 to Oregon you might as well not bother running ever. Hell, even Syracuse - albeit with one less offensive guru at the helm - has 95 yards of rushing for the year. Of course, Notre Dame might be advised to not bother throwing the ball either. In three games this year, they've managed a paltry 359 through the air. Perhaps Charlie called up Cleveland Browns brass and asked how to handle his Quarterback situation. Jones - the week 1 QB - is gone by week 3, much like the Browns bid adieu to Frye after a single quarter of football in 2007 and only a week after determining he'd be the best option to start. Add it all up, and the "guru's" offense is the worst in college football. By a wide margin. At 115 total yards per game, Notre Dame is some 75 yards per game worse than second to last San Jose State. If there's one thing ND has proved it can do well, it's punt. Geoffrey Prince has nearly 1000 yards punting this year in 23 attempts. Given the relative strengths and weaknesses, as soon as Notre Dame gets the ball, mastermind should just send Prince in there to get rid of it. Of course, without someone spying on the opposition with cameras, Charlie probably doesn't really know what to do. So, maybe we ought give him a break. Nah ...

All this bad reminds me instantly of this week's road kill, the Purple Clad Smarties from Evanston. When it comes to bad at the major college football level, there are few teams who can give the Northwestern Wildcats a serious run for their money. The Mildcats once lost 34 straight, the worst of all time. You'll notice I said "few teams" could give Northwestern a run for its money ... one of those teams which could do so is the Duke Blue Devils. Owners of their own 23 game losing streak which ended on the first game of 2002, the Devils were making headway to out lose Northwestern with a current 22 game losing streak. But, Northwestern would have none of it. Northwestern, playing with the advantage of their own home crowd ("crowd" may be a bit too strong), was determined to lose, and made good on keeping their place in history secure. Duke 20, Northwestern 14.

Perhaps "wrestlerone" at wildcatreport.com knows something we don't. With MAC-Like bravado, Wrestler declares, "Our offense is tough. Once we get Sutton back we will be fine. We just need to step up on defense. By this time next week, OSU and Nu will both be 3-1. Any betters? I will sig bet the game next week!! I say we win!" Your offense is tough? How do you figure this, little buddy? The 417 yards you tossed up on D-IAA Northeastern's open door policy defense got you excited? Maybe you've been emboldened by the 431 you put on the 100th rated Defense of Nevada? I suppose you did put up 500+ against Duke, but you still lost to them. And ... it is Duke, for the love of Charlton Heston. I mean, aren't Northwestern folks supposed to be smart? Ohio State's defense is far and away better than anything you've seen this year, no matter how "tough" your run and hide offense is. Speaking of defense, your Kitties have given up 51 points in the past 8 quarters against Nevada and Duke. At their present rate, Ohio State will give up their 51st point about 7 games from now. Or in other words, in their bowl game.

Of course, I'm being a little hard on Northwestern fans by using Wrestler's remarks as my sounding board. Truth is, no one else at wildcatreport shares Wrestler's Mildcat machismo. Most are reserved to the fact that Northwestern is re-establishing it's rightful place as Big Ten doormat. As it should be. Hey, if nothing else, you guys will be on the BTN every other week!​

Traditions & Opponent Perspective

It's no secret that Northwestern isn't a football school. It's first and foremost an academic school the "Ivy League school of the Big Ten" (just ahead of OSU, of course!). However, Wildcat football has just as much a storied and tradition-filled program as many of the other Big Ten schools.

• Northwestern's athletic teams are nicknamed the Wildcats. Before 1924, they were known as "The Purple" and unofficially as "The Fighting Methodists." The name Wildcats was bestowed upon the university in 1924 by a writer for the Chicago Tribune who wrote that even in a loss to the University of Chicago Maroons, the Northwestern football players looked like "Wildcats [that] had come down from Evanston." The name was so popular that university board members made "wildcats" the official nickname just months later.
• The Northwestern's mascot is Willie the Wildcat. However, the team's first mascot was not Willie, but a live, caged bear cub from the Lincoln Park Zoo named Furpaw. In fall 1923, Furpaw was driven to the playing field to greet the fans before each game. After a losing season, the team decided that Furpaw was the harbinger of bad luck and banished him from campus. Poor Furpaw!
• The first Willie was designed by Alpha Delts Frank Willard, John Balch, Rog Johnson and Bill Henning for their homecoming float in 1947. They designed the head while their mothers sewed the rear section of the costume. The first Willie required two people to fill the costume; one for Willie's front and one for Willie's rear end. In 1948, two women students wore the Willie costume. Notre Dame had a standing rule forbidding women on the field, so Willie was stopped at the gates of the South Bend stadium. After a lengthy conference, the officials gave the women special permission to appear. The fate of Willie did not improve in 1949, when Purdue male cheerleaders, not realizing that Willie was two women, picked up the wildcat and threw it into their boilermaker mascot. Apologies were made after hearing feminine shrieks.
• "Go U Northwestern", the Northwestern fight song, is played after scoring and at the end of games. A secondary fight song is "Rise Northwestern (Push On Song)," the final four measures (ending with a shouted "Go, 'Cats!") of which is often played after first downs.
• The "official" cheer at Northwestern sporting events is the chant "Go U! NU!" Students also commonly taunt opposing sports teams with "State-school, state-school," referencing that all institutions of the Big Ten conference, except for Northwestern, are public universities.
• NU students painting The Rock to show their school spirit.
• Fans jingle their car keys at the games. This began as an arrogant taunt; Big Ten rivals often bested Northwestern at football, and the keys implied "while your school may win the football game, in a few years your school's graduates will be parking Northwestern graduates' cars."
• The Wildcat Growl is done when NU is on defense to show support and distract the other teams. Students extend their arms, make a claw with their hands, and growl.
• For many years, students would throw marshmallows at the kick-off of football games. Northwestern archivist Patrick Quinn says that students were likely "trying to get them into the tubas, and then started throwing them at each other," leading to the tradition of throwing marshmallows at the field. While Gary Barnett was football coach, he banned marshmallows because they supposedly detracted from the serious level of football that he wanted for the school.
• The Clock Tower glows purple after a winning game. The Tower remains purple until a loss or the end of the sports season.
• The Northwestern student section is led in their cheers by Northwestern University Marching Band (NUMB). NUMB performs on the field and in the stands at all home games and follows the team to one Big Ten away game per season.
• NUMB's pregame consists of Northwestern's traditional "Pre-game Fanfare" and "Push on" fight song. After a "Patrotic Medley", followed by the National Anthem, NUMB performs the visiting team's fight song to the visiting fans. NUMB performs "Go U Northwestern!" while forming a sculpted 'N', and the pre-game show ends with the band forming a tunnel for the football team to run through as it enters the field.

Historical Data

Northwestern Wildcats (Evanston, Illinois) Founded in 1851

Football 1st Season: 1875
Stadium: Ryan Field-Originally Dyche Stadium, renovated 1997 (Evanston, IL)
Constructed: 1926 (Renovated 1997)
Seating Capacity: 49,256
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Conference: Big Ten Conference (since 1896, charter member)
Colors: Purple & White
Mascot: Wildcats (Willie the Wildcat)
College Classification: D-IA (or equivalent) since 1937 (first year of NCAA classification)
Conference Championships: 8 Big Ten Titles: 1903*, 1926*, 1930*, 1931*, 1936, 1995, 1996*, 2000* (*=Co-Champions)
Consensus All-Americans: 13 (13 different players as of 2005)
College Hall-of-Famers: 13
Pro Hall-of-Famers: 2 (John "Paddy" Driscoll, Otto Graham)
Award Winners: 2 Bednarik, 2 Nagurski, 2 AFCA COY, 2 Bryant COY, 2 Robinson COY, 1 Dodd COY, 1 Walter Camp COY, 1 George Munger COY
National Championships: None recognized, 1 unrecognized in 1936 (Bill Libby)
Number of AP/Coaches final rankings: AP-8 years, Coaches-4 years​

Records

All Time: 453-604-44 (.431)
Bowl Games: 1-5-0 (.166) Most recently a 50-38 loss to UCLA in the 2005 Sun Bowl
All Time vs the BigTen: 235-441-21 (.352) versus teams with conference membership at time of game.
All Time vs the Ohio State Buckeyes: 14-57-1 (.201) Most recently a 54-10 loss to the Buckeyes in 2006 in Columbus.
Coach's Reord: Pat Fitzgerald, 2006, 4-8-0 (.333)

2006 Season: 4-8-0 (.333)
Aug 31 - W at Miami-Ohio, 21-3
Sep 9 - L vs. New Hampshire, 17-34
Sep 16 - W vs. Eastern Mich, 14-6
Sep 22 - L at Nevada, 21-31
Sep 30 - L at Penn State, 7-33
Oct 7 - L at Wisconsin, 9-41
Oct 14 - L vs. Purdue, 10-31
Oct 21 - L vs. Michigan State, 38-41
Oct 28 - L at Michigan, 3-17
Nov 4 - W at Iowa, 21-7
Nov 11 - L vs. Ohio State, 10-54
Nov 18 - W vs. Illinois, 27-16

2007 Schedule
Sep 1 - vs. Northeastern, 12:00 PM
Sep 8 - vs. Nevada, 12:00 PM
Sep 15 - vs. Duke, 8:00 PM
Sep 22 - at Ohio State, TBA
Sep 29 - vs. Michigan, TBA
Oct 6 - at Michigan State, 3:30 PM
Oct 13 - vs. Minnesota, 12:00 PM
Oct 19 - at Eastern Mich, 7:00 PM
Oct 27 - at Purdue, 12:00 PM
Nov 3 - vs. Iowa, TBA
Nov 10 - vs. Indiana, TBA
Nov 17 - at Illinois, TBA​

Links

Official Sites:
Official School Site - Northwestern University
Official Alumni Site - Northwestern University - Alumni
Student Newspaper - Daily Northwestern
Official Athletic Site - NU Sports
Official Conference Site - Big Ten Conference

Message Boards & Team Pages:
Message Boards - Hail to Purple (Independent)
Message Boards - Purple Reign (Scout)
Message Boards - Wildcat Report(Rivals)
Blog - Lake The Posts
Blog - WNUR Sports
Team Page - NCAA
Team Page - ESPN
Team Page - USA Today
Team Page - Fox Sports
Team Page - Sporting News
Team Page - CBS Sportsline
Team Page - CNN/SI
Team Page - Yahoo Sports
Team Page - AOL
Team Page - CSTV
Team Page - ATSH2H
Team Page - Covers

Local News Sources:
Chicago Tribune - Local News
Chicago Sun Times - Local News
Chicago Daily Herald - Local News
WNUR - Local News

Team Previews and Breakdowns:
2007 Spring Guide (PDF) - NU Sports
2007 Schedule/Results - NU Sports
2007 Spring Roster - NU Sports
2007 Spring Prospectus (PDF) - NU Sports
2007 Spring Game Results - NU Sports
2006 Overall Stats (PDF) - NU Sports
2006 Conference Stats (PDF) - NU Sports
2007 Post Spring Two Deep(PDF) - NU Sports
News Releases - NU Sports
2007 Media Guide (Links to PDF Files) - NU Sports
Recruiting Class - NU Sports
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - CFN
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - Offense - CFN
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - Defense - CFN
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - Depth Chart - CFN
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - Recruiting - CFN
2006 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - CFN
Northwestern Team Report - CSTV/Sports Xchange (Links to previous reports)
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - Athlon
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - CNN/SI
2006 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - Dispatch/Buckeye Extra
2006 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - The Ozone
2006 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - The Sports Network
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - Maddux Sports
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - College Football Poll
2007 Northwestern Wildcats Football Preview - BigTen Fans.com

B10 Conference Previews and Breakdowns:
2007 BigTen Prospectus (PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Team Breakdowns (PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Media Info(PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Composite Schedule (PDF) - BigTen
2006 BigTen Season in Review (PDF) - BigTen
2006 BigTen Overall Stats (PDF) - BigTen
2006 BigTen Conference Stats (PDF) - BigTen
2007 CFN Big Ten Preview - CFN
2007 CFN Preseason All-Big Ten Team - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Preseason Lookaheads - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Schedules & Predictions - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Team Capsules - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Unit Rankings - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Ultimate Schedule - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Recruiting - What It All Means - CFN
2007 CFN Spring Preview - Analyzing the Big Ten - CFN
2007 CFN Big Ten Spring Lookaheads - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Composite Schedule - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Team-by-Team Schedules - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Spring Games Wrapup - CFN
ASK CFN (6/22) ... The Big Ten Network - CFN
2007 Big Ten - CSTV
2007 All-Big Ten Teams - Athlon
2007 BigTen Inside Slant - USA Today
2007 Big Ten Preview - College Football Poll

Travel:
Home Game​

Preseason Rankings

#45 Chicago Tribune (Teddy Greenstein)
#66 CFN
#66 Athlon
#84 CCR​

Preseason Watch Lists

TYRELL SUTTON - Maxwell Award, Walter Camp POY, Doak Walker Award​

Big Ten Conference Players of the Week

Sept. 1, 2007 (Week 1)
CO-OFFENSE: RB - Jehuu Caulcrick, Michigan State & QB - Tyler Donovan, Wisconsin
DEFENSE: LB - Sean Lee, Penn State
SPECIAL TEAMS: WR - Dorien Bryant, Purdue

Sept. 8, 2007 (Week 2)
CO-OFFENSE: QB - Adam Weber, Minnesota and QB - Curtis Painter, Purdue
DEFENSE: LB - Dan Connor, Penn State
SPECIAL TEAMS: DE - Kenny Iwebema, Iowa

Sept. 15, 2007 (Week 3)
OFFENSE: QB - Kellen Lewis, Indiana
CO-DEFENSE: DE - Jonal Saint-Dic, Michigan State & LB - James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
SPECIAL TEAMS: PR/KR - David Gilreath, Wisconsin

Sept. 22, 2007 (Week 4)
OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
SPECIAL TEAMS:

Sept. 29, 2007 (Week 5)
OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
SPECIAL TEAMS:

Oct. 6, 2007 (Week 6)
OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
SPECIAL TEAMS:

Oct. 13, 2007 (Week 7)
OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
SPECIAL TEAMS:

Oct. 20, 2007 (Week 8)
OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
SPECIAL TEAMS:

Oct. 27, 2007 (Week 9)
OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nov. 3, 2007 (Week 10)
OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nov. 10, 2007 (Week 11)
OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nov. 17, 2007 (Week 12)
OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
SPECIAL TEAMS:
​

Preseason Accolades

BigTen Preseason Media Poll
1. Michigan
2. Wisconsin
3. Ohio State

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year - Mike Hart - Michigan

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year - James Laurinaitis - Ohio State​

Link to 2007 Northwestern Wildcats Game Preview​

Note: Statistical data was complied using a variety of sources, including:
Stassen (Chris Stassen) - Data
College Football Data Warehouse - Data
American College Football-RSFC (Dave Wilson) - Data
D1A Football (Formerly WALJ 10 College Football) - Data
National Champs.net - Data
Hickok Sports - Data