Offense Game Notes Senior running back Justin Jackson ...
OFFENSIVE STARTERS POS
No.
Name
Career Start
QB
#18
Clayton Thorson
33
RB
#21
Justin Jackson
38
SB
#9
Garrett Dickerson
20
WR
#15
Macan Wilson
5
WR
#2
Flynn Nagel
17
WR
#88
Bennett Skowronek
5
LT
#72
Blake Hance
29
LG
#59
J.B. Butler
12
C
#69
Brad North
24
RG
#71
Tommy Doles
20
RT
#70
Rashawn Slater
6
DEFENSIVE STARTERS
POS
No.
Name
Career Start
DE
#97
Joe Gaziano
7
DT
#67
Tyler Lancaster
33
DT
#99
Jordan Thompson
18
DE
#91
Samdup Miller
7
WLB
#51
Blake Gallagher
2
MLB
#10
Brett Walsh
12
SLB
#32
Nate Hall
19
CB
#12
Alonzo Mayo
1
S
#21
Kyle Queiro
19
S
#41
Jared McGee
6
CB
#24
Montre Hartage
18
Offense Game Notes ● Senior running back Justin Jackson passed Anthony Davis (Wisconsin; 200104) for eighth place on the Big Ten’s career rushing list with 4,677 yards … Jackson finished the contest with 93 yards, and now sits at 4,732 yards, 155 away from tying Lorenzo White (Michigan State; 198487) for seventhmost alltime in conference history. ● Jackson has 988 career rushing attempts, only 12 shy of becoming the fifth Big Ten player with 1,000 attempts. ● Redshirt firstyear running Jeremy Larkin scored the second touchdown of his career on a sixyard run in the third quarter … His other rushing touchdown came in NU’s victory over Bowling Green (Sept. 16). ● Junior quarterback Clayton Thorson tied Mike Greenfield (198487) for fourth place in program history with 14 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback … He finished with 215 yards of total offense, pushing his career tally to 6,887, which surpasses Zak Kustok (199901) and Mike Greenfield (198487) and moves Thorson to fourth place in NU history … Thorson has finished with 200 or more yards of total offense in four of Northwestern’s seven games this season … The Wildcats are undefeated in those contests. ● Thorson ’s gamewinning overtime touchdown was his second rushing score in as many games and his fourth of the season … The junior has 14 rushing touchdowns in his career … His touchdown was his fourth of the season and is second on the team only to Jackson ’s six scores on the ground. ● This is the first time this season that Northwestern has won a game in which Thorson has not thrown a touchdown pass (also, Duke and No. 4 Penn State). ● Thorson recorded his 21st career victory as a starting quarterback, moving within one of Brett Basanez’s (200205) program record of 22. ● Senior wide receiver Macan Wilson tied his career high with five receptions … Now has corralled five catches in backtoback games. ●
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Senior wide receiver Macan Wilson , sophomore wide receiver Bennett Skowronek , and s enior running back Justin Jackson have at least one reception in each game this season. Sophomore wide receiver Bennett Skowronek ’s 40 receiving yards today gives him a season total of 344, which paces the Wildcats in 2017. For the second time this season, J ackson led all receivers (with W ilson ) with five receptions … His 23yard catch in overtime took the ball to the oneyard line and was the longest catchandrun for NU today. The Wildcats are 24for26 in the red zone this season, and eightstraight dating back to Penn State (Oct. 7).
Defensive/Special Teams Notes, Career Highs, and Team Notes are on the second page. FOOTBALL GAME NOTES: NORTHWESTERN at Maryland (Oct. 14, 2017 • College Park, Md.)
Defensive/Special Teams Notes ● Northwestern has not allowed a point this season on opponents’ opening drives through seven games … That streak stretches back nine total games to Nov. 19, 2016, against Minnesota. ● The Wildcats finished with eight tackles for loss, and have now recorded 29 tackles for loss over their last three games … The Wildcats now have five games with eight or more TFLs … Northwestern had seven such games in all of 2016, which was their most since at least 2005. ● NU held Iowa to only 89 net rushing yards … Combined with Iowa’s 79 yards of total rushing output last season, the Wildcats have held the Hawkeyes to an average of 84 net rushing yards over the last two years. ● Northwestern limited Iowa to only 74 yards of total offense in the second half and overtime. ● Iowa had been averaging 138.7 rushing yards per game … Today, Northwestern limited the Hawkeyes to 89 yards on the ground. ● Prior to the game, Iowa ranked third in Big Ten third down conversion percentage at .419 … Today, NU held the Hawkeyes to 5of17 on third downs (.294) … NU held Iowa to 10 points, while the Hawkeyes had been averaging 28.8 points per game. ● In their four wins this season, the ’Cats have allowed only 13 secondhalf points … Iowa scored three points in the fourth quarter. ● Sophomore defensive end Joe Gaziano ’s two sacks brought his career total to 9.5 … Nine of those have come over 12 career Big Ten games … Gaziano is just 2.5 shy of Northwestern’s top10 career list … It was his second career multisack game and he now has recorded a sack in three of his last four games. ● Redshirt firstyear wide receiver Riley Lees’ 22yard punt return in the second quarter was the Wildcats’ longest of the season … It is the longest punt return since Flynn Nagel broke off a 47yarder last season, also against Iowa (Oct. 1, 2016) … Lees’ also previously held the longest punt return of 2017, a sevenyarder against Maryland (Oct. 14) … Lees’ 22yarder and j unior Flynn Nagel ’s 12yarder are the longest two punt returns by Northwestern this season. ● Senior punter Hunter Niswander ’s 80yard punt is a career long and the fourthlongest punt in program history, tying Merlin Norenburg (1963) … 80 yards is the longest punt by a Big Ten punter this season … Of the five players with 80+ yard punts in NU history, three of them played before 1970. ● Niswander ’s average of 50.8 yards per punt is the highest in a game since at least 2000, eclipsing the previous mark of 49.0 yards per punt, set by Stefan Demos against Illinois in 2007 … That 50.8 average is the most by any Big Ten punter (min. 5 punts) this season. ● Firstyear kicker Charlie Kuhbander has made all six of his field goal attempts of 30 yards or longer … He has converted all 22 of his extra points as a Wildcat. ● Firstyear safety JR Pace picked off the second pass of his career … His 23yard interception return is the longest of the season for Northwestern. ● Redshirt firstyear linebacker Paddy Fisher matched Nate Hall with a teamhigh nine tackles. ● Junior linebacker Nate Hall finished the game with nine total tackles, and now has 20 tackles over his last two contests and 30 tackles in his last three games. ● Sophomore defensive back Alonzo Mayo accumulated seven tackles, a careerhigh … Also surpassed his careerhigh mark with four solo tackles. ● Junior defensive lineman Jordan Thompson ’s six total tackles also set a careerhigh … He has recorded at least two tackles in fourstraight games. ● After not recording a tackle for loss in his first two years at Northwestern, j unior cornerback Montre Hartage has registered two … He finished with one TFL against Iowa and also recorded one against Duke (Sept. 9). Career Highs ● Alonzo Mayo Tackles (7) ● Joe Gaziano Tackles (6), Sacks (2.0; tied), TFL (2.0; tied) ● Macan Wilson Receptions (5; tied) ● Jeremy Larkin Rushing attempts (7; tied), Rushing touchdown (1; tied) ● Riley Lees Punt return long (22 yards) ● Hunter Niswander Longest punt (80 yards), ● Jordan Thompson Tackles (6), Assisted tackles (6), ● Samdup Miller Tackles (4; tied), QBH (1; tied) ● Alex Miller Tackles (3; tied), Assisted tackles (3), PBU (1; tied) ● Trent Goens Solo tackles (2; tied) ● Nate Hall PBU (2) ● JR Pace Interceptions (1; tied) Team Notes ● Northwestern played its first overtime game since defeating No. 16 Notre Dame, 4340, on Nov. 15, 2014 … The Wildcats own a 106 overtime record (which dates to 1999). ● Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald improves to 75 over the Iowa Hawkeyes in his head coaching career. ● The Wildcats held a Big Ten opponent to 10 points or fewer for the first time since edging No. 25 Wisconsin, 137, on Nov. 21, 2015. ● Northwestern has given up just seven sacks (three today) in its four wins this season, while giving up 16 in three losses. ● Chicago’s Big Ten Team is undefeated in two games when tied entering the fourth quarter (also, Nevada, Sept. 2). ● Director of Digital and Social Media Doug Meffley picked up his firstcareer win as Ryan Field public address announcer. ● Attendance: 40,046
FOOTBALL GAME NOTES: NORTHWESTERN at Maryland (Oct. 14, 2017 • College Park, Md.)
