Then, Northwestern began Big Ten play 0-2, falling 33-24 at Wisconsin and 31-7 to Penn State. How good was this team? A 41-17 loss at Duke in the second game of the season was a body blow. Low point: Following the aforementioned 2-3 start, doubts began to creep in. The victory at Nebraska made the Wildcats bowl eligible for a third consecutive year. No FBS team ever had played three overtime games in a row and won them all. At one point, the Wildcats won three OT games in a row, beating Iowa (17-10) Michigan State (39-31 in 3 OTs) and Nebraska (31-24). Nevada and Bowling Green, Northwestern finished the season by winning seven in a row. High point: After a tough 2-3 start that included wins vs.

Fisher was BTN.com?s Big Ten Defensive Freshman of the Year in what has been a sensational season in Evanston for the Northwestern program. Players like ends Joe Gaziano and Samdup Miller, tackle Tyler Lancaster, safeties Godwin Igwebuike and Kyle Queiro and linebackers Paddy Fisher and Nate Hall lead the way. Only two Big Ten schools have more than the Wildcats? 23 takeaways. The unit is opportunistic, helping NU rank second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (plus five). The defense also has been sturdy, allowing just 19.8 points to rank fifth in the conference. And he has found some go-to targets in Flynn Nagel (47 catches for 483 yards with two TDs) and Bennett Skowronek (42-619-5). The junior is third in the Big Ten in passing yards with 2,809. Clayton Thorson leads an attack that averages 405.2 yards (fourth in the league), as he continues his evolution as a quarterback. Northwestern has done it with a balanced offense that ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring (29.7 ppg). This year?s team has shown resiliency, rebounding from a slow start to become one of the hottest teams in the nation. Kentucky in the Music City Bowl, NU will earn a 10th victory in a season for the second time in the last four years and the third time since 2012. The Wildcats are in a bowl for the eighth time in the last 10 years. Pat Fitzgerald has one of the rising programs in the Big Ten.

Northwestern ohio state 2017 football