Category: Northwestern Wildcats

Women’s basketball dominates Northwestern in 75-50 win

The Huskers hosted Northwestern Tuesday night for their second to last home game of the season.

The Huskers hosted Northwestern Tuesday night for their second to last home game of the season. Nebraska dominated the Wildcats throughout, resulting in a massive 75-50 win.

The Huskers controlled the game from the start, blowing past the Wildcats and ending the first quarter up 20-6. Nebraska continued its surge until the end.

Freshman Natalie Potts finished the night as Nebraska’s top scorer, dropping 18 points. She also hauled in 10 rebounds to make it her fourth double-double of the season and led the team in steals with three.

Annika Stewart finished second in scoring for the Huskers, tallying up 13 points in the win. Freshman Logan Nissley dropped 12 points and led Nebraska in assists with six.

Alexis Markowski delivered 12 points for Nebraska while also earning ten rebounds for her 15th double-double of the season. Markowski is now second in school history for career double-doubles with 37 and tied her career-high for double-doubles in a season.

Nebraska improves to 18-9 on the season and 10-6 in conference play. They will remain home to play Minnesota on Saturday for Senior Night. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. and can be viewed on B1G+.

Huskers suffer massive road loss to Northwestern 80-68

The road woes continued for Nebraska as it faced off against Northwestern Wednesday night.

The road woes continued for Nebraska as it faced off against Northwestern Wednesday night. The Huskers fell behind early once again and couldn’t dig out their hole, resulting in an 80-68 loss.

Points off turnovers and three-pointers were Nebraska’s main burdens throughout the game. Northwestern finished the night with 26 points off turnovers and landed 11 shots from beyond the arc. The Huskers, meanwhile, only put up seven points off turnovers and delivered just six baskets from three-point range.

Nebraska overall saw four players score double-digit points. Juwan Gary led the charge for the Huskers, tallying up 15 points. Brice Williams led the team in rebounds with 10, accompanying his total of 13 points scored to earn his first double-double of the season. Jamarques Lawrence scored 12 points, and Keisei Tominaga rounded the squad with 11 points.

Nebraska falls to 16-8 on the season and 6-7 in conference play. It will return home Saturday to take on Michigan. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and can be viewed on the Big Ten Network.

Nebraska men’s basketball snaps two-game skid with win over Northwestern

The Huskers entered Saturday afternoon’s game against Northwestern on a two-game losing streak.

The Huskers entered Saturday afternoon’s game against Northwestern on a two-game losing streak. Nebraska snapped the streak in a tight battle with the Wildcats, closing out the game on top 75-69.

The Huskers also honored nearly 65 former players and basketball staff, including the 1993-94 Big Eight Tournament title team and former head coach Danny Nee.

Nebraska outshot the Wildcats overall, landing two more baskets in 16 fewer attempts to finish with a field goal percentage of 55%. The Huskers also outrebounded Northwestern 40-26, another key factor in Nebraska’s win. However, the Wildcats stayed in the game from points off turnovers, tallying up 17.

But unlike their loss to Rutgers, the Huskers pulled away in the end. Nebraska finished the game with five players in double-digits for scoring. Josiah Allick led the Huskers’ in scoring, landing a season-high 15 points in the win. Allick also led Nebraska in shots made at the free throw line, going seven-of-eight.

Keisei Tominaga finished right behind Allick in scoring, delivering 14 points by going five-of-11 in total shooting. Brice Williams scored 12 points in the win, while Jamarques Lawrence and C.J. Wilcher finished with ten a piece.

The Huskers move to 14-5 on the season and 4-4 in conference play. Nebraska will remain home for its next game against Ohio State on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. and can be viewed on Peacock.

USA TODAY Sports lists Tennessee, Ole Miss as bowl season winners

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg named the Volunteers and the Rebels, as well as the playoff champs, as bowl season’s biggest champions.

With bowl season in the rearview mirror, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg took to the internet to decide who the biggest champions were from the past two weeks in college football.

The list of course kicked off with the two playoff champions, Michigan and Washington. The Wolverines finally got over the hump for their first playoff victory after coming up empty the previous two years, and the Huskies rode a superstar performance from quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

Outside of the final four, however, Myerberg pointed out a trio of SEC teams. Tennessee got glimpses of promising young quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who put up 178 yards of offense and scored four touchdowns against Iowa’s formidable defense, while Missouri’s win over Ohio State issued a statement about the Tigers’ place in the college football pantheon.

Ole Miss set itself up for some positive 2024 momentum as well by capping off the first 11-win season in program history. The Rebels will only get better as Myerberg pointed out quarterback Jaxson Dart’s 2024 return and the best incoming transfer portal class in the nation will set Lane Kiffin’s team up well for the 12-team playoff.

The USA TODAY Sports writer rounded out his column by tabbing Kansas, who beat UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, and Northwestern, who defeated Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, as other big winners. His full insight, as well as his losers list, can be found here.

Nebraska volleyball defeats Northwestern in four-sets

The No. 1 ranked Huskers began their first of three of their final home matches of the season on Wednesday night.

The No. 1 ranked Huskers began their first of three of their final home matches of the season on Wednesday night. Nebraska began the stretch by hosting Northwestern and defeating them in a four-set bout (28-26, 24-26, 25-11, 25-20).

The Huskers and Wildcats split the first two sets of the match in an aggressive fashion, taking them both past 25 points. Nebraska took control of the match in the third set, decimating Northwestern 25-11, before taking set four 25-20.

The Wildcats finished ahead of the Huskers in total attacks, attempting 140 over Nebraska’s 126. But Northwestern only delivered 50 kills while the Huskers racked up 56. Merritt Beason and freshman Harper Murray acted as the main driving force for Nebraska. The duo combined for 26 kills off 73 attacks, 17 digs and seven blocks.

Bekka Allick and Ally Batenhorst also finished with double-digit kills in the win. Allick went 11-of-16 and led the team in blocks with seven. Batenhorst delivered ten kills for Nebraska off 21 attacks. Freshman Andi Jackson also had a notable performance, tallying up eight kills from 10 attacks and completing six blocks. Freshman Bergen Reilly led the Huskers in assists and digs, racking up 45 and 12, respectively.

Nebraska is now 24-0, its best start to a season since 2005. The team continues their home stand on Sunday, where they’ll welcome in Illinois. The match is set for 2:00 p.m. and can be viewed on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

Former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald sues school for $130m

Former Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald is suing his former employer for $130 million

Former Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald is suing his former employer and alma mater for $130 million. Fitzgerald, who was fired in July after a hazing scandal within the Northwestern program came to light filed the lawsuit on Thursday alongside his attorney Dan Webb.

The full lawsuit can be read here.

The lawsuit claims that Northwestern had breached Fitzgerald’s contract with the university as well as an additional “oral contract” that the two sides agreed to during the first day of the scandal.

On Thursday, Fitzgerald’s attorney Dan Webb held a news conference to discuss the lawsuit.

In the press conference, Webb accuses the university and its president, Michael Schill of firing Fitzgerald for cause with “no legitimate reason or evidence.” He also accuses both parties of destroying Fitzgerald’s reputation in the process.

On top of firing Fitzgerald without cause, Webb accuses the university of lying to Fitzgerald after a verbal agreement was made between the two sides that the long-time Wildcats head coach would not be further disciplined following his suspension. After originally being suspended on July 6, Fitzgerald was fired four days later on July 10.

Of the $130 million that Fitzgerald and his counsel are seeking, $68 million would be the remaining salary on his contract at the time of the firing. Additionally, they are suing for an additional $62 million due to Fitzgerald’s “lost ability to obtain similar employment”. There would be the possibility of additional restitution as well as they claim the firing was an “intentional inflection of emotional distress and defamation.”

To learn more about Fitzgerald’s lawsuit against Northwestern, we implore you to read USA TODAY’s Tom Schad’s report on the case.

Following the firing of Fitzgerald, Northwestern named first-year defensive coordinator David Braun as the interim head coach of the Wildcats football program. The Wildcats enter the first weekend of October with a 2-3 record.

REPORT: Northwestern, Skip Holtz agree to special assistant role

Norhtwestern interim head coach David Braun will have assistance from a long-time college football head coach this fall.

Former college football head coach and current head coach of the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions, Skip Holtz, is returning to college football. Kind of.

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Northwestern agreed in principle on Monday with Holtz to join the Wildcats’ football program as a “special assistant to the head coach.” Holtz will provide assistance to interim head coach David Braun, who took over earlier this month following the firing of Pat Fitzgerald in Evanston. It is unclear what Holtz’s duties will be with the program.

The 59-year-old Holtz will bring extensive experience to his role with the Wildcats. He began working in football in 1987 as a graduate assistant at Florida State. After also spending time at Colorado State and Notre Dame, Holtz earned his first head coaching opportunity in 1994 as the head coach at Connecticut. He would be the Huskies’ head coach till 1998 when he left the then-FCS program to be the assistant head coach at South Carolina.

Holtz would also spend time at East Carolina (2005-2009), South Florida (2010-2012), and Lousiana Tech (2013-2021) as a head coach. In 2022, he became the general manager and head coach of the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions. In his first two seasons, he’s led the franchise to a 17-3 overall record and a pair of USFL championships.

The Northwestern Wildcats will begin their 2023 on Sunday, September 3, on the road as they face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Wildcats are looking for their first win on American soil since October 16, 2021, which was also against Rutgers.

Northwestern football players to not attend Big Ten media day

Northwestern’s player representatives for this year’s Big Ten media days have announced that they will no longer be attending the proceedings in Indinapolis.

The Northwestern football program announced on Tuesday that after discussions with parents, teammates, and interim head coach David Braun, player representatives will no longer be attending Big Ten media days this week. Bryce Gallagher, Rod Heard II, and Bryce Kirtz were all set to accompany Braun later this week.

The decision comes after the football program and the university’s athletic department as a whole have come under the spotlight for several hazing scandals. The scandal within the football program resulted in the firing of long-time head coach Pat Fitzgerald. 

In a statement released by the program, the players said the following:

After talking with our parents, our teammates, and Coach Braun, we have made the decision to not attend Big Ten Media Day. This was very difficult since we were excited about the opportunity to participate in this great Big Ten tradition and to talk about the game we love and the season ahead. But given the recent events involving the Northwestern football program, we did not want our participation to be dominated by the hazing issue and steal focus away from football and the upcoming season.

We are proud members of the NU football program and want our on-field performance and on-field conduct to always reflect the values of the university and our fans.

While the three players will not be attending the Big Ten media day, interim head coach David Braun will still be in attendance. The hazing scandal will likely dominate Braun’s time at the media day. The program will try to avoid a third-straight losing season.

After making the Big Ten championship game in 2020 and winning the Citrus Bowl, the Wildcats have gone a combined 4-20 in the past two seasons. Northwestern has not won on American soil since October 16, 2021. Their 2023 season will kick off on September 3 as they travel to New Jersey for a date with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

David Braun named interim head coach at Northwestern

We know who will lead the Northwestern program for the 2023 season.

After the firing of [autotag]Northwestern Wildcats[/autotag] head coach Pat Fitzgerald, the school has made a move to address who will lead the program, at least for now.

According to a report from Jordan Mendoza, defensive coordinator David Braun will now run the Northwestern program for the 2023 college football season. He came over from North Dakota State where he coached the defense and safeties from 2019 to 2022. Braun never coached at the Power Five level and is now tasked with running the Northwestern program.

Braun started his coaching career at Winona State, where he played from 2004 to 2007. He would eventually move to Northern Iowa before joining the Bisons’ staff, where he helped win two national championships.

Braun and offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian, who has been with Northwestern since 2019, could both be auditioning for the permanent head coaching gig beyond this upcoming season.

Given where we are at in the offseason, this seems like the only logical move for 2023. Keeping the staff in place will help ensure that most of the team remains together. How it plays out in 2023 remains to be seen but it can’t be much worse than the 1-11 campaign from last season.

Northwestern fires head football coach Pat Fitzgerald

Pat Fitzgerald’s run at Northwestern came to an end on Monday following reports of hazing within the program.

On Monday a major move was made by Northwestern University. Following the suspension announcement on Friday, the school fired their long-time head coach Pat Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal.

A former player opened up about the hazing that was called “running”.

“It’s a shocking experience as a freshman to see your fellow freshman teammates get ran, but then you see everybody bystanding in the locker room,” the unidentified former player told The Daily Northwestern via USA TODAY Sports. “It’s just a really abrasive and barbaric culture that has permeated throughout that program for years on end now.”

The former standout Northwestern linebacker that won two Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Awards took over as head coach in 2006. He came back to his alma mater in 2001 as the defensive backs coach and worked his way up to head coach by that 2006 season.

During his tenure, Fitzgerald became the all-time winningest coach in Northwestern history. He finishes his NU career with a record 110-101 and 65-76 in Big Ten play. His last win came against Nebraska in Ireland last season to open the season. Fitzgerald won just four games over the last two seasons.

The next step will be to name a new head coach for the football program. With a scandal like this, it might be best for the Northwestern brass to clean house and start anew.