Tag: Northwestern Wildcats

What is the weather forecast for Wisconsin vs. Northwestern on Saturday?

What is the weather forecast for Wisconsin vs. Northwestern on Saturday?

Wisconsin’s biennial trip to Evanston, Illinois to face the Northwestern Wildcats is often impacted by the weather report.

The old Ryan Field’s place near the shores of Lake Michigan makes that the reality. Any wind or weather coming off the lake doesn’t have much interruption before reaching the stadium.

Related: 10 keys to a Wisconsin Badgers victory over the Northwestern Wildcats

This impact was assumed to only rise when Northwestern’s temporary lakefront stadium was announced — a location for some of the team’s 2024 and 2025 home games before the new Ryan Field opens in 2026. That stadium, pictured below, directly abuts Lake Michigan. Only a moveable scoreboard stands in the way of any wind or lake-effect weather reaching the field of play.

Aug 31, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; A general view of the temporary Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium where the Northwestern Wildcats will play the Miami (Oh) Redhawks in a football game. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday’s matchup against Wisconsin will be Northwestern’s final game in the building of the 2024 season. It will move to play its remaining home games at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.

The weather in the Midwest hasn’t quite turned toward the winter. Northwestern’s games in the temporary stadium thus far against Miami (OH), Duke, Eastern Illinois and Indiana have not been severely impacted by any inclement weather.

Saturday against Wisconsin looks to be no different. The weather forecast for Evanston, Illinois reads 70 degrees and sunny, with winds out of the southwest between five and 10 miles per hour.

In other words, the forecast predicts a perfect afternoon for football

Wisconsin and Northwestern will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on the Big Ten Network and streaming on Fox Sports. The weather should not hinder a Wisconsin offensive attack that enters playing its best football of the Luke Fickell and Phil Longo era to date.

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Big Ten Week 5 Recap: All final scores and updated standings

Here is a look at everything that happened in the Big Ten in Week 5 and the updated conference standings.

For the first time this season, we had a Big Ten football schedule that stretched from Friday night on the East Coast to the late night hours on the West Coast. While not every Big Ten team was in action this week, there was enough to keep us entertained with a trophy game in Michigan, an unofficial whiteout game in Happy Valley, and Oregon and UCLA giving us some Big Ten After Dark.

Here is a look at everything that went down around the Big Ten in Week 5, including a look at the updated Big Ten standings as we head into October.

Washignton played its first road game in the Big Ten and had to fly all the way across the country to New Jersey to do so. It was a long flight back after coming up short against the Scarlet Knights on Friday night.

Kyle Monangai rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown to help Rutgers hold off the Huskies, who dropped its second game of the season already. Washington had a chance to force overtime but a 55-yard field goal attempt by Grady Gross went wide left as time expired.

Washington outgained Rutgers 521-299, Washignton quarterback Will Rogers passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns and Jonah Coleman rushed for 148 yards. But the Huskies had three missed field goals and were just 2-for-12 on third-down attempts.

Next up for Washington: vs. Michigan

Next up for Rutgers: at Nebraska

This was a game about missed opportunities by Maryland. The Terrapins forced four Indiana turnovers but could not score any points off those free possessions. Indiana forced Maryland to punt three times following a turnover by the offense and Maryland was stopped on a turnover on downs following a fourth turnover. The Hoosiers offense more than made up for the rare miscues this season by racking up over 500 yards of offense led by 359 passing yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Kurtis Rourke.

Indiana is off to its first 5-0 start since 1967 and the Hoosiers are already one win shy of bowl eligibility before even getting into October. Not a bad start for new head coach Curt Cignetti in Bloomington.

Next up for Maryland: vs. Northwestern (Week 7)

Next up for Indiana: at Northwestern

Michigan may have retained possession of the Little Brown Jug once again, but the visiting Minnesota Golden Gophers made them work for it. Minnesota put together a furious fourth-quarter rally that ultimately fell short after closing the gap to a three-point margin with 1:37 remaining. Minnesota recovered an onside kick but was flagged for an offsides call on the attempt, and Michigan recovered the second onside kick attempt to put the game on ice.

Kalel Mullings led Michigan with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns, putting together his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game for Michigan. The Michigan defense held Minnesota to just 38 rushing yards as a team, and limited Darius Taylor to just 36 yards (Taylor did score two touchdowns and catch 10 passes for 52 receiving yards).

The Michigan passing game continues to lack much punch with Alex Orgi completing 10 of 18 passes for 86 yards, but the Wolverines appear comfortable working around their apparent shortcomings for now.

Next up for Minnesota: vs. USC

Next up for Michigan: at Washington

It took a while for anything to happen on the scoreboard in this one, but Nebraska did its part to make up for a slow start. After a scoreless first half by both teams, Nebraska put the first touchdown on the board in the third quarter to take a 7-3 lead and then pulled away in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns for a good road victory for the Cornhuskers.

Dylan Raiola passed for 244 yards and a touchdown but the Huskers were just 1-of-8 on third down conversion attempts. Nebraska’s defense did handle Purdue well by allowing just 224 yards of offense and holding the Boilermakers out of the end zone until the final minute and a half of regulation. It was a defensive touchdown, a 29-yard interception return by John Bullock, that helped put the game firmly out of reach in the fourth quarter.

Next up for Nebraska: vs. Rutgers

Next up for Purdue: at Wisconsin

USC quarterback Miller Moss passed for 308 yards and three touchdowns as USC shut down the visiting Wisconsin Badgers in the second half. USC trailed Wisconsin at halftime 21-10 but weren’t on a 28-0 run in the second half to run away for their first Big Ten conference victory in program history.

This was a bit of a sloppy game for much of the afternoon with five combined turnovers (USC with three, Wisconsin with two), and 14 penalties for over 100 yards of penalty yardage fairly evenly split between the two teams.

Next up for Wisconsin: vs. Purdue

Next up for USC: at Minnesota

Penn State and Illinois traded touchdown drives to start the game, but then the defenses for each took over. The Illini would not manage to score any more points in the game, so Penn State had to gain control with the running game to get the win. Fortunately for Penn State, the combination of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen helped grind out a win with 221 total yards of offense combined between the two, and some good work from tight end Tyler Warren out of the wildcat formations, the offense was too much to slow down for the Illini.

Penn State’s defense also forced a couple of turnovers and sacked Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer seven times. This was not an officially sanctioned whiteout game for Penn State, but the fans turned the night game into one anyway.

Next up for Illinois: vs. Purdue (Week 7)

Next up for Penn State: vs. UCLA

Ohio State’s first game away from home was not expected to be a massive challenge for the Buckeyes, and perhaps it wasn’t. The Buckeyes got off to a somewhat slow start with a 3-0 lead after the first quarter but put together three touchdowns in the second quarter and never had a reason to look back against Michigan State.

Will Howard passed for 244 yards, and the combo of Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith combined for 12 catches and 179 receiving yards with a touchdown each. the defense locked in on the Spartans’ running game and held Nate Carter to just 27 yards on six carries.

Michigan State had their opportunities though. But Michigan State had three turnovers inside the red zone in the first half, suggesting a team can move on the Buckeyes but still has to find a way to finish. Micigan State was unable to do so and paid the price.

Next up for Ohio State: vs. Iowa

Next up for Michigan State: at Oregon

Orgeon wide receiver Tez Johnson caught 11 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns as the Ducks enjoyed a big win at UCLA to wrap up the Big Ten schedule in Week 5. Dillon Gabriel completed 30-of-39 pass attempts for 268 yards and had three touchdowns, including the two to Johnson, and his one interception was returned for a touchdown by former Oregon player Bryan Addison.

After a shaky start to the season, it appears as though Oregon has found its groove and is beginning to live up to some of the preseason hype. They’ll return home next week for their first Big Ten game in Autzen Stadium. Meanwhile, UCLA will make its first cross-country trip in Big Ten play for an early kickoff next Saturday in Happy Valley.

Next up for Oregon: vs. Michigan State

Next up for UCLA: at Penn State

B1G WB1G LWL
Indiana2050
Michigan2041
Ohio State1040
Oregon1040
Penn State1040
Rutgers1040
Iowa1031
Illinois1141
Nebraska1141
USC1131
Michigan State1132
Washington1132
Northwestern0122
Wisconsin0122
Purdue0113
Maryland0232
Minnesota0223
UCLA0213

Chiefs scouting report: Northwestern Wildcats DE Anto Saka

Northwestern Wildcats DE Anto Saka would add some explosiveness to the Kansas City #Chiefs’ defense if they select him in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs don’t have a pass rusher with the combination of burst and bend that Northwestern Wildcats defensive end Anto Saka brings to the table.

They tried to add more dynamic athleticism when they drafted Felix Anudike-Uzomah, but that pick hasn’t worked out yet. Saka impacts passing downs more than Anudike-Uzomah, and the Chiefs won’t need to draft him until the third or fourth round at the earliest.

Saka’s elite explosiveness makes him one of the best pass rushers in college football. Northwestern doesn’t give the redshirt sophomore enough snaps for him to earn national recognition, making him one of the best kept secrets at a Power Four program.

Saka’s burst off the line, rapid footwork and impressive bend make it hard for most offensive tackles to keep him from turning the corner. Last year alone, Saka generated sacks against future first-round pick Graham Barton, future third-round pick Caedan Wallace, and priority undrafted free agent Julian Pearl.

Saka plays with a relentless motor. Northwestern hasn’t used him often on run downs this season, but he uses his speed and effort to separate from blocks quickly and chase down running backs.

Saka needs to add more pass rush moves to his arsenal and use more hand counters when his pass rush begins to stall. He lacks ideal arm length, which could make him fall into the draft’s middle rounds.

Northwestern faces a tough challenge against Washington on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m.

Best photos from around the Big Ten in Week 3

Here are the best photos from around the Big Ten in Week 3.

While some of the Big Ten’s top teams were enjoying a week off, it was a picturesque day around the rest of the Big Ten in Week 3. Some of the results may not have gone the way a few Big Ten schools would have liked (looking at you, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Washington), but at least the scenes looked pretty great.

We have your full Week 3 Big Ten rundown available with quick reactions to each game involving a Big Ten team this weekend. The power rankings have also been updated accordingly as we begin to turn the page to Week 4.

Here are some of the best photos from around the Big Ten in week 3, including Wisconsin’s big game in Camp Randall Stadium against Alabama and UCLA’s Big Ten debut in Pasadena.

Can Maalik Murphy put together one of the most productive Duke passing seasons ever?

His Week 2 performance proved mercurial, but Duke QB Maalik Murphy could still compile one of the most productive seasons in school history.

Who would have thought this would be the [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] conversation after three quarters on Friday night?

The former Texas Longhorn completed seven of his first 16 passes against Northwestern, but after a brief seat on the bench, he found his target on 17 of his last 23 attempts to end Week 2 with 242 yards and three touchdown passes. Once the offense sped up, the Blue Devils had life again, and the promising transfer looked like the offensive leader who was promised. Now, the question becomes how great of a season he can have.

Through two games in a Blue Devils uniform, Murphy has thrown 79 passes. He’s completed 50 of them for 533 yards and five touchdowns, giving him a 12-game pace of 3,198 yards, and 30 passing touchdowns.

Only three different Blue Devils have thrown for 3,100 yards in a single season (Sean Renfree did so twice in 2010 and 2012). In fact, a Duke quarterback has only reached 3,000 yards six times, and it hasn’t been done since that latter Renfree season more than a decade ago. Murphy would need a pretty torrid run through conference play to catch Anthony Dilweg’s school record of 3,824 yards in 1988, but second (3,330 yards) and third place (3,131 yards) feel very much in play.

Murphy could truly leave his mark in the end zone. The current school record for single-season touchdown passes is just 24 (also Dilweg in 1988). If the first-year starter throws just 16 touchdown passes over his final 10 games (so not even including a potential bowl game), he’d be tied for third in Duke history.

Part of this record-setting pace is Murphy’s staggering volume. His 12-game pace of 474 attempts would be the second-most in program history, just 10 behind Dilweg’s 1988 season. With Duke’s offense averaging less than three yards per carry on the ground, there’s no reason to think Murphy’s numbers will decrease later in the season.

Duke defense leads FBS college football teams in tackles for loss through Week 2

Manny Diaz said before the 2024 season that he wanted the Duke defense to create negative plays. Through Week 2, nobody is creating more.

No team in the FBS creates more havoc on defense than the Duke Blue Devils.

First-year head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] said in the offseason that he thought the Blue Devils had the defensive line to wreck offenses, and he preached the importance of negative plays for slowing down opposing teams.

Through Week 2, the Duke defense has generated 27 tackles for loss, more than any other college football team in the country. In fact, the only other Power Four program with more than 22 tackles for loss is Mississippi, and the Rebels haven’t played a fellow Power Four opponent yet.

The Blue Devils put a nation-leading eight sacks on the board against Elon in Week 1, and while the defensive line didn’t add to that tally in Week 2 against Northwestern, they still wrangled the Wildcats in the backfield 11 times.

Linebacker Alex Howard, the Youngstown State transfer who led the defense with 14 total tackles against Northwestern, has finished with at least two TFLs in both games. His 4.5 tackles for loss are tied for the fifth-most in the country, and seven other Blue Devils have at least 2.0 for the season already.

Defensive back [autotag]Chandler Rivers[/autotag] came away with the biggest negative play of the season during overtime against Northwestern. The Wildcats faced third-and-1 from within the 5-yard line in 2OT, needing a touchdown to tie and the ensuing 2-point conversion to win the game. Quarterback Mike Wright scrambled to the right on a keeper, and Rivers wrapped him up in the open field for an 8-yard loss to force a game-deciding fourth down.

Duke looks to keep its defensive momentum rolling against Connecticut on Saturday.

Duke football beats Northwestern in weird, mistaken-ridden Week 2 game

It took multiple overtimes, but the Blue Devils picked up their second win of the season over Northwestern on Friday.

In one of the weirdest college football games you will ever see, the Duke Blue Devils defeated Northwestern 26-20 in double overtime on Friday night.

After a high-flying debut from transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy last week, the cooler temperatures of Illinois seemed to chill the former Texas Longhorn early on. After the Blue Devils spent all game throwing downfield against Elon, the offense felt much more conservative against the Wildcats.

Murphy did have one standout first-half moment when he hit graduate wideout Eli Pancol on a slant route for the game’s first touchdown, but he completed seven of 13 passes for just 52 yards in the opening half.

After the Blue Devils averaged 2.2 yards per carry on the ground, those rushing struggles continued against the Wildcats. Duke’s offense gained just 42 yards on its 15 first-half rushing attempts, and senior running back Jaquez Moore left the game with an ankle injury before reappearing on the sideline with a walking boot. Without Murphy throwing the ball all over the field, the microscope focused even harder on those shortcomings.

Unfortunately, Northwestern running back Cam Porter did not share those issues. The senior rattled off a 44-yard run on the Wildcats’ second play of the game and rumbled his way into the end zone in the second quarter to put his team back ahead 10-7. He finished the game with 93 yards and a pair of scores on 16 carries.

The Blue Devils hoped to come out swinging when they received the second-half kickoff, but fans were instead treated to one of the most bizarre sequences of the year. After a quick Duke three-and-out, Northwestern blocked the ensuing punt to give their offense ideal field position and a chance to make it a two-score game.

Instead, the Wildcats offense also went three-and-out before kicker Jack Olsen clanked one off the upright from 29 yards away to keep the game 10-7. Duke seemed to have new life, but Murphy threw an interception two plays later to give the ball right back to Northwestern.

Ball game, right? Well, not if the Wildcats fumbled the ball back to the Blue Devils three plays after that.

The excitement toned down quite a bit from there with both teams trading field goals before Duke kicker Todd Pelino lined up for a game-tying effort from 33 yards with two minutes left to play. On any other night, the reliable Blue Devil would be a sure bet to knock one that short one through the uprights, but he pushed it wide to the right to keep Duke down.

The Blue Devils managed to get the ball back for one final gasp, and they tied the game against all odds. Murphy drove the team down the field, missing a potential game-winning touchdown to Jordan Moore but still driving the Blue Devils down to the doorstep of the end zone.

Pelino trotted out for a 22-yard attempt, and this time, he split the uprights.

After the two offenses traded touchdowns in the first overtime period, Murphy found Pancol yet again for this third passing touchdown of the game in the second overtime period. The Blue Devils failed their 2-point conversion, but a fourth-down stop on the other end meant they didn’t need the points anyway.

Murphy put the team on his back in the second half, leaving the early conservative playbook behind. He finished the game with 242 yards through the air, completing 24 of 39 passes. He connected on 12 of his final 15 attempts, including all three in overtime, for the improbable comeback.

Duke improves to 2-0 for the season and now gets an extra day of rest before taking on Connecticut in Week 3, the Blue Devils’ first Saturday game of the year.

Northwestern mascot makes rabbit scoot during Duke game

A rabbit made an appearance on the field during Duke-Northwestern

Northwestern and Duke played in a Big Ten-ACC matchup on Friday. Not the most inspiring game on the schedule. Yet, it provided a fantastic highlight.

Watch as a rabbit decides to make an unscheduled appearance on the field. The rabbit didn’t seem to be concerned about the crowd or game.

However, when it came to getting the rabbit off the field and into a safer place, there was one “person” up for the job, the Northwestern Wildcat mascot, Willie.

Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy finds Eli Pancol for go-ahead touchdown vs. Northwestern

Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy threw his third touchdown of the season on Friday, a go-ahead score in the first quarter against Northwestern.

It’s safe to say transfer quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] will be very productive in his first season with the Duke Blue Devils.

The former Texas Longhorn found Eli Pancol for a go-ahead touchdown in the first quarter against Northwestern on Friday night. Murphy hit Pancol in stride on a slant route, and the veteran wideout dragged his defender into the end zone on his back.

The score, Murphy’s third of the season, came four plays after safety Terry Moore snagged the team’s first interception of the season. It was also Pancol’s second touchdown reception in two games. After injuries forced him to miss the entire 2023 season, he found the end zone for the first time in nearly three years against Elon in Week 1.

Murphy threw for 291 yards in that game, a career-high in his first appearance with the Blue Devils. He and offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer talked about wanting to make Duke an explosive offense in 2024, and the early returns look like they delivered.

https://twitter.com/DukeFOOTBALL/status/1832229916915491157

Staff predictions for Week 2 matchup between Duke and Northwestern

Duke is gearing up to take on Northwestern on Friday, check out our Duke Wire staff predictions for the game here.

Duke football plays under the Friday night lights again in Week 2, this time on the road against Northwestern in a battle of the brainiacs.

The Wildcats came to Durham last season, and the Blue Devils chased them out of town with a 38-14 win. Running back [autotag]Jaquez Moore[/autotag] managed 61 yards on the ground in just 10 carries, and star wideout [autotag]Jordan Moore[/autotag] amassed 56 receiving yards on five catches.

Now, one year later, those two are the focal points of the Duke offense. Moore reached triple-digits against Elon in Week 1, a 47-yard catch in the third quarter adding an exclamation point to his 112-yard game. Despite some struggles in the ground game, Moore scored the team’s first touchdown of the season.

Both teams bring a new quarterback to this year’s edition, though. [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns in his Duke debut last week. Can he up his game against a Big Ten pass defense?

Here are our staff predictions for the Week 2 contest.

Ryan Haley, Duke Wire site editor

It’s a bit early to call anything on Duke’s schedule a must-win, but this comes as close as a September game can. With Georgia Tech emerging as one of the more complete teams in the conference and Wake Forest transfer quarterback Hank Bachmeier looking exceptionally productive in his Demon Deacons debut, even the weaker games on the conference slate look like fistfights.

Manny Diaz needs all the help he can get to reach six wins, and a 4-0 start would give him great odds. This game is the biggest hurdle to clear of those four, however, and it’s a total mismatch in the trenches for Duke. The Blue Devils averaged less than three yards per carry on the ground last week, and Miami (Ohio) ran for 40 yards on 24 attempts against the Wildcats in Week 1.

So this game will come down to two things: Duke’s defensive line and Maalik Murphy. Luckily, one of those things looked exceptional in Week 1 and the other looked promising.

The Blue Devils compiled eight sacks as a team, leading the entire country, and the Wildcats already averaged less than six yards per attempt. Northwestern quarterback Mike Wright, previously from Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, is mobile enough to escape pressure but historically doesn’t perform well under it, and the Duke front seven is fast enough to keep him from reaching the second level super often.

Northwestern’s pass defense came away with two interceptions last week, raising their total to 15 in 14 games under head coach David Braun. Murphy is a confident passer, but he fired some questionable balls into double coverage against the Phoenix. If Duke loses this game, it’s because he does that again and gets punished for it multiple times, which is well within the range of outcomes. If he only turns the ball once, however, the Duke defensive line and Jordan Moore prove to be too much for the Wildcats.

Duke 17, Northwestern 13

Bryant Crews, Staff Writer

Week 2 of the Manny Diaz era is upon us, and after a relatively stress-free 26-3 win in its first game of the 2024 season, Duke turns the page and turns up the competition.

Diaz and his squad head to the Windy City to take on the Big Ten’s Northwestern Wildcats. Duke and Northwestern will face off in an out-of-conference game for the eighth time over the last ten seasons.

While the Duke offense’s performance in game one wasn’t perfect, they had some opportunities to showcase transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy and their many returning receiver options.

Northwestern is better than Elon, and stylistically, they present a different challenge. They will look to dominate the line of scrimmage and win by running the ball.

Duke’s losses on defense from the previous year will make themselves known this week, but I think Duke has enough offensive talent to overcome it.

Murphy will throw for at least two touchdowns, Jacquez Moore will rush for a touchdown, and we will see a second-half turnover or stop that helps seal the deal for the Blue Devils as they win their first road game this season and move to 2-0.

Duke 24, Northwestern 17