2018 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Last updated

2018 Northwestern Wildcats football
Northwestern Wildcats logo.svg
Big Ten West Division champion
Holiday Bowl champion
Holiday Bowl, W 31–20 vs. Utah
Conference Big Ten Conference
DivisionWest Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 21
Record9–5 (8–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMick McCall (11th season)
Offensive scheme Spread
Defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz (11th season)
Base defense Multiple 4–3
Home stadium Ryan Field
Seasons
←  2017
2019  →
2018 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$  8 –1   13 –1  
No. 14 Michigan x  8 –1   10 –3  
No. 17 Penn State  6 –3   9 –4  
Michigan State  5 –4   7 –6  
Maryland  3 –6   5 –7  
Indiana  2 –7   5 –7  
Rutgers  0 –9   1 –11  
West Division
No. 21 Northwestern xy  8 –1   9 –5  
Wisconsin  5 –4   8 –5  
No. 25 Iowa  5 –4   9 –4  
Purdue  5 –4   6 –7  
Minnesota  3 –6   7 –6  
Nebraska  3 –6   4 –8  
Illinois  2 –7   4 –8  
Championship: Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 13th-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Contents

Northwestern began the year with a 1–3 record after winning its conference road opener against Purdue but falling to non-conference foes Duke and Akron, as well as Michigan in their conference home opener. The team won their next four games, including wins over ranked opponents Michigan State and Wisconsin, before falling to Notre Dame, which secured a winless non-conference slate. Regardless, the Wildcats clinched their first Big Ten West Division title by defeating No. 21 Iowa the following week. [1] They won their remaining two conference games to finish the regular season with a conference record of 8–1. In the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game, they lost to East Division champion Ohio State 45–24. The team was invited to the Holiday Bowl to play Pac-12 Conference runner-up Utah. The Wildcats won by a score of 31–20, their third consecutive bowl victory, which was a program first. [2] In the final AP Poll of the season, the Wildcats were ranked 21st.

Quarterback Clayton Thorson led the team's offense, finishing with 3,183 passing yards, third most in the Big Ten Conference, to go along with 17 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns. Thorson, a fourth-year starter, finished his career as the school's all-time leading passer. [2] Freshman running back Isaiah Bowser led the team in rushing with 866 yards, and wide receiver Flynn Nagel led the team in receiving with 780 yards. On defense, linebacker Blake Gallagher led the Big Ten in total tackles with 127. [3] Fellow linebacker Paddy Fisher was named first team all-conference by the coaches, while defensive back Montre Hartage was named to the first team by the media. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald received the conference's coach of the year award. [4]

Preseason

Award watch lists

AwardPlayerPositionYear
Lott Trophy [5] Nate Hall LBSR
Chuck Bednarik Award [6] Joe Gaziano DEJR
Paddy Fisher LBSO
Maxwell Award [7] Clayton Thorson QBSR
Doak Walker Award [8] Jeremy LarkinRBJR
Butkus Award [9] Paddy FisherLBFR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy [10] Paddy FisherLBSO
Joe GazianoDEJR
Outland Trophy [11] Tommy DolesOLSR
Wuerffel Trophy [12] Tommy DolesOLSR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award [13] Clayton ThorsonQBSR

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 307:00 p.m.at Purdue
ESPN W 31–2747,410
September 811:00 a.m. Duke *
 ESPNU L 7–2140,654
September 156:30 p.m. Akron *
  • Ryan Field
  • Evanston, IL
 BTN L 34–3940,014
September 293:30 p.m.No. 14 Michigan
FOX L 17–2047,330
October 611:00 a.m.at No. 20 Michigan State
FS1 W 29–1972,850
October 1311:00 a.m. Nebraska Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Ryan Field
  • Evanston, IL
 ABC W 34–31 OT47,330
October 2011:00 a.m.at Rutgers
BTNW 18–1532,514
October 2711:00 a.m.No. 20 Wisconsin
  • Ryan Field
  • Evanston, IL
FOXW 31–1747,330
November 36:15 p.m.No. 4 Notre Dame *
 ESPN L 21–3147,330
November 102:30 p.m.at No. 21 Iowa
FOXW 14–1066,493
November 1711:00 a.m.at Minnesota No. 22
BTNW 24–1432,134
November 242:30 p.m. Illinois No. 19
BTNW 24–1637,124
December 17:00 p.m.vs. No. 6 Ohio State No. 21
FOXL 24–4566,375
December 316:00 p.m.vs. No. 17 Utah *No. 22
FS1W 31–2047,007

Game summaries

At Purdue

1234Total
Wildcats14170031
Boilermakers1437327

Duke

1234Total
Blue Devils0210021
Wildcats70007

Akron

1234Total
Zips03231339
Wildcats7147634

Michigan

1234Total
No. 14 Wolverines076720
Wildcats1070017

At Michigan State

1234Total
Wildcats7701529
No. 20 Spartans3313019

Nebraska

1234OTTotal
Cornhuskers76711031
Wildcats014017334

At Rutgers

1234Total
Wildcats703818
Scarlet Knights0123015

Wisconsin

1234Total
No. 20 Badgers730717
Wildcats7710731

Notre Dame

1234Total
No. 3 Fighting Irish70141031
Wildcats0701421

At Iowa

1234Total
Wildcats007714
No. 21 Hawkeyes037010

At Minnesota

1234Total
No. 24 Wildcats7601124
Golden Gophers070714

Illinois

1234Total
Fighting Illini3301016
No. 20 Wildcats7143024

Vs. Ohio State (Big Ten Championship game)

1234Total
No. 21 Wildcats7014324
No. 6 Buckeyes141071445

Vs. Utah (Holiday Bowl)

1234Total
No. 20 Utes1460020
Wildcats0328031

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP RVRV———————RVRV242021RV21
Coaches RVRV———————RVRVRV21212219
CFP Not released——22192122Not released

Roster

2018 Northwestern Wildcats football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
RB 1Chad Hanaoka Redshirt.svg  Sr
WR 2Flynn NagelSr
WR 4Solomon Vault Redshirt.svg  Sr
WR 5Charles Fessler Redshirt.svg  Jr
WR 6Jelani RobertsSr
QB 7Jason WhittakerFr
WR 8 Kyric McGowan So
QB 10T. J. Green Redshirt.svg  Jr
QB 11Aidan Smith Redshirt.svg  So
WR 12J. J. JeffersonFr
QB 13Andrew Marty Redshirt.svg  Fr
WR 15Jace JamesSo
QB 15 Hunter Johnson  (I)So
WR 16Berkeley Holman Redshirt.svg  Fr
WR 17Jalen Brown Redshirt.svg  Sr
QB 18 Clayton Thorson Redshirt.svg  Sr
WR 19Riley Lees Redshirt.svg  So
RB 20John Moten IV Redshirt.svg  Jr
RB 21Drake AndersonFr
WR 23Steven Reese Redshirt.svg  Jr
RB 24Alex BouskySr
RB 25Isaiah BowserFr
RB 28Jeremy Larkin Redshirt.svg  So
RB 36Jesse Brown Redshirt.svg  So
SB 44James Prather Redshirt.svg  Sr
SB 48Brian KaiserFr
OL 52Sam Gerak Redshirt.svg  Fr
OL 57Cam Kolwich Redshirt.svg  So
OL 59J. B. Butler Redshirt.svg  Sr
OL 61Jason Goosen Redshirt.svg  So
OL 65Jared Thomas Redshirt.svg  Jr
OL 66Nik Urban Redshirt.svg  So
OL 67Willy BoatmanFr
OL 68Wyatt BlakeFr
OL 69Charlie SchmidtFr
OL 70Rashawn SlaterSo
OL 71Tommy Doles Redshirt.svg  Sr
OL 72 Blake Hance Redshirt.svg  Sr
OL 73Gunnar Vogel Redshirt.svg  So
OL 74Payne He'BertFr
OL 76Ethan Wiederkehr Redshirt.svg  Fr
OL 77Jesse Meyler Redshirt.svg  So
OL 78Sam StovallFr
OL 79Trey Klock Redshirt.svg  Sr
SB 80Trey PughSo
WR 81Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman Redshirt.svg  So
SB 82Alex Oelsner Redshirt.svg  Fr
WR 83Will Lansbury Redshirt.svg  Fr
WR 84Cameron Green Redshirt.svg  Jr
WR 85Jack Tirmonia Redshirt.svg  So
SB 86Cody Link Redshirt.svg  So
WR 86Raymond Niro IIIFr
SB 87Eric Eshoo Redshirt.svg  So
WR 88 Ben Skowronek Jr
SB 89Charlie MangieriFr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DB 3Trae Williams Redshirt.svg  Jr
DB 7Travis Whillock Redshirt.svg  So
DB 9Roderick CampbellSo
DB 10Alonzo Mayo Redshirt.svg  Jr
DB 11A. J. HamptonFr
DB 13J. R. PaceSo
DB 18Cameron Ruiz Redshirt.svg  Fr
DB 22Bryce Jackson Redshirt.svg  Fr
CB 24 Montre Hartage Sr
DB 25Austin Hiller Redshirt.svg  Fr
DB 26Brian Bullock Redshirt.svg  So
DB 27Jeremiah McDonaldFr
LB 28Chris BerginSo
DB 29 Greg Newsome II Fr
LB 31Jaylen RiversFr
LB 32 Nate Hall Redshirt.svg  Sr
LB 33Grayson MannFr
LB 34Chee Anyanwu Redshirt.svg  Fr
LB 35Erik Mueller Redshirt.svg  Fr
DB 37Donovan Sermons Redshirt.svg  Fr
LB 40Peter McIntyre Redshirt.svg  Fr
S 41Jared McGee Redshirt.svg  Sr
LB 42 Paddy Fisher Redshirt.svg  So
LB 44Khalid JonesFr
LB 45Nathan Fox Redshirt.svg  Jr
LB 46Troy HudetzSo
DL 46Devin O'RourkeFr
DB 47Joe Bergin Redshirt.svg  Jr
LB 50Jango Glackin Redshirt.svg  So
LB 51Blake GallagherSo
DL 53 Eku Leota Fr
DL 54Trent Goens Redshirt.svg  Jr
DE 55Mark Gooden Redshirt.svg  So
DL 75Ben Oxley Redshirt.svg  Sr
DT 90Jake Saunders Redshirt.svg  So
DL 91Samdup MillerSo
DL 92Fred Wyatt Redshirt.svg  Sr
DL 93Joe SpivakSo
DE 94Tommy Carnifax Redshirt.svg  So
DL 95Alex MillerJr
DE 96Trevor Kent Redshirt.svg  Fr
DL 97 Joe Gaziano Redshirt.svg  Jr
DE 98 Earnest Brown IV So
DL 99Jordan ThompsonSr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 14Charlie KuhbanderSo
P 17Daniel Kubiuk Redshirt.svg  Sr
P 37Cody Gronewold Redshirt.svg  Fr
K, P 38Drew Luckenbaugh Redshirt.svg  So
LS 43Tyler Gillikin Redshirt.svg  So
LS 48Peter Snodgrass Redshirt.svg  Fr
P 49Jake Collins Redshirt.svg  Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Lou Ayeni (running backs / recruiting coordinator)
  • Adam Cushing (offensive line)
  • Jeff Genyk (special teams coordinator)
  • Mike Hankwitz (defensive coordinator)
  • Bob Heffner (Superbacks)
  • Marty Long (defensive line)
  • Matt McPherson (Associate head coach / defensive backs)
  • Mick McCall (offensive coordinator / quarterbacks)
  • Tim McGarigle (linebackers)
  • Dennis Springer (wide receivers)
  • Chris Bowers (director of player personnel)
  • Cody Cejda (director of football operations)
  • Darby Dunnagan (director of Video Operations)
  • Jay Hooten (director of Sports Performance for Football)
  • Jacob Schmidt (director of player development)
  • Bryan Payton (director of Recruiting Communications)
  • Jonny Kovach (director of Recruiting Operations)
  • Todd McShane (director of Scouting)
  • John Holloway (assistant director of football operations)
  • Deonte Gibson (defensive graduate assistant)
  • Kevin Koch (defensive graduate assistant)
  • Traveon Henry (offensive graduate assistant)
  • Sean Pearson (offensive graduate assistant)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 16, 2018

Awards and honors

Individual Awards
PlayerAwardRef.
Pat Fitzgerald Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year
Dave McClain Coach of the Year		 [4]
All-Big Ten
PlayerPositionCoachesMedia
Paddy Fisher LB12
Montre Hartage DB31
Joe Gaziano DL23
Rashawn SlaterOT3HM
Blake GallagherLBHM3
Cameron GreenWRHMHM
Clayton Thorson QBHMHM
Flynn NagelWRHMHM
J.R. PaceDBHMHM
Nate HallDBHMHM
HM = Honorable mention. Reference: [4]

Players drafted into the NFL

RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Club
5167 Clayton Thorson QB Philadelphia Eagles

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References

  1. ↑ "Northwestern clinches first Big Ten division title with win at Iowa". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 10, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Friedman, Caleb (January 5, 2019). "Clayton Thorson left Northwestern better than he found it". InsideNU.com. Vox Media.
  3. ↑ "2018 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "2018 All-Big Ten Football Teams and Individual Award Recipients" (PDF). BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. November 28, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  5. ↑ "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  6. ↑ "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club". Maxwell Football Club. July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  7. ↑ "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  8. ↑ "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Butkus Award - 2018 Collegiate Watchlist". The Butkus Award. July 23, 2018. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  10. ↑ "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  11. ↑ "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Duke vs. Northwestern - Game Summary - September 8, 2018". ESPN . Retrieved September 8, 2018.
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