| 2025 Northwestern Wildcats football | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 5–4 (3–3 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Zach Lujan (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Tim McGarigle (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | Martin Stadium Wrigley Field |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Indiana | 7 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Ohio State | 6 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Oregon | 5 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 USC | 5 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Michigan | 5 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 Iowa | 4 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 4 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 3 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 3 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 3 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 3 | – | 3 | 3 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | 2 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | 1 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 1 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 0 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 0 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 0 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: December 6, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from CFP Rankings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025 Northwestern Wildcats football team represents Northwestern University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They are led by third-year head coach David Braun. The team will play five of its seven home games at a temporary facility constructed at the university's Martin Stadium, with two home games being played at Wrigley Field (the home of the Chicago Cubs) while a permanent replacement for the former Ryan Field is built. [1]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 11:00 a.m. | at Tulane * | ESPNU | L 3–23 | 22,103 | |
| September 5 | 6:30 p.m. | Western Illinois * | BTN | W 42–7 | 9,647 | |
| September 13 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 4 Oregon |
| FOX | L 14–34 | 12,023 |
| September 27 | 2:30 p.m. | UCLA |
| BTN | W 17–14 | 12,023 |
| October 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Louisiana–Monroe * |
| BTN | W 42–7 | 12,023 |
| October 11 | 2:30 p.m. | at Penn State | FS1 | W 22–21 | 108,121 | |
| October 18 | 2:00 p.m. | Purdue |
| BTN | W 19–0 | 12,023 |
| October 25 | 11:00 a.m. | at Nebraska | FS1 | L 21–28 | 86,401 | |
| November 7 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 19 USC | FOX | L 17–38 | 67,179 | |
| November 15 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 18 Michigan |
| FOX | ||
| November 22 | Minnesota |
| ||||
| November 29 | at Illinois | |||||
| ||||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Green Wave | 7 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
at Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana
| Game information |
|---|
No scoring plays. |
| Statistics | NU | TULN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 63–237 | 58–421 |
| Rushes–yards | 27–76 | 40–269 |
| Passing yards | 161 | 152 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–36–4 | 18–31–0 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:39 | 33:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | Passing | Preston Stone | 19/36, 161 yards, 4 INT |
| Rushing | Cam Porter | 6 carries, 46 yards | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde | 6 receptions, 64 yards | |
| Tulane | Passing | Jake Retzlaff | 18/31, 152 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Jake Retzlaff | 10 carries, 113 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Omari Hayes | 9 receptions, 74 yards |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leathernecks (FCS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Wildcats | 15 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 42 |
at Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL
| Game information |
|---|
11:58 – NU – Cam Porter 43 Yd Run (Luke Akers Kick). Northwestern 7–0.Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 3:02 6:44 – NU – Hayden Eligon II 5 Yd pass from Preston Stone (Lawson Albright Run for Two-Point Conversion). Northwestern 15–0.Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 3:09
0:28 – NU – Hunter Welcing 6 Yd pass from Preston Stone (Luke Akers Kick). Northwestern 22–0.Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 3:34
7:06 – NU – Luke Akers 35 Yd Field Goal. Northwestern: 25–0.Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 4:13 1:40 – NU – Luke Akers 25 Yd Field Goal. Northwestern: 28–0.Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 4:17
10:43 – NU – Drew Wagner 4 Yd pass from Preston Stone (Jack Olsen Kick). Northwestern 35–0.Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 5:27 7:07 – NU – Ryan Boe 58 Yd Run (Jack Olsen Kick). Northwestern 42–0.Drive: 3 plays, 67 yards, 1:32 2:47 – WIU – Christian Anaya 8 Yd pass from Cason Carswell (Antonio Chadha Kick). Northwestern 42–7.Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 4:20 |
| Statistics | WIU | NU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 10 | 24 |
| Total yards | 181 | 526 |
| Rushing yards | 71 | 281 |
| Passing yards | 110 | 245 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–27–1 | 21–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:06 | 35:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Illinois | Passing | Cason Carswell | 6/8, 52 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Markell Holman | 13 carries, 52 yards | |
| Receiving | Demari Davis | 3 receptions, 46 yards | |
| Northwestern | Passing | Preston Stone | 21/29, 245 yards, 3 TD |
| Rushing | Cam Porter | 12 carries, 91 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde | 5 receptions, 94 yards |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Ducks | 7 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 34 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | ORE | NU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 56–373 | 59–313 |
| Rushes–yards | 30–176 | 37–178 |
| Passing yards | 197 | 135 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–26–1 | 11–22–2 |
| Time of possession | 27:42 | 32:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | Passing | Dante Moore | 16/20, 178 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Dierre Hill Jr. | 5 carries, 94 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Malik Benson | 4 receptions, 62 yards | |
| Northwestern | Passing | Preston Stone | 11/21, 135 yards, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Dashun Reeder | 1 carry, 79 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde | 4 receptions, 55 yards |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruins | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 14 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | UCLA | NU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 63–314 | 60–311 |
| Rushes–yards | 42–199 | 30–131 |
| Passing yards | 115 | 180 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 12–18–0 | 19–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:21 | 25:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | Passing | Nico Iamaleava | 19/27, 180 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Nico Iamaleava | 14 carries, 65 yards | |
| Receiving | Kwazi Gilmer | 3 receptions, 51 yards, TD | |
| Northwestern | Passing | Preston Stone | 12/18, 115 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Caleb Komolafe | 27 carries, 119 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde | 7 receptions, 98 yards, TD |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warhawks | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 11 | 21 | 3 | 42 |
at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | ULM | NU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 18 | 26 |
| Total yards | 273 | 515 |
| Rushing yards | 87 | 246 |
| Passing yards | 186 | 269 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 12-23-0 | 21-33-0 |
| Time of possession | 24:18 | 35:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Aidan Armenta | 10/19, 129 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Braylon McReynolds | 8 carries, 49 yards | |
| Receiving | Nic Trujillo | 2 receptions, 61 yards, TD | |
| Northwestern | Passing | Preston Stone | 20/31, 262 yards, 3 TD |
| Rushing | Dashun Reeder | 11 carries, 79 yards | |
| Receiving | Hayden Eligon II | 3 receptions, 80 yards, TD |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 3 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 22 |
| Nittany Lions | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Beaver Stadium • University Park, Pennsylvania
| Game information |
|---|
No scoring plays
|
| Statistics | NU | PSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 23 | 13 |
| Plays–yards | 68–282 | 51–274 |
| Rushes–yards | 42–119 | 31–137 |
| Passing yards | 163 | 137 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 17–26–0 | 13–20–1 |
| Time of possession | 34:46 | 25:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | Passing | Preston Stone | 17/26, 163 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Caleb Komolafe | 19 carries, 72 yards TD | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde | 7 receptions, 94 yards, TD | |
| Penn State | Passing | Drew Allar | 13/20, 137 yards, INT |
| Rushing | Kaytron Allen | 16 carries, 90 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Devonte Ross | 7 receptions, 115 yards |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boilermakers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 19 |
at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois
| Game information |
|---|
'No scoring plays |
| Statistics | PUR | NU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 11 | 24 |
| Total yards | 305 | 364 |
| Rushing yards | 87 | 232 |
| Passing yards | 218 | 132 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 16-30-1 | 11-26-1 |
| Time of possession | 22:21 | 37:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue | Passing | Malachi Singleton | 11/20, 187 yards, INT |
| Rushing | Malachi Thomas | 7 carries, 34 yards | |
| Receiving | Devin Mockobee | 2 receptions, 52 yards | |
| Northwestern | Passing | Preston Stone | 11/26, 132 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Joseph Himon II | 22 carries, 87 yards | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde | 4 receptions, 47 yards, TD |
→===at Nebraska===
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 3 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 21 |
| Cornhuskers | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | NU | NEB |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 18 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 59–331 | 61–296 |
| Rushes–yards | 30–172 | 39–155 |
| Passing yards | 159 | 141 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–29–2 | 16–22–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:44 | 30:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | Passing | Preston Stone | 15/29, 159 yards, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Caleb Komolafe | 17 carries, 125 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde | 3 receptions, 54 yards | |
| Nebraska | Passing | Dylan Raiola | 16/22, 141 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Emmett Johnson | 27 carries, 124 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Nyziah Hunter | 6 receptions, 70 yards, TD |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 19 Trojans | 7 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, California
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | NU | USC |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 13 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 55–280 | 64–482 |
| Rushes–yards | 25–130 | 30–173 |
| Passing yards | 150 | 309 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 20–30-0 | 25–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:24 | 32:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | Passing | Preston Stone | 20/30, 150 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Caleb Komolafe | 17 carries, 118 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Caleb Komolafe | 5 receptions, 40 yards | |
| USC | Passing | Jayden Maiava | 24/33, 299 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Rushing | King Miller | 15 carries, 127 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Makai Lemon | 11 receptions, 161 yards, TD |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 18 Wolverines | 0 | ||
| Wildcats | 0 |
at Wrigley Field • Chicago, Illinois
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | MICH | NU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Northwestern | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Gophers | 0 | ||
| Wildcats | 0 |
at Wrigley Field • Chicago, Illinois
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | MINN | NU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Northwestern | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 0 | ||
| Fighting Illini | 0 |
at Gies Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | NU | ILL |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: comp–att–int | ||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Illinois | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| 2025 Northwestern Wildcats football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Offense
| Defense
| Special teams
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