SAN ANTONIO — After Northwestern’s season finale against Illinois, coach Pat Fitzgerald knew his team would have more than a month off before its bowl game. So he drew from the experiences of his former mentor to keep the Wildcats focused.

Continue reading »

By Matt Forman and Jake Simpson

SAN ANTONIO — A brief look at the 2008 Alamo Bowl.

Player you know
From his first game at Northwestern, Tyrell Sutton has been the focal point of the Wildcats’ offense. The senior running back first made his mark in 2005, rushing for a program-record 244 yards against Wisconsin. Sutton surpassed 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, relying on a mix of agility and breakaway speed, but he has struggled to stay healthy ever since. He missed six games in his junior season with a high ankle sprain. Continue reading »

On January 1, 1996, Gary Barnett walked onto the Rose Bowl field as the miracle worker who had turned Northwestern from a laughingstock into one of the best teams in the nation.

On Dec. 29, Pat Fitzgerald will walk onto the Alamo Dome field as the rising star who took over the NU program in the wake of tragedy and who, despite his youth, has guided the Wildcats to a 9-3 season, one of their best ever.

As Fitzgerald prepares his squad to take on Missouri in the Alamo Bowl with a chance to become the first NU team in 60 years to win a bowl game, he just might pick up the phone and call Barnett. Continue reading »

Behind Northwestern’s defensive resurgence this season is coordinator Mike Hankwitz’s one-word mantra: attack.

Now, the Wildcats must prepare for an offense that thinks the exact same way.

Led by an undersized quarterback from Texas and one of the nation’s best wide receivers, Missouri brings a blitzkrieg offense that averaged 497.5 yards per game this season into the Alamo Bowl.
 
Continue reading »

He stands at 6-feet-8 inches. He tips the scale at 270 pounds. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds.

It’s safe to say Corey Wootton is a physical specimen.

“He’s just an excellent athlete,” defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz said. “I’ve coached guys who are faster, and I’ve coached guys who are stronger and heavier. But I’ve never coached a guy with a combination of as big, fast and strong as he is.”
Continue reading »

After two seasons at Northwestern, defensive tackle Keegan Kennedy had not made the kind of impact he wanted. So he decided to switch sides.

Literally.

Kennedy moved to the offensive side of the ball, where he quickly rose up the depth chart. This season, the senior left guard has anchored NU’s offensive line, leading an inexperienced but determined unit that has exceeded all expectations. Continue reading »

Probably the greatest wide receiver in Northwestern history, D’Wayne Bates played for the Wildcats from 1995 through 1998. He holds school records for career receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and was part of NU’s 1995 Rose Bowl squad. After a five-year NFL career with the Bears and Vikings, Bates retired and later became a history teacher and football and basketball coach at Evanston Township High School.

The Daily’s Andrew Simon spoke with one of NU’s all-time great players. Continue reading »

We’ll start with the betting lines, with a little twist. Northwestern’s season is over, but the Wildcats will have a close eye on the Oregon-Oregon State clash Saturday night. If the Ducks win the “Civil War”, NU will most likely move up in bowl position; if Oregon State wins, the Cats have no shot at a New Year’s Day bowl game.

Continue reading »

There’s no doubt who Pat Fitzgerald will be watching college football this weekend. He does every weekend.

But this weekend, Fitzgerald will pay close attention to the Oregon-Oregon State matchup, just like other Big Ten fans.

“I am absolutely rooting for Mike Bellotti and the Oregon Ducks,” Fitzgerald said on Monday at his weekly Media Luncheon.

The reason? If Oregon State wins The Civil War, it earns a right to play in the Penn State in the Rose Bowl and two Pac-10 teams, USC the other, would play BCS games. If Oregon wins on Saturday in Corvallis, Ore., it opens up a spot in the BCS that would likely be filled by Ohio State, giving the Big Ten an at-large berth.

Continue reading »

No. 17 MICHIGAN STATE (9-2, 6-1) at No. 7 PENN STATE (10-1, 6-1)
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Place: State College, Pa.
Line: Nittany Lions by 14.5
TV: ABC

What’s at stake: Two teams enter, one leaves as Big Ten champion. Or co-champion. Penn State is the only team that controls its destiny in the conference. If they win, they go the Rose Bowl. If Michigan State wins, Ohio State will have to lose to Michigan to win the Big Ten title.

Continue reading »