The 2011 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Pat Fitzgerald, in his sixth season at Northwestern, was the team's head coach. The Wildcats home games were played at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. They are members of the Legends Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 6–7, 3–4 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place in the Legends Division. They were invited to the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas where they were defeated by Texas A&M 22–33.
Previous season[]
In 2010 the Wildcats had a 7–6 record, ending the season with a 45–38 loss to Texas Tech in the 2011 TicketCity Bowl.
Preseason[]
Conference divisions[]
Starting in 2011, the Big Ten Conference created two divisions, "Legends" and "Leaders", following the University of Nebraska's membership into the conference. Northwestern was placed in the "Legends" division, with the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota and the University of Nebraska joining them.[2]
Schedule[]
The schedule is as follows:[3]
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|
September 3 | 11:00 AM | at Boston College* | | ESPNU | W 24–17 | 37,561[4] |
September 10 | 2:30 PM | Eastern Illinois* | | BTN | W 42–21 | 28,042[5] |
September 17 | 2:30 PM | at Army* | | CBSSN | L 14–21 | 35,784[6] |
October 1 | 11:00 AM | at No. 22 Illinois | | ESPN2 | L 35–38 | 53,243[7] |
October 8 | 6:00 PM | No. 11 Michigan | - Ryan Field
- Evanston, Illinois
| BTN | L 24–42 | 47,330[8] |
October 15 | 6:00 PM | at Iowa | | BTN | L 31–41 | 70,585[9] |
October 22 | 6:00 PM | No. 22 Penn State | - Ryan Field
- Evanston, Illinois
| BTN | L 24–34 | 40,004[10] |
October 29 | 11:00 AM | at Indiana | | BTN | W 59–38 | 39,239[11] |
November 5 | 2:30 PM | at No. 9 Nebraska | | BTN | W 28–25 | 85,115[12] |
November 12 | 11:00 AM | Rice* | - Ryan Field
- Evanston, Illinois
| BTN | W 28–6 | 26,886[13] |
November 19 | 11:00 AM | Minnesota | - Ryan Field
- Evanston, Illinois
| BTN | W 28–13 | 26,215[14] |
November 26 | 11:00 AM | No. 10 Michigan State | - Ryan Field
- Evanston, Illinois
| BTN | L 17–31 | 32,172[15] |
December 31 | 11:00 AM | Texas A&M* | | ESPN | L 22–33 | 68,395[16] |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Central time
|
Regular season[]
Boston College[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
• Northwestern
|
3 |
7 |
7 |
7
|
24
|
Boston College
|
3 |
7 |
0 |
7
|
17
|
Scoring summary |
---|
|
1 |
12:49 | BC | Nate Freese 19-yard field goal | BC 3–0 |
|
1 |
7:01 | NW | Jeff Budzien 43-yard field goal | Tied 3–3 |
|
2 |
8:03 | BC | Andre Williams 6-yard run (Nate Freese kick) | BC 10–3 |
|
2 |
0:38 | NW | Kain Colter 3-yard run (Jeff Budzien kick) | Tied 10–10 |
|
3 |
11:53 | NW | Mike Trumpy 5-yard run (Jeff Budzien kick) | NW 17–10 |
|
4 |
9:24 | NW | Adonis Smith 1-yard run (Jeff Budzien kick) | NW 24–10 |
|
4 |
6:00 | BC | Andre Williams 1-yard run (Nate Freese kick) | NW 24–17 |
|
[17]
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[18]
|
2–1
|
1993
|
NU, 22–21
|
Eastern Illinois[]
See also: 2011 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
Eastern Illinois
|
0 |
7 |
7 |
7
|
21
|
• Northwestern
|
14 |
14 |
7 |
7
|
42
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[19]
|
0–0
|
First Meeting
|
|
Army[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
Northwestern
|
0 |
7 |
0 |
7
|
14
|
• Army
|
7 |
0 |
7 |
7
|
21
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[20]
|
3–1
|
1988
|
Army, 23–7
|
Illinois[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
Northwestern
|
0 |
14 |
14 |
7
|
35
|
• Illinois
|
7 |
3 |
7 |
21
|
38
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[21]
|
46–53–5
|
2010
|
Ill, 48–27
|
Michigan[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
• Michigan
|
7 |
7 |
14 |
14
|
42
|
Northwestern
|
14 |
10 |
0 |
0
|
24
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[22]
|
15–52–2
|
2008
|
NU, 21–14
|
Iowa[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
Northwestern
|
0 |
7 |
10 |
14
|
31
|
• Iowa
|
10 |
7 |
0 |
24
|
41
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[23]
|
23–46–3
|
2010
|
NU, 21–17
|
Penn State[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
• Penn State
|
14 |
13 |
7 |
0
|
34
|
Northwestern
|
14 |
10 |
0 |
0
|
24
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[24]
|
3–11
|
2010
|
PSU, 35–21
|
Indiana[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
• Northwestern
|
17 |
21 |
14 |
7
|
59
|
Indiana
|
7 |
14 |
10 |
7
|
38
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[25]
|
44–34–1
|
2010
|
NU, 20–17
|
Nebraska[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
• Northwestern
|
7 |
0 |
7 |
14
|
28
|
Nebraska
|
0 |
3 |
7 |
15
|
25
|
Scoring summary |
---|
|
1 |
2:08 | NW | Jacob Schmidt 2-yard run (Jeff Budzien kick) | NW 7–0 |
|
2 |
2:26 | NEB | Brett Maher 36-yard field goal | NW 7–3 |
|
3 |
12:13 | NW | Kain Colter 3-yard run (Jeff Budzien kick) | NW 14–3 |
|
3 |
3:52 | NEB | Tim Marlowe 15-yard pass from Taylor Martinez (Brett Maher kick) | NW 14–10 |
|
4 |
12:16 | NW | Jeremy Ebert 81-yard pass from Kain Colter (Jeff Budzien kick) | NW 21–10 |
|
4 |
8:55 | NEB | Rex Burkhead 1-yard run (Taylor Martinez run) | NW 21–18 |
|
4 |
1:34 | NW | Kain Colter 1-yard run (Jeff Budzien kick) | NW 28–18 |
|
4 |
0:18 | NEB | Kenny Bell 18-yard pass from Taylor Martinez (Brett Maher kick) | NW 28–25 |
|
[26]
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[27]
|
2–3
|
2000
|
UNL, 66–17
|
Rice[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
Rice
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
6
|
6
|
• Northwestern
|
7 |
14 |
0 |
7
|
28
|
|
See also: 2011 Rice Owls football team
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[28]
|
3–4
|
2010
|
NU, 30–13
|
Minnesota[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
Minnesota
|
7 |
3 |
0 |
3
|
13
|
• Northwestern
|
21 |
0 |
0 |
7
|
28
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[29]
|
31–50–5
|
2010
|
NU, 29–28
|
Michigan State[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
• Michigan State
|
3 |
14 |
7 |
7
|
31
|
Northwestern
|
0 |
3 |
7 |
7
|
17
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[30]
|
16–35
|
2010
|
MSU, 35–27
|
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas[]
Texas A&M[]
by Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4
|
Total
|
• Texas A&M
|
3 |
17 |
10 |
3
|
33
|
Northwestern
|
0 |
7 |
0 |
15
|
22
|
|
Overall Record
|
Last Meeting
|
Result[19]
|
0–0
|
First Meeting
|
|
Rankings[]
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
|
Week
|
Poll
|
Pre
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
Final
|
AP
|
RV
|
RV
|
RV
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
Coaches'
|
RV
|
RV
|
RV
|
RV
|
RV
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
Harris
|
Not released
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
Not released
|
BCS
|
Not released
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
Not released
|
Roster[]
2011 Northwestern Wildcats roster[31][32]
|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
- 4 Adonis Smith – Sophomore
- 21 Jordan Perkins – Freshman
- 22 Treyvon Green – Freshman
- 28 Tim Hanrahan – Redshirt Freshman
- 29 Mike Trumpy – Sophomore
- 34 Tyris Jones – Junior
- 39 Jacob Schmidt – Senior
Wide Receivers
- 5 Venric Mark – Sophomore
- 6 Charles Brown – Senior
- 8 Demetrius Fields – Junior
- 11 Jeremy Ebert – Senior
- 12 Tony Jones – Sophomore
- 14 Christian Jones – Freshman
- 17 Rashad Lawrence – Sophomore
- 23 E.J. Webb – Freshman
- 27 Cermak Bland – Freshman
- 80 Mike Jensen – Sophomore
- 81 Cameron Dickerson – Freshman
- 84 Drew Moulton – Sophomore
- 86 Brendan Barber – Junior
- 88 Torin Dupper – Redshirt Freshman
- 89 Pierre Youngblood-Ary – Freshman
Superbacks
- 9 Drake Dunsmore – Senior
- 40 Brett Nagel – Junior
- 82 John Plasencia – Sophomore
- 83 Jack Konopka – Freshman
- 85 Mark Szott – Freshman
|
|
Offensive Line
- 53 Geoff Mogus – Freshman
- 57 Matt Frazier – Freshman
- 61 Alex Pietrzak – Freshman
- 62 Taylor Paxton – Sophomore
- 64 Doug Bartels – Senior
- 65 Ben Burkett – Senior
- 66 Brandon Vitabile – Redshirt Freshman
- 68 Hayden Baker – Redshirt Freshman
- 70 Patrick Ward – Junior
- 71 Shane Mertz – Freshman
- 72 Brian Mulroe – Junior
- 73 Colin Armstrong – Senior
- 74 Chuck Porcelli – Junior
- 75 Al Netter (C) – Senior
- 76 Brian Smith – Sophomore
- 78 Paul Jorgensen – Redshirt Freshman
- 79 Neal Deiters – Junior
Defensive Line
- 42 Kevin Watt – Senior
- 55 Bo Cisek – Junior
- 58 Max Chapman – Freshman
- 60 Jake Gregus – Sophomore
- 67 Sean McEvilly – Redshirt Freshman
- 79 C.J. Robbins – Freshman
- 88 Quentin Williams – Junior
- 90 Jack DiNardo – Senior
- 91 Brian Arnfelt – Junior
- 92 Will Hampton – Sophomore
- 93 Niko Mafuli – Senior
- 94 Vince Browne – Senior
- 95 Davon Custis – Sophomore
- 96 Anthony Battle – Sophomore
- 97 Tyler Scott – Sophomore
- 98 Deonte Gibson – Freshman
- 99 Chance Carter – Redshirt Freshman
|
|
Linebackers
- 31 Stone Pinckney – Junior
- 33 David Nwabuisi – Junior
- 35 Ben Johnson – Senior
- 41 Doug Diedrick – Freshman
- 43 Tim Riley – Sophomore
- 44 Chi Chi Ariguzo – Redshirt Freshman
- 45 Collin Ellis – Redshirt Freshman
- 46 Damien Proby – Sophomore
- 48 Roderick Goodlow – Junior
- 50 Timmy Vernon – Sophomore
- 51 Bryce McNaul – Senior
- 54 Drew Smith – Freshman
- 56 Will Studlien – Sophomore
Defensive backs
- 15 Daniel Jones – Redshirt Freshman
- 16 Davion Fleming – Sophomore
- 18 Matt Carpenter – Freshman
- 19 Jimmy Hall – Redshirt Freshman
- 20 Austin Kassner – Freshman
- 23 Nick VanHoose – Freshman
- 24 Ibraheim Campbell – Redshirt Freshman
- 25 Jarrell Williams – Freshman
- 36 Mike Eshun – Redshirt Freshman
- 39 Joe Cannon – Redshirt Freshman
Cornerbacks
- 3 Jeravin Matthews – Senior
- 13 C.J. Bryant – Redshirt Freshman
- 20 Tim Weak – Junior
- 21 Mike Bolden – Senior
- 22 Demetrius Dugar – Junior
- 26 Jordan Mabin (C) – Senior
- 47 Ricky Weina – Senior
Safeties
- 7 Hunter Bates – Junior
- 10 Brian Peters (C) – Senior
- 27 Jared Carpenter – Junior
- 32 David Arnold – Senior
|
|
Punters
- 31 Chris Gradone – Freshman
- 49 Brandon Williams – Sophomore
Kickers
- 34 Steve Flaherty – Junior
- 37 Jeff Budzien – Sophomore
- 38 Arthur Omilian – Freshman
Long Snappers
- 59 Pat Hickey – Sophomore
- Head coach
- Coordinators/Assistant coaches
- Randy Bates – Linebackers Coach
- Jerry Brown – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs Coach
- Adam Cushing – Offensive Line Coach
- Mike Hankwitz – Defensive Coordinator
- Bob Heffner – Superbacks Coach
- Marty Long – Defensive Line Coach
- Matt MacPherson – Running Backs Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
- Mick McCall – Offensive Coordinator/QB's Coach
- Dennis Springer – Wide Receivers Coach
- Legend
|
References[]
- ↑ "Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). 2018. p. 94. https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/nusports.com/documents/2018/8/20/18_Northwestern_FB_Media_Guide.pdf#page=95.
- ↑ "Big Ten divisions: Legends, Leaders". ESPN.com. December 13, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5915147. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern Football Schedule". http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/nw-m-footbl-sched.html.
- ↑ "Northwestern Wildcats at Boston College Eagles Box Score". ESPN. September 3, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312460103. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern Wildcats vs. Eastern Illinois Panthers Box Score". ESPN. September 10, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312530077. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern Wildcats at Army Black Knights Box Score". ESPN. September 17, 2011. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312600349. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini Box Score". ESPN. October 1, 2011. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312740356. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern Wildcats vs. Michigan Wolverines Box Score". ESPN. October 8, 2011. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312810077. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern Wildcats vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Box Score". ESPN. October 15, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312882294. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern Wildcats vs. Penn State Nittany Lions Box Score". ESPN. October 22, 2011. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312950077. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern Wildcats at Indiana Hoosiers Box Score". ESPN. October 29, 2011. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313020084. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern 28, No. 9 Nebraska 25". Northwestern University Department of Athletics. November 5, 2011. http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/110511.html. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ↑ "Northwestern 28, Rice 6". Northwestern University Department of Athletics. November 12, 2011. http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/111211.html. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ↑ "Minnesota vs Northwestern". Northwestern University Department of Athletics. November 19, 2011. http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/111911.html. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ↑ "No. 11 Michigan State 31, Northwestern 17". Northwestern University Department of Athletics. November 26, 2011. http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/112611.html. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ↑ "Texas A&M 33, Northwestern 22". Northwestern University Department of Athletics. December 31, 2011. http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/123111.html. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Northwestern's Kain Colter Steps Up in Win Over Boston College". ESPN. September 3, 2011. http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312460103. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Boston College". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=374. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 DeLassus, David. "Northwestern Records by Team". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents.php. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Army (NY)". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=188. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Illinois". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110525091158/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=1502. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Michigan". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=1977. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Iowa". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=1532. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Penn State". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=2514. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Indiana". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=1516. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Backup QB Kain Colter, Northwestern Surprise Nebraska". ESPN. November 5, 2011. http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313090158. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Nebraska". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=2184. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Rice (TX)". College Football Data Warehouse. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=2700. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Minnesota". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141227175453/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=2030. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Northwestern vs Michigan State". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141227175259/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/northwestern/opponents_records.php?teamid=1988. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "2010 Northwestern Football Roster". Northwestern University Department of Athletics. http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/nw-m-footbl-mtt.html. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Northwestern Announces Quartet of 2011 Team Captains". Northwestern University Department of Athletics. August 27, 2011. http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082711aaa.html. Retrieved December 27, 2014.