Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1066835
6 n o r t h w e s t e r n f o o t b a l l • 2 0 1 8 h o l i d a y b o w l d i g i t a l p r o g r a m THE MATCHUP: #22 NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS VS. #17 UTAH UTES Game 14 // SDCCU Holiday Bowl // Northwestern vs. Utah // Monday, Dec. 31, 2018 KICKOFF NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS 2018 Record 8-4, 8-1 Big Ten Rankings 22 (CFP) / RV (AP) / 22 (Coaches) Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald Record at NU (Yrs.) 95-70 (13th) Neutral Record 4-6 (.400) Bowl Record 3-5 (.375) vs. Utah First Meeting Offensive Coordinator Mick McCall Defensive Coordinator Mike Hankwitz UTAH UTES 2018 Record 9-4, 6-3 PAC 12 Rankings 17 (CFP) / 20 (AP) / 19 (Coaches) Head Coach Kyle Whittingham Record at Utah (Yrs.) 120-60 (14th) Neutral Record 10-2 (.833) Bowl Record 10-1 (.909) vs. Northwestern First Meeting Offensive Coordinator Mick McCall Defensive Coordinator Mike Hankwitz san diego, calif. 6 p.m. ct sdccu stadium fox wgn 720 statbroadcast.com BOWL SEASON -- Northwestern will make its 15th bowl appearance in program history when it takes on No. 17 Utah in the 2018 San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl on New Year's Even. The Wildcats' have made nine of the 15 appearance under the helm of Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald. Even more impressively, 13 of the 15 appearances have come while Fitzgerald has been with the program in on capacity or another (9 as a head coach, 2 as an assistant coach, 2 as a student-athlete). NO DOUBT ABOUT IT -- Fitzgerald was named the consensus Big Ten Coach of the Year (Coaches/Media), earning the honor for the first time in his career. Additionally, Fitzgerald was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year by the Associated Press and is a finalist for the 2018 Dodd Trophy. SEASON RECAP, THUS FAR -- Despite a 1-3 start that included an important 31-27 victory over Purdue in the season opener, the Wildcats turned things around to finish 8-1 in conference play and claim their first-ever Big Ten West Division title and berth in the Big Ten Championship game. The 'Cats swept the West Division for the first time in program history and posted a perfect record on the road (5-0) for just the second time in program history (1995). IN A CLASS OF HIS OWN -- Senior quarterback Clayton Thorson started his 52nd-straight game when he lined up behind center in the Big Ten Championship against No. 6 Ohio State. Thorson's 52 starts are the most by a quarterback in Big Ten history and rank fourth overall. He is the program's all-time winningest quarterback with a career record of 35-17. 10 WILDCATS EARN All-B1G HONORS -- Led by First-Team honorees sophomore linebacker Paddy Fisher and senior cornerback Montre Hartage, 10 Wildcats earned All-Big Ten honors following their Big Ten West crown. Junior defensive end Joe Gaziano was named to the second team (coaches), while sophomore linebacker Blake Gallagher (media) and sophomore right tackle Rashawn Slater (coaches) were named to third team. Quarterback Clayton Thorson, senior wide receiver Flynn Nagel, junior superback Cameron Green, senior linebacker Nate Hall and sophomore safety JR Pace earned honorable mention plaudits. MR. ALL-AMERICA -- After earning Freshman All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America in 2017, sophomore linebacker Paddy Fisher was named to the Associated Press All-America Third Team after registering 103 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. Fisher's 216 career tackles are the most among FBS sophomores and are the second most in the Big Ten over the last two seasons. He recorded a team-high 11 tackles in the Big Ten Championship game, marking his fourth double-digit performance of the season and eighth of his career. FISHER IN RARE COMPANY -- The first sophomore captain in the Fitzgerald era, linebacker Paddy Fisher is one of just seven sophomore captains in FBS this season. Fisher is one of just four Power 5 sophomore captains, including Louisville quarterback Jawon Pass, Virginia Tech quarterback Joshua Jackson and Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland. B1G TIME PLAYER -- Junior defensive end Joe Gaziano, a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection, registered his 20th career sacks versus Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. Gaziano already ranks fourth in program history in career sacks, with 17 of his 20 career menacing plays coming versus Big Ten competition. The Scituate, Massachusetts, native has rounded out his game this season with a career high 41 tackles, including a career-best 26 solo stops, off the edge. HARTAGE ISLAND -- First-Team All-Big Ten senior cornerback Montre Hartage became the eighth player in program history to reach double-digit interceptions with his 10th career pick in the Big Ten Championship game. Hartage ranks seventh among active FBS players with 10 career picks and is the active Big Ten leader with 39 passes defended (29 PBU/10 INT). His 29 pass breakups rank sixth in program history, while his 10 interceptions are tied for fifth. The senior captain has a career-high 15 passes defended this season. BOWSER'S CASTLE -- True first-year running back Isaiah Bowser has been one of the most productive backs in the country since entering the lineup at Rutgers on October 13. Bowser recorded his first career 100-yard rushing performance in the game, finishing with 118 yards and two touchdowns to spark a seven-game stretch in which he has carried the ball 172 times for 794 yards and six scores. His 165 rushing yards at Iowa were the most surrendered to a rookie running back by the Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium since 2000 and his season-high 166 yards versus Illinois in the regular-season finale made him just the second Wildcat to post two-plus games of 165 rushing yards in their debut season (Tyrell Sutton, 3x, 2005). BOWSER THE BULLDOZER -- Bowser's 794 rushing yards over the last seven games are the 11th most in the country, and second most among FBS first-year backs, during the stretch. His 796 rushing yards this season are the third most by a NU first-year running back in program history and his six rushing touchdowns are the fourth most by a first-year player. 1-1 Series Record Penalty Yards/GM Turnover Margin Total Defense Rushing Defense Scoring Offense Total Offense Passing Yards/GM Rushing Yards/GM Penalty Yards/GM Turnover Margin Total Defense Rushing Defense Scoring Offense Total Offense Passing Yards/GM Rushing Yards/GM 186.8 209.2 396.0 28.7 101.8 315.1 0.00 47.8 117.5 239.3 356.8 23.7 132.6 390.7 +0.17 25.8