# 2008 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 2008 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Pat Fitzgerald, in his third season at Northwestern, was the team's head coach. The Wildcats played their homes games at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 11:00 am | Syracuse* | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPN2 | W 30–10 | 20,015 |
| September 6 | 6:00 pm | at Duke* | | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | | W 24–20 | 23,614 |
| September 13 | 11:00 am | No. 11 (FCS) Southern Illinois* | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 33–7 | 19,062 |
| September 20 | 11:00 am | Ohio* | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 16–8 | 22,069 |
| September 27 | 11:00 am | at Iowa | | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | ESPNC | W 22–17 | 70,585 |
| October 11 | 2:30 pm | No. 23 Michigan State | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPN2 | L 20–37 | 32,527 |
| October 18 | 11:00 am | Purdue | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPN2 | W 48–26 | 27,163 |
| October 25 | 11:00 am | at Indiana | | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | BTN | L 19–21 | 30,698 |
| November 1 | 11:00 am | at No. 20 Minnesota | | Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeMinneapolis, MN | ESPN2 | W 24–17 | 54,122 |
| November 8 | 11:00 am | No. 12 Ohio State | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPN2 | L 10–45 | 47,130 |
| November 15 | 11:00 am | at Michigan | | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ESPN2 | W 21–14 | 107,856 |
| November 22 | 2:30 pm | Illinois | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (rivalry) | BTN | W 27–10 | 32,166 |
| December 29 | 7:00 pm | vs. No. 25 Missouri | No. 22 | AlamodomeSan Antonio, TX (Alamo Bowl) | ESPN | L 23–30 $^{OT}$ | 55,986 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||||

## Game summaries
### Syracuse

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Orange | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 30 |

### Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Blue Devils | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |

### Southern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Salukis | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Wildcats | 6 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 33 |

### Ohio

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Wildcats | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 16 |

### Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 22 |
| Hawkeyes | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |

### Michigan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 17 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 37 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 20 |

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 6 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 26 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 48 |

### Indiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 3 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 19 |
| Hoosiers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |

### Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Golden Gophers | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 |

### Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buckeyes | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |

### Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Wolverines | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |

### Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Wildcats | 6 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 27 |

### Alamo Bowl, v. Missouri

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Tigers | 0 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 23 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 24 | 22 | RV |
| Coaches | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 22 | RV | 24 | RV | 25 | RV | 24 | 20 | 22 | 20 | RV |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 23 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 22 | 21 | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 22 | — | 24 | — | — | 24 | 22 | 23 | Not released |

## Statistics
### Team

* Scoring
* Points per Game
* First Downs
* Rushing
* Passing
* Penalty
* Total Offense
* Avg per Play
* Avg per Game
* Fumbles-Lost
* Penalties-Yards
* Avg per Game
* Punts-Yards
* Avg per Punt
* Time of Possession/Game
* 3rd Down Conversions
* 4th Down Conversions
* Touchdowns Scored
* Field Goals-Attempts-Long
* PAT-Attempts
* Attendance
* Games/Avg per Game

#### Scores by quarter

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Northwestern | 52 | 100 | 80 | 62 | 294 |
| Opponents | 64 | 78 | 49 | 41 | 232 |

### Offense
#### Rushing

* Name
* TEAM
* Total
* Opponents

#### Passing

| Name | CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | YPA | LNG | TD | INT | SACK | RAT |
| C. J. Bachér | 218 | 365 | 2128 | 59.7 | 5.83 | 53 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 113.68 |
| Mike Kafka | 32 | 46 | 330 | 69.6 | 7.17 | 36 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 131.13 |
| Eric Peterman | 2 | 2 | 55 | 100.0 | 27.50 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 496.0 |
| Total | 252 | 413 | 2513 | 61.0 | 6.08 | 53 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 116.9 |
| Opponents | | | | | | | | | |

#### Receiving

| Name | GP-GS | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G |
| Total | | | | | | | |
| Opponents | | | | | | | |

### Defense

| Name | GP | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Sacks | Pass Defense | Pass Defense | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Fumbles | Fumbles | Blkd Kick |
| Name | GP | Solo | Ast | Total | TFL-Yds | No-Yds | BrUp | QBH | No.-Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Rcv-Yds | FF | Blkd Kick |
| Total | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Special teams

| Name | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Kickoffs | Kickoffs | Kickoffs | Kickoffs | Kickoffs |
| Name | No. | Yds | Avg | Long | TB | FC | I20 | Blkd | No. | Yds | Avg | TB | OB |
| Total | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Name | Punt Returns | Punt Returns | Punt Returns | Punt Returns | Punt Returns | Kick Returns | Kick Returns | Kick Returns | Kick Returns | Kick Returns |
| Name | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
| Total | | | | | | | | | | |