# 2023 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 2023 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by first-year head coach David Braun and played their home games at Ryan Field (in its final season) in Evanston, Illinois. Braun began the season as interim head coach and was elevated to permanent head coach on November 15 following the team's 24–10 road win over Wisconsin.
The Wildcats finished the regular season with a record of 7–5 and went 5–4 in conference play to finish second in the Big Ten West. Braun was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Wildcats were selected to face Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, where they won 14–7.
The Northwestern Wildcats football team drew an average home attendance of 20,800 in 2023.

## Hazing and sexual abuse allegations

On July 7, 2023, the school announced that they had suspended head coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay after an investigation related to hazing within the football program. Three days later as details emerged of the allegations from a former player that included hazing and sexual abuse, the school fired Fitzgerald after 17 years as head coach. The school named defensive coordinator David Braun the interim head coach for the season.

## Preseason
### Big 10 media poll

The Wildcats were predicted to finish seventh in the Big Ten's West Division.
Big Ten media poll West Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Points (1st place votes) |
| 1 | Wisconsin | 233 (20) |
| 2 | Iowa | 232 (16) |
| 3 | Minnesota | 176 (1) |
| 4 | Illinois | 152 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 116 |
| 6 | Purdue | 89 |
| 7 | Northwestern | 38 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 11:00 a.m. | at Rutgers | SHI StadiumPiscataway, NJ | CBS | L 7–24 | 53,026 |
| September 9 | 2:30 p.m. | UTEP* | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 38–7 | 14,851 |
| September 16 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 21 Duke* | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | ACCN | L 14–38 | 18,141 |
| September 23 | 6:30 p.m. | Minnesota | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 37–34 $^{OT}$ | 20,148 |
| September 30 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 6 Penn State | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | L 13–41 | 25,064 |
| October 7 | 2:00 p.m. | Howard* | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 23–20 | 22,160 |
| October 21 | 2:30 p.m. | at Nebraska | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | BTN | L 9–17 | 86,769 |
| October 28 | 11:00 a.m. | Maryland | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 33–27 | 19,286 |
| November 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Iowa | Wrigley FieldChicago, IL | Peacock | L 7–10 | 38,000 |
| November 11 | 2:30 p.m. | at Wisconsin | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | FS1 | W 24–10 | 76,124 |
| November 18 | 11:00 a.m. | Purdue | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 23–15 | 23,291 |
| November 25 | 2:30 p.m. | at Illinois | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (rivalry) | BTN | W 45–43 | 42,310 |
| December 23 | 6:30 p.m. | vs. Utah* | Allegiant StadiumParadise, NV (Las Vegas Bowl) | ABC | W 14–7 | 20,897 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central timeSource: ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Rutgers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Scarlet Knights | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Statistics | NU | RUTG |
| First downs | 13 | 20 |
| Total yards | 201 | 285 |
| Rushing yards | 12 | 122 |
| Passing yards | 189 | 163 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:04 | 37:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 20/36, 169 yards, 2 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Brendan Sullivan | 4 rushes, 11 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Camron Johnson | 4 receptions, 45 yards |
| Rutgers | Passing | Gavin Wimsatt | 17/29, 163 yards, TD |
| Rutgers | Rushing | Kyle Monangai | 14 rushes, 49 yards, TD |
| Rutgers | Receiving | Isaiah Washington | 4 receptions, 36 yards |

### UTEP

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 21 | 10 | 38 |
| Statistics | UTEP | NU |
| First downs | 18 | 17 |
| Total yards | 319 | 391 |
| Rushing yards | 104 | 184 |
| Passing yards | 215 | 207 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:21 | 28:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTEP | Passing | Gavin Hardison | 17/25, 192 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| UTEP | Rushing | Torrance Burgess Jr. | 7 rushes, 34 yards |
| UTEP | Receiving | Jeremiah Ballard | 4 receptions, 92 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 11/17, 116 yards, TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 17 rushes, 90 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Joseph Himon II | 1 reception, 85 yards, TD |

### At No. 21 Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 21 Blue Devils | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
| Statistics | NU | DUKE |
| First downs | 19 | 25 |
| Total yards | 267 | 487 |
| Rushing yards | 104 | 268 |
| Passing yards | 163 | 219 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:54 | 31:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 17/34, 123 yards, TD, INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 10 rushes, 49 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Camron Johnson | 5 receptions, 45 yards |
| Duke | Passing | Riley Leonard | 15/20, 219 yards |
| Duke | Rushing | Riley Leonard | 13 rushes, 97 yards, 2 TD |
| Duke | Receiving | Jalon Calhoun | 5 receptions, 112 yards |

### Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Golden Gophers | 7 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 34 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 6 | 37 |
| Statistics | MINN | NU |
| First downs | 15 | 25 |
| Total yards | 397 | 492 |
| Rushing yards | 244 | 92 |
| Passing yards | 153 | 400 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:10 | 29:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Minnesota | Passing | Athan Kaliakmanis | 14/19, 153 yards, 2 TD |
| Minnesota | Rushing | Darius Taylor | 31 rushes, 198 yards, 2 TD |
| Minnesota | Receiving | Daniel Jackson | 4 receptions, 53 yards, TD |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 33/49, 396 yards, 4 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 16 rushes, 56 yards, TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Bryce Kirtz | 10 receptions, 215 yards, 2 TD |

### No. 6 Penn State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Nittany Lions | 3 | 7 | 17 | 14 | 41 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Statistics | PSU | NU |
| First downs | 19 | 12 |
| Total yards | 353 | 175 |
| Rushing yards | 134 | 45 |
| Passing yards | 219 | 130 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:08 | 27:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Penn State | Passing | Drew Allar | 18/33, 189 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Nicholas Singleton | 21 rushes, 80 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Receiving | KeAndre Lambert-Smith | 4 receptions, 86 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 14/25, 122 yards |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Brendan Sullivan | 7 rushes, 25 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Camron Johnson | 6 receptions, 81 yards |

### Howard

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bison | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
| Wildcats | 9 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| Statistics | HOW | NU |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Total yards | 331 | 312 |
| Rushing yards | 162 | 181 |
| Passing yards | 169 | 131 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:34 | 30:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Howard | Passing | Quinton Williams | 18/30, 169 yards |
| Howard | Rushing | Eden James | 21 rushes, 177 yards, TD |
| Howard | Receiving | Richie Ilarraza | 7 receptions, 65 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brendan Sullivan | 13/18, 131 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 18 rushes, 78 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Camron Johnson | 4 receptions, 55 yards, TD |

### At Nebraska

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Cornhuskers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Statistics | NU | NEB |
| First downs | 12 | 14 |
| Total yards | 257 | 248 |
| Rushing yards | 81 | 163 |
| Passing yards | 176 | 85 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:52 | 29:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brendan Sullivan | 12/23, 176 yards, INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Anthony Tyus III | 6 rushes, 63 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Bryce Kirtz | 3 receptions, 96 yards |
| Nebraska | Passing | Heinrich Haarberg | 8/17, 85 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Nebraska | Rushing | Emmett Johnson | 12 rushes, 73 yards |
| Nebraska | Receiving | Malachi Coleman | 1 reception, 44 yards, TD |

### Maryland

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Terrapins | 14 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
| Wildcats | 14 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 33 |
| Statistics | MD | NU |
| First downs | 25 | 19 |
| Total yards | 391 | 364 |
| Rushing yards | 117 | 99 |
| Passing yards | 274 | 265 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:13 | 30:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Maryland | Passing | Taulia Tagovailoa | 30/47, 274 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Maryland | Rushing | Colby McDonald | 5 rushes, 43 yards |
| Maryland | Receiving | Jeshaun Jones | 9 receptions, 78 yards, TD |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brendan Sullivan | 16/23, 265 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Brendan Sullivan | 14 rushes, 56 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Joseph Himon II | 2 receptions, 67 yards |

### Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hawkeyes | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Statistics | IOWA | NU |
| First downs | 14 | 12 |
| Total yards | 169 | 170 |
| Rushing yards | 104 | 89 |
| Passing yards | 65 | 81 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:18 | 29:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Deacon Hill | 10/15, 65 yards, TD, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Leshon Williams | 24 rushes, 79 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Kaleb Brown | 1 reception, 23 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brendan Sullivan | 12/19, 81 yards, TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Anthony Tyus III | 10 rushes, 40 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | A. J. Henning | 4 receptions, 13 yards |

### At Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Badgers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Statistics | NU | WIS |
| First downs | 18 | 17 |
| Total yards | 324 | 341 |
| Rushing yards | 129 | 86 |
| Passing yards | 195 | 255 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:10 | 27:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 18/26, 195 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 18 rushes, 72 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | A. J. Henning | 3 receptions, 70 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Tanner Mordecai | 31/45, 255 yards |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Cade Yacamelli | 9 rushes, 47 yards |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Will Pauling | 10 receptions, 96 yards |

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 15 |
| Wildcats | 6 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 23 |
| Statistics | PUR | NU |
| First downs | 21 | 12 |
| Total yards | 443 | 329 |
| Rushing yards | 303 | 99 |
| Passing yards | 140 | 230 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 34:43 | 25:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Purdue | Passing | Ryan Browne | 12/16, 104 yards, 2 INT |
| Purdue | Rushing | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | 16 rushes, 160 yards, TD |
| Purdue | Receiving | Devin Mockobee | 3 receptions, 44 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 13/24, 230 yards, TD, INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 17 rushes, 95 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Camron Johnson | 3 receptions, 88 yards, TD |

### At Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 45 |
| Fighting Illini | 3 | 17 | 3 | 20 | 43 |
| Statistics | NU | ILL |
| First downs | 20 | 20 |
| Total yards | 379 | 455 |
| Rushing yards | 145 | 107 |
| Passing yards | 234 | 348 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 29:50 | 30:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 24/32, 234 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 16 rushes, 69 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Camron Johnson | 7 receptions, 124 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Passing | John Paddock | 24/34, 334 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Reggie Love III | 23 rushes, 106 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Casey Washington | 9 receptions, 218 yards, 3 TD |

### Vs. Utah (Las Vegas Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Utes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Statistics | UTAH | NU |
| First downs | 13 | 18 |
| Total yards | 211 | 290 |
| Rushing yards | 138 | 65 |
| Passing yards | 73 | 225 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 34:21 | 25:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah | Passing | Bryson Barnes | 8/13, 55 yards, 2 INT |
| Utah | Rushing | Ja'Quinden Jackson | 8 rushes, 55 yards |
| Utah | Receiving | Micah Bernard | 3 receptions, 24 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 23/34, 222 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 10 rushes, 33 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Bryce Kirtz | 5 receptions, 68 yards, TD |