# 2018 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 2018 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 13th-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Northwestern began the year with a 1–3 record after winning its conference road opener against Purdue but falling to non-conference foes Duke and Akron, as well as Michigan in their conference home opener. The team won their next four games, including wins over ranked opponents Michigan State and Wisconsin, before falling to Notre Dame, which secured a winless non-conference slate. Regardless, the Wildcats clinched their first Big Ten West Division title by defeating No. 21 Iowa the following week. They won their remaining two conference games to finish the regular season with a conference record of 8–1. In the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game, they lost to East Division champion Ohio State 45–24. The team was invited to the Holiday Bowl to play Pac-12 Conference runner-up Utah. The Wildcats won by a score of 31–20, their third consecutive bowl victory, which was a program first. In the final AP Poll of the season, the Wildcats were ranked 21st.
Quarterback Clayton Thorson led the team's offense, finishing with 3,183 passing yards, third most in the Big Ten Conference, to go along with 17 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns. Thorson, a fourth-year starter, finished his career as the school's all-time leading passer. Freshman running back Isaiah Bowser led the team in rushing with 866 yards, and wide receiver Flynn Nagel led the team in receiving with 780 yards. On defense, linebacker Blake Gallagher led the Big Ten in total tackles with 127. Fellow linebacker Paddy Fisher was named first team all-conference by the coaches, while defensive back Montre Hartage was named to the first team by the media. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald received the conference's coach of the year award.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Lott Trophy | Nate Hall | LB | SR |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Joe Gaziano | DE | JR |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Paddy Fisher | LB | SO |
| Maxwell Award | Clayton Thorson | QB | SR |
| Doak Walker Award | Jeremy Larkin | RB | JR |
| Butkus Award | Paddy Fisher | LB | FR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Paddy Fisher | LB | SO |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Joe Gaziano | DE | JR |
| Outland Trophy | Tommy Doles | OL | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Tommy Doles | OL | SR |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Clayton Thorson | QB | SR |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 7:00 p.m. | at Purdue | | Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | ESPN | W 31–27 | 47,410 |
| September 8 | 11:00 a.m. | Duke* | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPNU | L 7–21 | 40,654 |
| September 15 | 6:30 p.m. | Akron* | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | L 34–39 | 40,014 |
| September 29 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 14 Michigan | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (rivalry) | FOX | L 17–20 | 47,330 |
| October 6 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 20 Michigan State | | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI | FS1 | W 29–19 | 72,850 |
| October 13 | 11:00 a.m. | Nebraska | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ABC | W 34–31 $^{OT}$ | 47,330 |
| October 20 | 11:00 a.m. | at Rutgers | | HighPoint.com StadiumPiscataway, NJ | BTN | W 18–15 | 32,514 |
| October 27 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 20 Wisconsin | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | FOX | W 31–17 | 47,330 |
| November 3 | 6:15 p.m. | No. 4 Notre Dame* | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (rivalry) | ESPN | L 21–31 | 47,330 |
| November 10 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 21 Iowa | | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | FOX | W 14–10 | 66,493 |
| November 17 | 11:00 a.m. | at Minnesota | No. 22 | TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN | BTN | W 24–14 | 32,134 |
| November 24 | 2:30 p.m. | Illinois | No. 19 | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (rivalry) | BTN | W 24–16 | 37,124 |
| December 1 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. No. 6 Ohio State | No. 21 | Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship) | FOX | L 24–45 | 66,375 |
| December 31 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. No. 17 Utah* | No. 22 | SDCCU StadiumSan Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl) | FS1 | W 31–20 | 47,007 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 30 released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 14 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Boilermakers | 14 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | NU | PUR |
| 1 | 7:58 | 11 | 64 | 4:42 | NU | Jeremy Larkin 1-yard touchdown run, Charlie Kuhbander kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 1 | 5:34 | 5 | 65 | 1:09 | NU | John Moten IV 2-yard touchdown run, Charlie Kuhbander kick good | 14 | 0 |
| 1 | 4:20 | 4 | 60 | 1:14 | PUR | Rondale Moore 32-yard touchdown reception from Elijah Sindelar, Spencer Evans kick good | 14 | 7 |
| 1 | 1:02 | 3 | 85 | 1:20 | PUR | Rondale Moore 76-yard touchdown run, Spencer Evans kick good | 14 | 14 |
| 2 | 13:37 | 8 | 59 | 2:25 | NU | 34-yard field goal by Charlie Kuhbander | 17 | 14 |
| 2 | 7:06 | 3 | 55 | 0:58 | NU | T.J. Green 1-yard touchdown run, Charlie Kuhbander kick good | 24 | 14 |
| 2 | 3:44 | 10 | 44 | 3:22 | PUR | 38-yard field goal by Spencer Evans | 24 | 17 |
| 2 | 0:37 | 5 | 30 | 2:04 | NU | Jeremy Larkin 4-yard touchdown run, Charlie Kuhbander kick good | 31 | 17 |
| 3 | 11:37 | 6 | 71 | 1:52 | PUR | D.J. Knox 2-yard touchdown run, Spencer Evans kick good | 31 | 24 |
| 4 | 14:56 | 13 | 76 | 6:36 | PUR | 27-yard field goal by Spencer Evans | 31 | 27 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | | |

### Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blue Devils | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

### Akron

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 3 | 23 | 13 | 39 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 34 |

### Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Wolverines | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| Wildcats | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |

### At Michigan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 29 |
| No. 20 Spartans | 3 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 19 |

### Nebraska

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Cornhuskers | 7 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 31 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 34 |

### At Rutgers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 18 |
| Scarlet Knights | 0 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 15 |

### Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 20 Badgers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |

### Notre Dame

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Fighting Irish | 7 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 31 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |

### At Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 21 Hawkeyes | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |

### At Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Wildcats | 7 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 24 |
| Golden Gophers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |

### Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| No. 20 Wildcats | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |

### Vs. Ohio State (Big Ten Championship game)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 21 Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 24 |
| No. 6 Buckeyes | 14 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 45 |

### Vs. Utah (Holiday Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 20 Utes | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 31 |

## 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 |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 24 | 20 | 21 | RV | 21 |
| Coaches | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 21 | 21 | 22 | 19 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | 22 | 19 | 21 | 22 | Not released |

## Awards and honors

Individual Awards :
| Player | Award | Ref. |
| Pat Fitzgerald | Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year Dave McClain Coach of the Year | |
All-Big Ten :
| Player | Position | Coaches | Media |
| Paddy Fisher | LB | 1 | 2 |
| Montre Hartage | DB | 3 | 1 |
| Joe Gaziano | DL | 2 | 3 |
| Rashawn Slater | OT | 3 | HM |
| Blake Gallagher | LB | HM | 3 |
| Cameron Green | WR | HM | HM |
| Clayton Thorson | QB | HM | HM |
| Flynn Nagel | WR | HM | HM |
| J.R. Pace | DB | HM | HM |
| Nate Hall | DB | HM | HM |
| HM = Honorable mention. Reference: ||||

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 5 | 167 | Clayton Thorson | QB | Philadelphia Eagles |