# 2022 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 2022 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, and competed as members of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 17th-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

## Schedule

Northwestern announced its 2022 football schedule on January 12, 2022. The 2022 schedule consisted of six home games and five away games, as well as a neutral-site game in the regular season. The Wildcats hosted Big Ten foes Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Illinois and traveled to Penn State, Maryland, Iowa, Minnesota, and Purdue. They played Nebraska at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The Wildcats hosted all three non-conference opponents, Duke from the ACC, Southern Illinois from Division I FCS, and Miami (OH) from the MAC.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 27 | 11:30 a.m. | vs. Nebraska | Aviva StadiumDublin, Ireland (Aer Lingus College Football Classic) | FOX Jason Benetti, Brock Huard | W 31–28 | 42,699 |
| September 10 | 11:00 a.m. | Duke* | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | FS1 Eric Collins, Devin Gardner | L 23–31 | 24,622 |
| September 17 | 11:00 a.m. | Southern Illinois* | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN Chris Vosters, Jake Butt, Brooke Fletcher | L 24–31 | 23,146 |
| September 24 | 6:30 p.m. | Miami (OH)* | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN Joe Beninati, J Leman, Krystle Rich | L 14–17 | 23,773 |
| October 1 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 11 Penn State | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ESPN Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Kris Budden | L 7–17 | 105,524 |
| October 8 | 2:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN Mark Followill, Brock Vereen, Rick Pizzo | L 7–42 | 32,121 |
| October 22 | 2:30 p.m. | at Maryland | Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD | BTN Brandon Gaudin, Jake Butt, Rick Pizzo | L 24–31 | 31,418 |
| October 29 | 2:30 p.m. | at Iowa | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | ESPN2 Anish Shroff, Brock Osweiler, Taylor McGregor | L 13–33 | 69,250 |
| November 5 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 2 Ohio State | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ABC Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Molly McGrath | L 7–21 | 42,774 |
| November 12 | 2:30 p.m. | at Minnesota | Huntington Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN | BTN Jeff Levering, Matt Millen, Elise Menaker | L 3–31 | 41,686 |
| November 19 | 11:00 a.m. | at Purdue | Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | FS1 Eric Collins, Devin Gardner | L 9–17 | 54,016 |
| November 26 | 2:30 p.m. | Illinois | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (rivalry) | BTN Chris Vosters, Brock Vereen, Meghan McKeown | L 3–41 | 25,744 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Nebraska

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Cornhuskers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
at Aviva Stadium • Dublin, Ireland
* Date: August 27, 2022
* Game time: 4:30 p.m. GMT
* Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 42,699
* Referee: Mark Cannon
* TV announcers (FOX): Jason Benetti (play-by-play) and Brock Huard (analyst)
| Statistics | NW | NEB |
| First downs | 25 | 23 |
| Total yards | 528 | 465 |
| Rushes/yards | 47–214 | 31–110 |
| Passing yards | 314 | 355 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 27–38–0 | 25–42–2 |
| Time of possession | 34:14 | 25:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ryan Hilinski | 27/38, 314 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Evan Hull | 22 carries, 119 yards, TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Malik Washington | 8 receptions, 97 yards |
| Nebraska | Passing | Casey Thompson | 25/42, 355 yards, TD, INT |
| Nebraska | Rushing | Anthony Grant | 19 carries, 101 yards, 2 TD |
| Nebraska | Receiving | Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda | 4 receptions, 120 yards, TD |

### Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blue Devils | 14 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 31 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 23 |

### Southern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Salukis | 0 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 |

### Miami (OH)

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

### At No. 11 Penn State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 11 Nittany Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), rain
* Game attendance: 105,524
* Referee: Greg Blum
* TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), and Kris Budden (sideline reporter)
* ESPN box score
| Statistics | NU | PSU |
| First downs | 12 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 65–241 | 78–360 |
| Rushes–yards | 28–31 | 58–220 |
| Passing yards | 210 | 140 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–37–1 | 10–20–1 |
| Time of possession | 22:32 | 37:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ryan Hilinski | 15/37, 210 yards, TD, INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Evan Hull | 11 carries, 45 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Donny Navarro III | 4 receptions, 55 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 10/20, 140 yards, TD, INT |
| Penn State | Rushing | Nicholas Singleton | 21 carries, 87 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Receiving | Parker Washington | 4 receptions, 73 yards |

### Wisconsin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Badgers | 7 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Ryan Field, Evanston, Illinois
* Date: October 8, 2022
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind: W at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 32,121
* Referee: Larry Smith
* TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Brock Vereen (analyst), and Rick Pizzo (sideline reporter)
Game information :
First quarter
WIS – Skyler Bell 15-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Nate Van Zelst Kick), 2:25 Wisconsin 7–0, Drive: 9 plays, 98 yards, 5:00
Second quarter
WIS – Chimere Dike 52-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Nate Van Zelst Kick), 14:50 Wisconsin 14–0, Drive: 3 plays, 57 yards, 0:41
WIS – Chimere Dike 21-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Nate Van Zelst Kick), 6:58 Wisconsin 21–0, Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:45
WIS – Chez Mellusi 23-yard pass from Braelon Allen (Nate Van Zelst Kick), 2:11 Wisconsin 28–0, Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 3:11
Third quarter
No scoring
Fourth quarter
WIS – Chimere Dike 6-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Nate Van Zelst Kick), 14:53 Wisconsin 35–0, Drive: 4 plays, 37 yards, 1:51
NU – Anthony Tyus III 1-yard pass from Brendan Sullivan (Jack Olsen Kick), 11:08 Wisconsin 35–7, Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 3:43
WIS – Markus Allen 19-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Nate Van Zelst Kick), 2:28 Wisconsin 42–7, Drive: 14 plays, 84 yards, 1:51
Top passers
NU – Brendan Sullivan – 11/17, 114 yards, TD
WIS – Graham Mertz – 20/29, 299 yards 5 TD
Top rushers
NU – Brendan Sullivan – 10 carries, 33 yards
WIS – Braelon Allen – 23 carries, 135 yards
Top receivers
NU – Bryce Kirtz – 2 receptions, 66 yards
WIS – Chimere Dike – 10 receptions, 185 yards, 3 TD
Top defenders
NU – Garnett Hollis Jr. – 9 tackles, pass breakup
WIS – Nick Herbig – 7 tackles, TFL, sack, forced fumble :

### At Maryland

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| MD –14.0 | 51 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Northwestern | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Maryland | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at SECU Stadium • College Park, MD
* Date: October 22
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: 3 mph SW
* Game attendance: 31,418
* Referee: Michael Cannon
* TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Jake Butt (analyst), and Rick Pizzo (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | Northwestern | Maryland |
| First downs | 24 | 25 |
| Plays–yards | 70–358 | 78–423 |
| Rushes–yards | 46–215 | 50–257 |
| Passing yards | 143 | 166 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–24–2 | 18–28–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:10 | 32:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brendan Sullivan | 18/24, 143 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Evan Hull | 20 carries, 119 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Malik Washington | 6 receptions, 72 yards |
| Maryland | Passing | Billy Edwards Jr. | 18/28, 166 yards, 1 TD |
| Maryland | Rushing | Roman Hemby | 24 carries, 179 yards, 2 TD |
| Maryland | Receiving | Rakim Jarrett | 8 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD |

### At Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| Hawkeyes | 10 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 33 |
| Statistics | NU | IOWA |
| First downs | 16 | 24 |
| Total yards | 177 | 393 |
| Rushing yards | 18 | 173 |
| Passing yards | 159 | 220 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:16 | 31:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brendan Sullivan | 23–30, 159 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Evan Hull | 11 carries, 32 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Bryce Kirtz | 5 receptions, 35 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 21–30, 220 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Rushing | Kaleb Johnson | 13 carries, 93 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Nico Ragaini | 4 receptions, 66 yards |

### No. 2 Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Buckeyes | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Ryan Field, Evanston, Illinois
* Date: November 5
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Rain, windy, 62 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 42,774
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), and Molly McGrath (sideline reporter)
* Spread: Ohio State –38 • Odds to win: Ohio State 98.4% •
| Statistics | No. 2 Ohio State | Northwestern |
| First downs | 13 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 61–283 | 76–285 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–207 | 59–206 |
| Passing yards | 76 | 79 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 10–26–0 | 10–17–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:34 | 36:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| No. 2 Ohio State | Passing | C. J. Stroud | 10–26, 76 yards, 0 TD |
| No. 2 Ohio State | Rushing | Miyan Williams | 26 carries, 111 yards, 2 TD |
| No. 2 Ohio State | Receiving | Marvin Harrison, Jr. | 5 receptions, 51 yards, 0 TD |
| Northwestern | Passing | Brendan Sullivan | 10–17, 79 yards, 0 TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Evan Hull | 30 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Malik Washington | 6 receptions, 49 yards, 0 TD |

### At Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Golden Gophers | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |

### At Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |

### Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 7 | 10 | 17 | 7 | 41 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |