# 2013 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 2013 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Pat Fitzgerald, in his eighth season at Northwestern, was the team's head coach. The Wildcats home games were played at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. They were members of the Legends Division of the Big Ten Conference.

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Seasons at Northwestern | Alma mater |
| Pat Fitzgerald | Head coach | 8 | Northwestern (1996) |
| Mick McCall | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks | 6 | Southern Colorado (1978) |
| Mike Hankwitz | Defensive coordinator | 6 | Michigan (1970) |
| Randy Bates | Linebackers | 7 | Ohio State (1983) |
| Jerry Brown | Defensive Backs/Assistant head coach | 20 | Northwestern (1972) |
| Adam Cushing | Offensive line | 3 | Chicago (2002) |
| Bob Heffner | Superbacks | 4 | Temple (1979) |
| Marty Long | Defensive line | 4 | The Citadel (1986) |
| Matt MacPherson | Running backs/recruiting coordinator | 7 | DePauw (1993) |
| Dennis Springer | Wide receivers | 2 | Butler (1993) |
| Reference: ||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 9:30 pm | at California* | No. 22 | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | ESPN2 | W 44–30 | 58,816 |
| September 7 | 5:00 pm | Syracuse* | No. 19 | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 48–27 | 38,033 |
| September 14 | 8:00 pm | Western Michigan* | No. 17 | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 38–17 | 33,128 |
| September 21 | 2:30 pm | Maine* | No. 18 | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 35–21 | 32,726 |
| October 5 | 7:00 pm | No. 4 Ohio State | No. 16 | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (College GameDay) | ABC | L 30–40 | 47,330 |
| October 12 | 2:30 pm | at Wisconsin | No. 19 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ABC/ESPN2 | L 6–35 | 81,411 |
| October 19 | 11:00 am | Minnesota | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPN2 | L 17–20 | 36,578 |
| October 26 | 11:00 am | at Iowa | | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | BTN | L 10–17 $^{OT}$ | 66,838 |
| November 2 | 2:30 pm | at Nebraska | | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | BTN | L 24–27 | 91,140 |
| November 16 | 3:30 pm | Michigan | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (rivalry) | BTN | L 19–27 $^{3OT}$ | 47,330 |
| November 23 | 11:00 am | No. 13 Michigan State | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | ESPN | L 6–30 | 40,013 |
| November 30 | 2:30 pm | at Illinois | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Battle for the Land of Lincoln Trophy) | BTN | W 37–34 | 37,058 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### California

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #22 Wildcats | 7 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 44 |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 30 |

### Syracuse

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Orange | 0 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 27 |
| #19 Wildcats | 10 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 48 |

### Western Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| #17 Wildcats | 0 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 38 |

### Maine

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Black Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| #18 Wildcats | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |

### Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #4 Buckeyes | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 40 |
| #16 Wildcats | 7 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
For the first time since November 11, 1995, ESPN's College GameDay was broadcast from Evanston prior to the game.

### Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #19 Wildcats | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Badgers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |

### Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Gophers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |

### Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Hawkeyes | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |

### Nebraska

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 14 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| Cornhuskers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 |

### Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | Total |
| Wolverines | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 27 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 19 |

### Michigan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #13 Spartans | 0 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 30 |
| Wildcats | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |

### Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 10 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 37 |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 34 |

## 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 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 19 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | 22 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |