2010 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 2010 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the Big Ten during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Pat Fitzgerald, in his fifth season at Northwestern, was the team's head coach. The Wildcats home games were played at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. The annual rivalry game against the University of Illinois was played at Wrigley Field on November 20.

2010 Northwestern Wildcats football
TicketCity Bowl, L 38–45 vs. Texas Tech
Conference	Big Ten Conference
2010 record	7–6 (3–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Pat Fitzgerald (5th as HC) (9th overall season)
Offensive coordinator	Mick McCall (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Mike Hankwitz (3rd season)
Base defense	Multiple 4–3
Captains	Dan Persa Al Netter Quentin Davie Corbin Bryant
Home stadium	Ryan Field (Capacity: 47,130)

2010 Big Ten Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 7 Wisconsin $+		7	–	1					11	–	2
No. 14 Michigan State +		7	–	1					11	–	2
Iowa		4	–	4					8	–	5
Illinois		4	–	4					7	–	6
Penn State		4	–	4					7	–	6
Michigan		3	–	5					7	–	6
Northwestern		3	–	5					7	–	6
Purdue		2	–	6					4	–	8
Minnesota		2	–	6					3	–	9
Indiana		1	–	7					5	–	7
No. 5 Ohio State %		0*	–	0*					0*	–	0*
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative + – Conference co-champions *All wins for Ohio State (12–1, 7–1) in the 2010 season are vacated Rankings from AP Poll[1][2]

The Wildcats finished the season 7–6, 3–5 in Big Ten play and was invited to the inaugural TicketCity Bowl where they were defeated by Texas Tech 38–45.

Previous season

Last season, the Wildcats finished the season 8–5 (5–3 in Big Ten play) and lost in the Outback Bowl 35–38 in overtime against Auburn.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	6:30 pm	at Vanderbilt*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	CSNC	W 23–21	37,210[3]
September 11	11:00 am	Illinois State*	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 37–3	25,471[4]
September 18	6:00 pm	at Rice*	Rice Stadium Houston, TX		W 30–13	15,562[5]
September 25	11:00 am	Central Michigan*	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 30–25	30,075[6]
October 2	11:00 am	at Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	ESPN	W 29–28	49,228[7]
October 9	6:30 pm	Purdue	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	L 17–20	33,847[8]
October 23	11:00 am	No. 8 Michigan State	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ESPN	L 27–35	41,115[9]
October 30	11:00 am	at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	BTN	W 20–17	37,818[10]
November 6	2:30 pm	at Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC/ESPN2	L 21–35	104,147[11]
November 13	11:00 am	No. 13 Iowa	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ESPN	W 21–17	47,130[12]
November 20	2:30 pm	vs. Illinois	Wrigley Field Chicago, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy) (College GameDay)	ESPNU	L 27–48	41,058[13]
November 27	2:30 pm	at No. 5 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ABC/ESPN	L 23–70	80,011[14]
January 1	11:00 am	vs. Texas Tech*	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (TicketCity Bowl)	ESPNU	L 38–45	40,121[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Regular season

Vanderbilt

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	10	0	7	6	23
Commodores	0	9	6	6	21

Illinois State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redbirds	3	0	0	0	3
Wildcats	14	16	0	7	37

Rice

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	3	10	14	3	30
Owls	0	3	3	7	13

Central Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	6	7	0	12	25
Wildcats	6	7	10	7	30

Minnesota

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	14	0	6	9	29
Golden Gophers	7	14	0	7	28

Purdue

	1	2	3	4	Total
Boilermakers	0	10	3	7	20
#25 Wildcats	7	3	7	0	17

Michigan State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#8 Spartans	0	7	7	21	35
Wildcats	7	10	7	3	27

Indiana

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	10	7	3	20
Hoosiers	3	7	0	7	17

Penn State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	14	0	0	21
Nittany Lions	0	7	21	7	35

Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	0	3	14	0	17
Wildcats	7	0	0	14	21

Northwestern won a thriller by scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats led in the first two periods, but the Hawkeyes scored twice to take the lead in the third quarter.

Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	21	6	7	14	48
#25 Wildcats	14	10	0	3	27

The Wildcats, one week after upsetting a ranked Iowa team, fell flat in Wrigley Field, losing 48-27 to the Fighting Illini. Illinois RB Mikel LeShoure ran wild on Northwestern's defense for 330 yards on 33 carries (for an average of 10.0 yards per carry), with a pair of touchdowns. The loss snapped a two game Northwestern winning streak over Illinois and sealed a bowl berth for Illinois, regardless of the outcome of their season finale against Fresno State next week. Northwestern falls to 3-4 in Big Ten play and 7-4 overall. The Wildcats face the 10-1 Wisconsin Badgers next week in Camp Randall Stadium, where they have not won since the 2000 season.

Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	3	14	6	0	23
#5 Badgers	14	35	21	0	70

TicketCity Bowl

Texas Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	6	18	14	38
Red Raiders	10	14	14	7	45

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	RV	NR	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	25	RV	NR	NR	NR
Harris	Not released						RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	NR	Not released
BCS	Not released							NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	Not released

Roster

2010 Northwestern Wildcats roster[16][17]
Quarterbacks 7 Dan Persa (C) – Junior 13 Trevor Siemian – Freshman 14 Kain Colter – Freshman 18 Evan Watkins – Freshman Running Backs 4 Adonis Smith – Freshman 19 Arby Fields – Sophomore 20 Scott Concannon – Junior 25 Stephen Simmons – Senior 28 Tim Hanrahan – Freshman 29 Mike Trumpy – Freshman 34 Tyris Jones – Sophomore 39 Jacob Schmidt – Junior Wide Receivers 2 Lee Coleman – Senior 5 Sidney Stewart – Senior 6 Charles Brown – Junior 8 Demetrius Fields – Sophomore 11 Jeremy Ebert – Junior 12 Tony Jones – Freshman 17 Rashad Lawrence – Freshman 80 Mike Jensen – Freshman 81 Jimmy Hall – Freshman 83 Jaleel Reed – Freshman 84 Drew Moulton – Freshman 85 Venric Mark – Freshman 86 Brendan Barber – Sophomore 88 Torin Dupper – Freshman Superbacks 9 Drake Dunsmore – Junior 40 Brett Nagel – Sophomore 45 Aaron Nagel - Junior 47 Christian Flores – Freshman 82 John Plasencia – Freshman 89 Josh Rooks – Senior		Offensive Line 52 Evan Luxenburg – Sophomore 62 Taylor Paxton – Freshman 63 Keegan Grant – Senior 64 Doug Bartels – Junior 65 Ben Burkett – Junior 66 Brandon Vitabile – Freshman 68 Hayden Baker – Freshman 70 Patrick Ward – Sophomore 72 Brian Mulroe – Sophomore 73 Colin Armstrong – Junior 74 Chuck Porcelli – Sophomore 75 Al Netter (C) – Junior 76 Brian Smith – Freshman 78 Paul Jorgensen – Freshman 79 Neal Deiters – Sophomore Defensive Line 42 Kevin Watt – Junior 55 Bo Cisek – Sophomore 60 Jake Gregus – Freshman 61 Andrew Struckmeyer – Junior 67 Sean McEvilly – Freshman 88 Quentin Williams – Sophomore 90 Jack DiNardo – Junior 91 Brian Arnfelt – Sophomore 92 Will Hampton – Freshman 93 Niko Mafuli – Junior 94 Vince Browne – Junior 95 Davon Custis – Freshman 96 Anthony Battle – Freshman 97 Tyler Scott – Freshman 98 Corbin Bryant (C) – Senior 99 Chance Carter – Freshman		Linebackers 31 Stone Pinckney – Sophomore 33 David Nwabuisi – Sophomore 35 Ben Johnson – Junior 41 Quentin Davie (C) – Senior 43 Tim Riley – Freshman 44 Nate Williams – Senior 46 Damien Proby – Freshman 48 Roderick Goodlow – Sophomore 50 Timmy Vernon – Freshman 51 Bryce McNaul – Junior 53 Chi Chi Ariguzo – Freshman 54 Collin Ellis – Freshman 56 Will Studlien – Freshman 57 Luke Reppe – Freshman Defensive Backs 15 Daniel Jones – Freshman 24 Ibraheim Campbell – Freshman 36 Mike Eshun – Freshman 39 Joe Cannon – Freshman Cornerbacks 3 Jeravin Matthews – Junior 13 C.J. Bryant – Freshman 20 Tim Weak – Sophomore 21 Mike Bolden – Junior 22 Demetrius Dugar – Sophomore 26 Jordan Mabin – Junior 28 Justan Vaughn – Senior 38 James Kurzawski – Sophomore 47 Ricky Weina – Junior Safeties 7 Hunter Bates – Sophomore 10 Brian Peters – Junior 16 Davion Fleming – Freshman 27 Jared Carpenter – Sophomore 32 David Arnold – Junior 49 Scott Lilja – Senior		Punters 1 Stefan Demos – Senior 49 Brandon Williams – Freshman Kickers 1 Stefan Demos – Senior 34 Steve Flaherty – Sophomore 37 Jeff Budzien – Freshman Long Snappers 58 John Henry Pace – Senior 59 Pat Hickey – Freshman Head coach Pat Fitzgerald Coordinators/Assistant coaches Randy Bates – Linebackers Coach Jerry Brown – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs Coach Adam Cushing – Offensive Line Coach/Recruiting Coach Mike Hankwitz – Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach Bob Heffner – Superbacks Coach Kevin Johns – Wide Receivers Coach/Passing Game Coach Marty Long – Defensive Line Coach Matt MacPherson – Running Backs Coach Mick McCall – Offensive Coordinator/QB's Coach Legend (C) Team captain Redshirt

Depth chart

Defense FS Brian Peters Hunter Bates ⋅ WLB MLB SLB ⋅ Nate Williams ⋅ Damien Proby David Nwabuisi ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ SS Jared Carpenter David Arnold ⋅ CB Jordan Mabin Demetrius Dugar ⋅ DE DT DT DE Vince Browne Jack DiNardo Corbin Bryant Kevin Watt Tyler Scott Brian Arnfelt Niko Mafuli Quentin Williams ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ CB Justan Vaughn Mike Bolden ⋅ Offense Z-Receiver Sidney Stewart Rashad Lawrence ⋅ Y-Receiver Jeremy Ebert Charles Brown ⋅ LT LG C RG RT Al Netter Brian Mulroe Ben Burkett Keegan Grant Patrick Ward Chuck Porcelli Doug Bartels Colin Armstrong Brian Smith Neal Deiters ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ Superback Drake Dunsmore Josh Rooks ⋅ X-Receiver Demetrius Fields Tony Jones ⋅ QB Dan Persa Evan Watkins Kain Colter RB Adonis Smith Stephen Simmons Mike Trumpy Special Teams PK Stefan Demos PK Jeff Budzien P Brandon Williams P Stefan Demos KR Venric Mark PR Venric Mark LS John Henry Pace H Brandon Williams

[18]

References

1. "Big Ten Conference Standings - 2010". ESPN. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
2. "2014 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 16". ESPN. December 7, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
3. "Northwestern Wildcats at Vanderbilt Commodores Box Score". ESPN. September 4, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
4. "Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois State Redbirds Box Score". ESPN. September 11, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
5. "Northwestern Wildcats vs Rice Owls Box Score". ESPN. September 18, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
6. "Northwestern Wildcats vs Central Michigan Chippewas Box Score". ESPN. September 25, 2010. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
7. "Northwestern Wildcats at Minnesota Golden Gophers Box Score". ESPN. October 2, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
8. "Northwestern Wildcats vs Purdue Boilermakers Box Score". ESPN. October 9, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
9. "Michigan State Spartans vs. Northwestern Wildcats Box Score". ESPN. October 23, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
10. "Northwestern Wildcats at Indiana Hoosiers Box Score". ESPN. October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
11. "Northwestern Wildcats at Penn State Nittany Lions Box Score". ESPN. November 6, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
12. "Northwestern Wildcats vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Box Score". ESPN. November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
13. "Northwestern Wildcats vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Box Score". ESPN. November 20, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
14. "Northwestern Wildcats at Wisconsin Badgers Box Score". ESPN. November 27, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
15. "Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Northwestern Wildcats Box Score". ESPN. January 1, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
16. "2010 Northwestern Football Roster". Northwestern University Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
17. "Northwestern Announces Team Captains for 2010 Season". Northwestern University Department of Athletics. August 27, 2010. Archived from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
18. "2011 TicketCity Bowl Guide" (PDF). Northwestern University Department of Athletics. Retrieved December 28, 2010.