2024 Northwestern Wildcats football team

2024 Northwestern Wildcats football
2024 Northwestern Wildcats football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	4–6 (2–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	David Braun (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Zach Lujan (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Tim McGarigle (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Martin Stadium; Wrigley Field
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

The 2024 Northwestern Wildcats football team will represent Northwestern University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They are led by second-year head coach David Braun. The team will play five of its seven home games at a temporary facility constructed at the university's Martin Stadium, with two home games being played at Wrigley Field (the home of the Chicago Cubs) while a permanent replacement for the former Ryan Field is built.^[1]

2024 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 Oregon y	8	–	0	11	–	0
No. 5 Indiana	7	–	0	10	–	0
No. 2 Ohio State	6	–	1	9	–	1
No. 4 Penn State	6	–	1	9	–	1
Iowa	4	–	3	6	–	4
Minnesota	4	–	3	6	–	4
No. 25 Illinois	4	–	3	7	–	3
Washington	4	–	4	6	–	5
Wisconsin	3	–	4	5	–	5
Rutgers	3	–	4	6	–	4
Michigan	3	–	4	5	–	5
USC	3	–	5	5	–	5
UCLA	3	–	5	4	–	6
Nebraska	2	–	5	5	–	5
Michigan State	2	–	5	4	–	6
Northwestern	2	–	5	4	–	6
Maryland	1	–	6	4	–	6
Purdue	0	–	6	1	–	9
Championship: Oregon vs. TBD
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of November 20, 2024 Rankings from CFP Rankings

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	2:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)*	Martin Stadium Evanston, IL	BTN	W 13–6	12,023
September 6	8:00 p.m.	Duke*	Martin Stadium Evanston, IL	FS1	L 20–26 ^2OT	11,062
September 14	6:30 p.m.	Eastern Illinois*	Martin Stadium Evanston, IL	BTN	W 31–7	10,631
September 21	6:00 p.m.	at Washington	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	FS1	L 5–24	69,788
October 5	2:30 p.m.	No. 23 Indiana	Martin Stadium Evanston, IL	BTN	L 24–41	12,023
October 11	7:00 p.m.	at Maryland	SECU Stadium College Park, MD	FS1	W 37–10	39,371
October 19	11:00 a.m.	Wisconsin	Martin Stadium Evanston, IL	BTN	L 3–23	12,023
October 26	2:30 p.m.	at Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	L 14–40	69,250
November 2	11:00 a.m.	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	BTN	W 26–20 ^OT	61,141
November 16	11:00 a.m.	No. 2 Ohio State	Wrigley Field Chicago, IL	BTN	L 7–31	38,147
November 23	2:30 p.m.	at Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (George Jewett Trophy)	FS1
November 30	11:00 a.m.	Illinois	Wrigley Field Chicago, IL (rivalry)	BTN
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll - Released prior to game All times are in Central time Source: ^[2]^[3]

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Game summaries

vs Miami (OH)

Miami RedHawks (0-0) vs Northwestern Wildcats (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami (OH)	3	0	0	3	6
Northwestern	3	0	7	3	13

at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois

Date: August 31
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
Game attendance: 12,023
TV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Jared Thomas (analyst), and Kylen Mills (sideline)

Statistics	Miami (OH)	Northwestern
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miami (OH)	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Duke

Duke Blue Devils (1-0) vs Northwestern Wildcats (1-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
Duke	7	0	3	3	7	6	26
Northwestern	3	7	0	3	7	0	20

at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois

Date: September 6
Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST
Game attendance: 11,062
TV announcers (FS1): Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst)

Statistics	Duke	Northwestern
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Duke	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Eastern Illinois (FCS)

Eastern Illinois Panthers (FCS) (1-1) vs Northwestern Wildcats (1-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Illinois (FCS)	0	7	0	0	7
Northwestern	7	7	10	7	31

at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois

Date: September 14
Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 10,631
Referee: Gregory Blum
TV announcers (BTN): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), and Kylen Mills (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(1:22) NU – Cam Porter 1 yard run, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:57; NU 7–0)

Second quarter

(10:37) EIU – Eli Mirza 13 yard pass from Pierce Holley, Drew Schiller kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:45; TIE 7–7)
(0:14) NU – Joseph Himon II 32 yard run, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 1:33; NU 14–7)

Third quarter

(8:18) NU – Jack Olsen 46 yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 5:38; NU 17–7)
(2:39) NU – A.J. Henning 3 yard pass from Jack Lausch, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 4:10; NU 24–7)

Fourth quarter

(6:58) NU – Marshall Lang 9 yard pass from Jack Lausch, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 4:08; NU 31–7)

Statistics	Eastern Illinois	Northwestern
First downs	13	22
Plays–yards	51–207	67–450
Rushes–yards	20–40	35–203
Passing yards	167	247
Passing: comp–att–int	17–31–1	21–32–0
Time of possession	24:28	35:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	17/31, 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jay Pearson	8 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	Cooper Willman	6 receptions, 66 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Jack Lausch	20/31, 227 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Cam Porter	15 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	A.J. Henning	7 receptions, 117 yards, 1 TD

at Washington

Northwestern Wildcats (2-1) at Washington Huskies (2-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	2	3	0	5
Washington	7	10	0	7	24

at Husky Stadium • Seattle, Washington

Date: September 21
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
Game attendance: 69,788
Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

WASH - Denzel Boston 46-yard pass from Will Rogers (Grady Gross kick), 7:57. Huskies 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 2:39.

Second quarter

WASH – Grady Gross 21-yard field goal, 14:11. Huskies 10–0. Drive: 11 plays, 88 yards, 5:36.
WASH – Denzel Boston 13-yard pass from Will Rogers (Grady Gross kick), 10:12. Huskies 17–0. Drive: 4 plays, 31 yards, 1:59;
NU – 0-yard safety, 6:38. Huskies 17–2

Third quarter

NU – Jack Olsen 18-yard field goal, 5:07. Huskies 17–5. Drive: 8 plays, 32 yards, 4:16.

Fourth quarter

WASH – Jonah Coleman 8-yard run (Grady Gross kick), 14:02. Huskies 24–5. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 5:58.

Statistics	Northwestern	Washington
First downs	12	22
Plays–yards	53–112	69–391
Rushes–yards	26–59	39–144
Passing yards	53	247
Passing: comp–att–int	8–27–2	22–30–0
Time of possession	27:08	32:52

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Jack Lausch	8/27, 53 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jack Lausch	13 carries, 21 yards
	Receiving	A. J. Henning	5 receptions, 41 yards
Washington	Passing	Will Rogers	20/28, 223 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jonah Coleman	15 carries, 67 yards, TD
	Receiving	Denzel Boston	7 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TD

vs No. 23 Indiana

Indiana Hoosiers (5-0) vs Northwestern Wildcats (2-2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Indiana	7	10	7	17	41
Northwestern	0	10	7	7	24

at Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL

Date: October 5
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: SE at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
Game attendance: 12,023
Referee: Jerry McGinn
TV announcers (BTN): Chris Vosters (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), and Dannie Rogers (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(0:44) IND – Justice Ellison 5-yard run, Nicolas Radicic kick (Drive: 10 plays, 89 yards, 5:26; Indiana 7–0)

Second quarter

(8:48) NU – Cam Porter 5-yard run, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 6:51; Tied 7–7)
(4:28) IND – Miles Cross 7-yard pass from Kurtis Rourke, Nicolas Radicic kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:20; Indiana 14–7)
(0:03) NU – Jack Olsen 32-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 3:20; Indiana 14–10)
(0:03) IND – Nicolas Radicic 37-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 1:05; Indiana 17–10)

Third quarter

(6:44) IND – Ke'Shawn Williams 13-yard pass from Kurtis Rourke, Nicolas Radicic kick (Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 4:55; Indiana 24–10)
(3:13) NU – A.J. Henning 38-yard pass from Jack Lausch, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:19; Indiana 24–17)

Fourth quarter

(14:54) IND – Nicolas Radicic 28-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:19; Indiana 27–17)
(11:19) NU – A.J. Henning 2-yard pass from Jack Lausch, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 3:30; Indiana 27–24)
(6:23) IND – Ty Son Lawton 1-yard run, Nicolas Radicic kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:56; Indiana 34–24)
(3:28) IND – Zach Horton 4-yard pass from Kurtis Rourke, Nicolas Radicic kick (Drive: 5 plays, 36 yards, 1:45; Indiana 41–24)

Statistics	Indiana	Northwestern
First downs	27	17
Plays–yards	68–529	60–336
Rushes–yards	35–149	22–93
Passing yards	380	243
Passing: comp–att–int	25–33–0	23–38–0
Time of possession	32:09	27:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana	Passing	Kurtis Rourke	25/33, 380 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Justice Ellison	14 carries, 68 yards, TD
	Receiving	Elijah Sarratt	7 receptions, 135 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Jack Lausch	23/38, 243 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Joseph Himon II	5 carries, 35 yards
	Receiving	Bryce Kirtz	10 receptions, 128 yards

at Maryland

Northwestern Wildcats (2-3) at Maryland Terrapins (3-2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	0	0	0	0
Maryland	0	0	0	0	0

at SECU Stadium • College Park, Maryland

Date: October 11
Game time: 7:00 p.m.
TV announcers (FS1): Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst)

Statistics	Northwestern	Maryland
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Maryland	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers (0-0) vs Northwestern Wildcats (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wisconsin	0	14	7	2	23
Northwestern	0	0	3	0	3

at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois

Date: October 19
Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: SW at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
Game attendance: 12,023
Referee: Kole Knueppel
TV announcers (BTN): Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Jake Butt (analyst) and Brooke Fletcher (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

WIS – Braedyn Locke 8-yard run (Nathanial Vakos kick), 14:31 Wisconsin 7–0 Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 3:32.
WIS – Cade Yacamelli 3-yard run (Nathanial Vakos kick), 0:39 Wisconsin 14–0 Drive: 1 play, 3 yards, 0:04.

Third quarter

NU – Luke Akers 26-yard field goal, 6:46. Wisconsin 14–3. Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 7:18.
WIS – Tucker Ashcraft 3-yard pass from Braedyn Locke (Nathanial Vakos kick), 0:11 Wisconsin 21–3 Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:28.

Fourth quarter

WIS – Jack Lausch sacked 9-yard loss for safety, 14:52 Wisconsin 23–3

Statistics	Wisconsin	Northwestern
First downs	19	9
Plays–yards	67–359	55–209
Rushes–yards	43–199	31–127
Passing yards	160	82
Passing: comp–att–int	14–24–1	9–24–0
Time of possession	32:51	27:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wisconsin	Passing	Braedyn Locke	14/24, 160 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tawee Walker	23 carries, 126 yards
	Receiving	Will Pauling	5 receptions, 51 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Jack Lausch	9/24, 82 yards
	Rushing	Jack Lausch	10 carries, 55 yards
	Receiving	Thomas Gordon	4 receptions, 49 yards

at Iowa

Northwestern Wildcats (3-4) at Iowa Hawkeyes (4-3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	0	0	0	0
Iowa	0	0	0	0	0

at Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, Iowa

Date: October 26
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
TV announcers (BTN): Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Anthony Herron (analyst)

Statistics	Northwestern	Iowa
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Iowa	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Purdue

Northwestern Wildcats (3-5) at Purdue Boilermakers (1-6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Northwestern	10	7	0	0	6	23
Purdue	3	7	3	7	0	20

at Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, Indiana

Date: November 2
Game time: 11:00 a.m.
Game weather: • Sunny Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Wind: 5 mph
Game attendance: 61,141
Referee: Bryan Banks
TV announcers (BTN): Jason Ross Jr (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst) and Kylin Mills (reporter)

Game information
1st quarter

Statistics	Northwestern	Purdue
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Purdue	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Ohio State

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1) vs Northwestern Wildcats (4-5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Ohio State	0	21	10	0	31
Northwestern	0	7	0	0	7

at Wrigley Field • Chicago, Illinois

Date: November 16
Game time: 11:00 a.m.
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 52 °F (11 °C) • Wind: S at 11 miles per hour (18 km/h)
Game attendance: 38,147
Referee: Mark Kluczynski
TV announcers (BTN): Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Jake Butt (analyst), and Brooke Fletcher (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter

(12:34) NU – Jack Lausch 8-yard run, Luke Akers kick (Drive: 13 plays, 92 yards, 5:30; Northwestern 7–0)
(6:59) OSU – Quinshon Judkins 1-yard run, Jayden Fielding kick (Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 5:29; Tied 7–7)
(4:19) OSU – Quinshon Judkins 1-yard run, Jayden Fielding kick (Drive: 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:56; Ohio State 14–7)
(0:47) OSU – Carnell Tate 25-yard pass from Will Howard, Jayden Fielding kick (Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 1:57; Ohio State 21–7)

Third quarter

(12:11) OSU – Carnell Tate 8-yard pass from Will Howard, Jayden Fielding kick (Drive: 5 plays, 90 yards, 2:44; Ohio State 28–7)
(0:44) OSU – Jayden Fielding 28-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:14; Ohio State 31–7)

Fourth quarter

No scoring plays

Statistics	Ohio State	Northwestern
First downs	19	17
Plays–yards	57–420	66–251
Rushes–yards	33–173	28–50
Passing yards	247	201
Passing: comp–att–int	15–24–0	21–36–0
Time of possession	28:00	32:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ohio State	Passing	Will Howard	15/24, 247 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Quinshon Judkins	15 carries, 76 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jeremiah Smith	4 receptions, 100 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Jack Lausch	21/35, 201 yards
	Rushing	Cam Porter	10 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Bryce Kirtz	7 receptions, 92 yards

at Michigan

Northwestern Wildcats (4-6) at Michigan Wolverines (5-5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	0	0	0	0
Michigan	0	0	0	0	0

at Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Michigan

Date: November 23
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando (pbp) Devin Gardner (Analyst) and Josh Sims (Sideline Reporter)

Statistics	Northwestern	Michigan
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini (0-0) vs Northwestern Wildcats (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0
Northwestern	0	0	0	0	0

at TBD • TBD

Date: November 30
Game time: 11:00 AM
TV: BTN

Statistics	Illinois	Northwestern
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "Northwestern football 'staying home' with temporary enhancements to the Lanny and Sharon Martin facility on lakefront". Northwestern Now. April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
^ "2024 Northwestern Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
^ "Northwestern Announces 2024 Big Ten Schedule". Northwestern Athletics. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
^ "Football Finalizes 2024 Schedule". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
^ "Northwestern gets green light to move forward with Ryan Field rebuild". NORTHWESTERN NOW. Northwestern Now Staff.
^ "Football: Braun elevates linebackers coach Tim McGarigle to defensive coordinator". The Daily Northwestern. January 7, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.

[Northwestern_Now_2024_c646-1] "Northwestern football 'staying home' with temporary enhancements to the Lanny and Sharon Martin facility on lakefront". Northwestern Now. April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.

[2] "2024 Northwestern Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 25, 2023.

[3] "Northwestern Announces 2024 Big Ten Schedule". Northwestern Athletics. Retrieved December 25, 2023.

[4] "Football Finalizes 2024 Schedule". Eastern Illinois University Athletics. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.

[5] "Northwestern gets green light to move forward with Ryan Field rebuild". NORTHWESTERN NOW. Northwestern Now Staff.

[6] "Football: Braun elevates linebackers coach Tim McGarigle to defensive coordinator". The Daily Northwestern. January 7, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.

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