Sept. 1, 2008

NU FB Game Notes (vs. Duke)

Monday Press Conference Video
Fitzgerald's opening statement
Fitzgerald talks about Stefan Demos and special teams
Fitzgerald on the offensive line
Fitzgerald on the play of Brendan Smith
Fitzgerald on taking on Duke
Fitzgerald on the return of John Gill
Sutton talks about NU's practice tempo
Mims on the play of the defensive line
Kennedy and Sutton on the return of Gill

For Openers
• Northwestern won its fourth straight season opener with a 30-10 home victory vs. Syracuse last Saturday at Ryan Field. The Wildcats improved to 73-44-4 (.620) all-time in season openers with the win.

• NU travels to Durham, N.C., this week to play its only non-conference road game of the year versus Duke. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Blue Devils, under first-year head coach David Cutcliffe, opened the year with a 31-7 home victory over James Madison, a perennial FCS (formerly known as Division I-AA) power.

• Under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, Northwestern's defense limited Syracuse to 225 total yards, and just 68 of those in the second half. Syracuse's only TD of the game was set up by an NU turnover on the Wildcats' 13-yard line. The 225 yards are the fewest allowed by an NU defense since Sept. 16, 2006 (vs. Eastern Michigan) and the fewest in a season opener since Sept. 5, 1998 when the Wildcats held UNLV to 208 total yards.

• Northwestern rolled up 269 yards on the ground and 484 yards overall against Syracuse. The 269 rushing yards are the most in a game since the Wildcats piled up 356 yards against Illinois on Nov. 19, 2005. The 269 yards represented the 13th-best single-game total on college football's opening weekend.

• Senior running back Tyrell Sutton, who was slowed in 2007 and played in just five full games, led NU's ground game against Syracuse, totaling 185 all-purpose yards (144 rushing, 41 receiving) and one TD (12-yard reception). Sutton averaged 6.9 yards per carry in the game and was the Wildcats' second-leading receiver with four receptions.

• The Wildcats had several special teams stars, and one of them, punter Stefan Demos, was recognized by the Big Ten as its Special Teams Player of the Week.

• Both the Wildcats and Blue Devils turned in strong rushing performances in the season's opening weekend. Duke totaled 218 yards (35th in the country) while Northwestern had 269 yards (13th nationally).

• NU's players of the game were: Brendan Smith (defense), entire offensive line (offense), Stephen Simmons (special teams), Quentin Davie (defensive big play) and Tyrell Sutton (offensive big play).

The Broadcasts
Radio -- WGN (720 AM) will broadcast the game on TBA (due to a Chicago Cubs' conflict) with its pregame show starting at 5:30 p.m. The radio broadcast can also be heard live via the internet at wgnradio.com. Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Ted Albrecht (analyst) call the action. WNUR (89.3), NU's student radio station, also will carry the game live. The contest is also available on the XM Satellite Radio network. (Channels 196-199).

Television -- There is no television coverage for Saturday's game at Duke. However, the ACC (ACC Select) is planning to stream the game live via the internet.

For a complete set of game notes, download the PDF above.