Sept. 17, 2007

NU Football Game Notes (vs. Ohio State)
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- With a quarter of its season in the record books, Northwestern turns its focus to conference play, starting Big Ten action with defending league champion Ohio State this Saturday, Sept. 22. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. ESPN/ABC is televising the game to a national audience. ESPN will carry the game throughout much of the country, but the Chicagoland market will receive the game on ABC (WLS-TV, Channel 7).

Ohio State, which played in last year's BCS title game, is off to a 3-0 start after posting a solid 33-14 victory at Washington on Saturday. The Buckeyes opened the season with home victories over Youngstown State (38-6) and Akron (20-2). This is the sixth straight season the Wildcats and Buckeyes have met with Ohio State ranked in the Associated Press top-10.

Led by linebacker James Laurinaitis, this week's co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, the Buckeyes tout one of the nation's top defensive clubs, ranking third nationally (first in the Big Ten) in total defense (197.0 ypg), fifth nationally (second in the Big Ten) in scoring defense (7.3 ppg) and sixth nationally (first in the Big Ten) in pass efficiency defense (83.69 rating). OSU also ranks 16th nationally in rushing defense (76.7 ypg). Laurinaitis, who leads OSU this season with 22 tackles, had eight hits, a sack and two interceptions in Saturday's win vs. Washington.

Offensively, the Buckeyes are getting a solid one-two punch from running backs Chris Wells and Brandon Saine. Wells averages 108.0 ypg (5.4 ypc) and Saine, a true freshman, averages 51.0 ypg (5.5 ypc). Both players have scored two TD's.

First-year quarterback Todd Boeckman is posting outstanding numbers, having thrown for 574 yards (191.3 ypg) and six TD's after three games. He has a pass efficiency rating of 153.54, which ranks 20th nationally. His favorite receivers are the "Brians" -- Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. They have combined for 31 receptions for 495 yards and three TD's.

Northwestern, which had its three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday in a heartbreaking 20-14 loss to Duke, was gunning for its second straight come-from-behind victory at Ryan Field. Like in week two against Nevada, Northwestern used a solid second-half performance to climb back in the game and give itself a chance to win. This time, however, the Wildcats came up seven yards short, unable to convert four straight pass plays from the Duke 7-yard line in the game's final seconds.

The Wildcats outgained the Blue Devils by nearly 200 yards (506-309), but two turnovers (to the Blue Devils' one) and an uncharacteristically high number of penalties (13 for 125 yards) doomed the 'Cats.

The Broadcasts
Radio -- WGN (720 AM) is carrying the game live. The radio broadcast, along with the pregame show, can be heard via the internet at wgnradio.com. The broadcast begins at 2 p.m. 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 -- ESPN/ABC is televising the game to a national audience. Ron Franklin (play-by-play), Ed Cunningham (analyst) and Jack Arute (sideline) call the action. The game will be televised on ABC (WLS-TV) in the Chicago market.

Kickoff Set For Michigan Game
Northwestern and Michigan will kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 29 at Ryan Field. The Big Ten Network is televising the game. Plenty of tickets are still available for this game.

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