2023 Northwestern Wildcats football team

2023 Northwestern Wildcats football
2023 Northwestern Wildcats football
Las Vegas Bowl champion
Las Vegas Bowl, W 14–7 vs. Utah
Conference	Big Ten Conference
	West Division
Record	8–5 (5–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	David Braun (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Mike Bajakian (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Base defense	Multiple 4–3
Home stadium	Ryan Field

2023 Big Ten Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 1 Michigan xy$#^	9	–	0	15	–	0
No. 10 Ohio State	8	–	1	11	–	2
No. 13 Penn State	7	–	2	10	–	3
Maryland	4	–	5	8	–	5
Rutgers	3	–	6	7	–	6
Michigan State	2	–	7	4	–	8
Indiana	1	–	8	3	–	9
West Division
No. 24 Iowa xy	7	–	2	10	–	4
	5	–	4	8	–	5
Wisconsin	5	–	4	7	–	6
Minnesota	3	–	6	6	–	7
Illinois	3	–	6	5	–	7
Nebraska	3	–	6	5	–	7
Purdue	3	–	6	4	–	8
Championship: Michigan 26, Iowa 0
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by first-year head coach David Braun and played their home games at Ryan Field (in its final season) in Evanston, Illinois. Braun began the season as interim head coach and was elevated to permanent head coach on November 15 following the team's 24–10 road win over Wisconsin.^[1]

The Wildcats finished the regular season with a record of 7–5 and went 5–4 in conference play to finish second in the Big Ten West. Braun was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.^[2] The Wildcats were selected to face Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, where they won 14–7.

The Northwestern Wildcats football team drew an average home attendance of 20,800 in 2023.

Hazing and sexual abuse allegations

On July 7, 2023, the school announced that they had suspended head coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay after an investigation related to hazing within the football program.^[3] Three days later as details emerged of the allegations from a former player that included hazing and sexual abuse, the school fired Fitzgerald after 17 years as head coach.^[4] The school named defensive coordinator David Braun the interim head coach for the season.^[5]

Preseason

Big 10 media poll

The Wildcats were predicted to finish seventh in the Big Ten's West Division.^[6]

Predicted finish	Team	Points (1st place votes)
Big Ten media poll West Division
1	Wisconsin	233 (20)
2	Iowa	232 (16)
3	Minnesota	176 (1)
4	Illinois	152
5	Nebraska	116
6	Purdue	89
7	Northwestern	38

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	11:00 a.m.	at Rutgers	SHI Stadium Piscataway, NJ	CBS	L 7–24	53,026	[1] [2]
September 9	2:30 p.m.	UTEP*	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 38–7	14,851	[3] [4]
September 16	2:30 p.m.	at No. 21 Duke*	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	ACCN	L 14–38	18,141	[5] [6]
September 23	6:30 p.m.	Minnesota	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 37–34 ^OT	20,148	[7] [8]
September 30	11:00 a.m.	No. 6 Penn State	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	L 13–41	25,064	[9] [10]
October 7	2:00 p.m.	Howard*	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 23–20	22,160	[11] [12]
October 21	2:30 p.m.	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	BTN	L 9–17	86,769
October 28	11:00 a.m.	Maryland	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 33–27	19,286
November 4	2:30 p.m.	Iowa	Wrigley Field Chicago, IL	Peacock	L 7–10	38,000
November 11	2:30 p.m.	at Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	FS1	W 24–10	76,124
November 18	11:00 a.m.	Purdue	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 23–15	23,291
November 25	2:30 p.m.	at Illinois	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	BTN	W 45–43	42,310
December 23	6:30 p.m.	vs. Utah*	Allegiant Stadium Paradise, NV (Las Vegas Bowl)	ABC	W 14–7	20,897
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time Source: ^[7]

Game summaries

At Rutgers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	7	7
Scarlet Knights	7	10	7	0	24

Statistics	NU	RUTG
First downs	13	20
Total yards	201	285
Rushing yards	12	122
Passing yards	189	163
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	22:04	37:56

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Ben Bryant	20/36, 169 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Brendan Sullivan	4 rushes, 11 yards
	Receiving	Camron Johnson	4 receptions, 45 yards
Rutgers	Passing	Gavin Wimsatt	17/29, 163 yards, TD
	Rushing	Kyle Monangai	14 rushes, 49 yards, TD
	Receiving	Isaiah Washington	4 receptions, 36 yards

UTEP

	1	2	3	4	Total
Miners	7	0	0	0	7
Wildcats	7	0	21	10	38

Statistics	UTEP	NU
First downs	18	17
Total yards	319	391
Rushing yards	104	184
Passing yards	215	207
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	31:21	28:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTEP	Passing	Gavin Hardison	17/25, 192 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Torrance Burgess Jr.	7 rushes, 34 yards
	Receiving	Jeremiah Ballard	4 receptions, 92 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Ben Bryant	11/17, 116 yards, TD
	Rushing	Cam Porter	17 rushes, 90 yards
	Receiving	Joseph Himon II	1 reception, 85 yards, TD

At No. 21 Duke

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	7	0	7	14
No. 21 Blue Devils	7	10	14	7	38

Statistics	NU	DUKE
First downs	19	25
Total yards	267	487
Rushing yards	104	268
Passing yards	163	219
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	28:54	31:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Ben Bryant	17/34, 123 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Cam Porter	10 rushes, 49 yards
	Receiving	Camron Johnson	5 receptions, 45 yards
Duke	Passing	Riley Leonard	15/20, 219 yards
	Rushing	Riley Leonard	13 rushes, 97 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jalon Calhoun	5 receptions, 112 yards

Minnesota

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Golden Gophers	7	17	7	0	3	34
Wildcats	0	7	3	21	6	37

Statistics	MINN	NU
First downs	15	25
Total yards	397	492
Rushing yards	244	92
Passing yards	153	400
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	30:10	29:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Minnesota	Passing	Athan Kaliakmanis	14/19, 153 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Darius Taylor	31 rushes, 198 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Daniel Jackson	4 receptions, 53 yards, TD
Northwestern	Passing	Ben Bryant	33/49, 396 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Cam Porter	16 rushes, 56 yards, TD
	Receiving	Bryce Kirtz	10 receptions, 215 yards, 2 TD

No. 6 Penn State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 Nittany Lions	3	7	17	14	41
Wildcats	3	7	0	3	13

Statistics	PSU	NU
First downs	19	12
Total yards	353	175
Rushing yards	134	45
Passing yards	219	130
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	32:08	27:52

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Penn State	Passing	Drew Allar	18/33, 189 yards, TD
	Rushing	Nicholas Singleton	21 rushes, 80 yards, TD
	Receiving	KeAndre Lambert-Smith	4 receptions, 86 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Ben Bryant	14/25, 122 yards
	Rushing	Brendan Sullivan	7 rushes, 25 yards
	Receiving	Camron Johnson	6 receptions, 81 yards

Howard

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	0	0	7	13	20
Wildcats	9	7	7	0	23

Statistics	HOW	NU
First downs	18	21
Total yards	331	312
Rushing yards	162	181
Passing yards	169	131
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	29:34	30:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Howard	Passing	Quinton Williams	18/30, 169 yards
	Rushing	Eden James	21 rushes, 177 yards, TD
	Receiving	Richie Ilarraza	7 receptions, 65 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Brendan Sullivan	13/18, 131 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Cam Porter	18 rushes, 78 yards
	Receiving	Camron Johnson	4 receptions, 55 yards, TD

At Nebraska

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	3	3	0	3	9
Cornhuskers	3	7	0	7	17

Statistics	NU	NEB
First downs	12	14
Total yards	257	248
Rushing yards	81	163
Passing yards	176	85
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	30:52	29:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Brendan Sullivan	12/23, 176 yards, INT
	Rushing	Anthony Tyus III	6 rushes, 63 yards
	Receiving	Bryce Kirtz	3 receptions, 96 yards
Nebraska	Passing	Heinrich Haarberg	8/17, 85 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Emmett Johnson	12 rushes, 73 yards
	Receiving	Malachi Coleman	1 reception, 44 yards, TD

Maryland

	1	2	3	4	Total
Terrapins	14	3	3	7	27
Wildcats	14	10	3	6	33

Statistics	MD	NU
First downs	25	19
Total yards	391	364
Rushing yards	117	99
Passing yards	274	265
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	29:13	30:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Maryland	Passing	Taulia Tagovailoa	30/47, 274 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Colby McDonald	5 rushes, 43 yards
	Receiving	Jeshaun Jones	9 receptions, 78 yards, TD
Northwestern	Passing	Brendan Sullivan	16/23, 265 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Brendan Sullivan	14 rushes, 56 yards
	Receiving	Joseph Himon II	2 receptions, 67 yards

Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	0	0	7	3	10
Wildcats	0	0	0	7	7

Statistics	IOWA	NU
First downs	14	12
Total yards	169	170
Rushing yards	104	89
Passing yards	65	81
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	30:18	29:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	10/15, 65 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Leshon Williams	24 rushes, 79 yards
	Receiving	Kaleb Brown	1 reception, 23 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Brendan Sullivan	12/19, 81 yards, TD
	Rushing	Anthony Tyus III	10 rushes, 40 yards
	Receiving	A. J. Henning	4 receptions, 13 yards

At Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	17	0	0	24
Badgers	3	0	0	7	10

Statistics	NU	WIS
First downs	18	17
Total yards	324	341
Rushing yards	129	86
Passing yards	195	255
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	32:10	27:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Ben Bryant	18/26, 195 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Cam Porter	18 rushes, 72 yards
	Receiving	A. J. Henning	3 receptions, 70 yards, TD
Wisconsin	Passing	Tanner Mordecai	31/45, 255 yards
	Rushing	Cade Yacamelli	9 rushes, 47 yards
	Receiving	Will Pauling	10 receptions, 96 yards

Purdue

	1	2	3	4	Total
Boilermakers	0	0	7	8	15
Wildcats	6	0	10	7	23

Statistics	PUR	NU
First downs	21	12
Total yards	443	329
Rushing yards	303	99
Passing yards	140	230
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	34:43	25:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Ryan Browne	12/16, 104 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Tyrone Tracy Jr.	16 rushes, 160 yards, TD
	Receiving	Devin Mockobee	3 receptions, 44 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Ben Bryant	13/24, 230 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Cam Porter	17 rushes, 95 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Camron Johnson	3 receptions, 88 yards, TD

At Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	14	7	17	45
Fighting Illini	3	17	3	20	43

Statistics	NU	ILL
First downs	20	20
Total yards	379	455
Rushing yards	145	107
Passing yards	234	348
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	29:50	30:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Ben Bryant	24/32, 234 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Cam Porter	16 rushes, 69 yards
	Receiving	Camron Johnson	7 receptions, 124 yards, TD
Illinois	Passing	John Paddock	24/34, 334 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Reggie Love III	23 rushes, 106 yards
	Receiving	Casey Washington	9 receptions, 218 yards, 3 TD

Vs. Utah (Las Vegas Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Utes	0	0	0	7	7
Wildcats	0	7	0	7	14

Statistics	UTAH	NU
First downs	13	18
Total yards	211	290
Rushing yards	138	65
Passing yards	73	225
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	34:21	25:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Utah	Passing	Bryson Barnes	8/13, 55 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ja'Quinden Jackson	8 rushes, 55 yards
	Receiving	Micah Bernard	3 receptions, 24 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Ben Bryant	23/34, 222 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Cam Porter	10 rushes, 33 yards
	Receiving	Bryce Kirtz	5 receptions, 68 yards, TD

Roster

2023 Northwestern Wildcats football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`0`	Cole Freeman	Jr
WR	`1`	Jack Kennedy	Sr
QB	`2`	Ben Bryant	GS
QB	`3`	Ryan Hilinski	Sr
RB	`4`	Cam Porter	Sr
WR	`5`	Jacob Gill	Jr
QB	`6`	Brendan Sullivan	Jr
WR	`8`	A. J. Henning	Sr
QB	`9`	Aidan Gray	Fr
WR	`10`	Ricky Ahumaraeze	Fr
WR	`11`	Donnie Gray	Jr
QB	`12`	Jack Lausch	So
WR	`13`	Preston Bacon	Sr
WR	`14`	Cam Johnson	GS
WR	`15`	Calvin Johnson II	Jr
WR	`16`	Frank Covey IV	Fr
WR	`17`	Bryce Kirtz	Sr
TE	`18`	Camp Magee	Fr
WR	`19`	Reggie Fleurima	So
RB	`20`	Joseph Himon II	So
WR	`23`	Raymond Niro III	GS
RB	`25`	Caleb Komolafe	Fr
RB	`27`	Anthony Tyus III	Jr
RB	`29`	Marcus Cisco	Sr
RB	`31`	Jake Arthurs	Sr
RB	`36`	Payton Roth	Fr
RB	`39`	Albert Kunickis III	So
OL	`56`	Josh Thompson	Jr
OL	`62`	Alex Doost	Fr
OL	`63`	Dom D'Antonio	Sr
OL	`64`	Anthony Birsa	Fr
OL	`65`	Jackson Carsello	Jr
OL	`66`	Braeden Edwards	Jr
OL	`68`	Josh Priebe	Sr
OL	`71`	Ben Wrather	Sr
OL	`72`	Caleb Tiernan	Jr
OL	`73`	Deuce McGuire	So
OL	`74`	Nick Herzog	So
OL	`75`	Jordan Knox	Fr
OL	`78`	Luke Trifunovic	Sr
OL	`79`	Zachary Franks	Sr
TE	`81`	Chris Petrucci	So
WR	`82`	Quintin O'Connell	GS
TE	`83`	Blake Van Buren	So
TE	`84`	Hunter Welcing	Sr
TE	`86`	Lawson Albright	Jr
TE	`87`	Jack Fitzgerald	Fr
TE	`87`	Thomas Gordon	Sr
TE	`88`	Marshall Lang	Sr
TE	`89`	Charlie Mangieri	GS
TE	`98`	Duke Olges	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`0`	Coco Azema	Sr
DB	`2`	Garnett Hollis Jr.	Sr
DB	`3`	Jaheem Joseph	Sr
DB	`6`	Robert Fitzgerald	So
DB	`7`	Ore Adeyi	Jr
DB	`9`	Devin Turner	So
DB	`10`	Theran Johnson	Jr
DB	`12`	Nigel Williams	Sr
DB	`13`	Josh Fussell	Fr
DB	`16`	Cole Shivers	Fr
DB	`18`	Garner Wallace	Jr
DB	`19`	J. J. Lewis	Fr
DB	`21`	Damon Walters	Fr
DB	`22`	Evan Smith	So
DB	`24`	Rod Heard II	Sr
DB	`26`	Jalen Lewis	Fr
DB	`27`	Jack Oyola	So
DB	`28`	Braden Turner	So
LB	`32`	Bryce Gallagher	Sr
LB	`33`	Braydon Brus	So
LB	`34`	Xander Mueller	Sr
LB	`35`	Kenny Soares Jr.	So
LB	`37`	Mac Uihlein	Jr
DB	`38`	Joe DeHaan	Sr
LB	`40`	Jason Reynolds II	So
DL	`41`	Jaylen Pate	GS
DL	`42`	Anto Saka	So
LB	`44`	Khalid Jones	Sr
LB	`45`	Cullen Coleman	Sr
LB	`46`	Johnny McGuire	Fr
LB	`48`	Owen Bergin	Sr
DL	`50`	P. J. Spencer	Sr
LB	`51`	Miles Crutchley	So
DL	`52`	Richie Hagarty	GS
DL	`53`	Jaiden Cameron	Sr
DL	`54`	Tyler Gant	Fr
DL	`55`	Dylan Roberts	Fr
LB	`57`	Greyson Metz	Sr
DL	`59`	Mason Green	Fr
DL	`90`	Carmine Bastone	Jr
DL	`91`	Aidan Hubbard	Jr
DL	`92`	Matt Lawson	GS
DL	`93`	Brendan Flakes	So
DL	`94`	R. J. Pearson	GS
DL	`95`	Najee Story	Jr
DL	`96`	Michael Kilbane	Fr
DL	`97`	Sean McLaughlin	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LS	`43`	Will Halkyard	Sr
P	`47`	Luke Akers	Sr
K	`49`	Jacob Tabibian	Jr
K	`82`	Jack Olsen	Sr
K	`94`	Henry Helms	Fr
P	`99`	Hunter Renner	Sr

Head coach

David Braun

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Armon Binns – Wide receivers
Chris Foster – Running backs
LaMarcus Hicks – Cornerbacks
Tim McGarigle – Linebackers
Christian Smith – Defensive linemen
D. J. Vokolek – Assistant coach
Skip Holtz – Special assistant to the head coach
Chris Batti – Defensive quality control
Zach Opsal – Offensive quality control
Duke DeRae – Graduate assistant
Riley Lees – Graduate assistant

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

References

^ Chicago Tribune staff (November 15, 2023). "David Braun named Northwestern's permanent head football coach midway through interim season". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
^ "Northwestern's Braun named Big Ten coach of the year. Coaches vote 8 Michigan players to 1st team". Associated Press. November 29, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
^ "Northwestern Football: Pat Fitzgerald Suspended Amid Hazing Probe - Sports Illustrated". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
^ "Northwestern fires Fitzgerald amid hazing claims". ESPN.com. July 10, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
^ "Northwestern names defensive coordinator David Braun as interim head coach". Yahoo Sports. July 14, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
^ Cobb, David (July 25, 2023). "Big Ten football predicted order of finish for 2023: Michigan picked to win conference title over Ohio State". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
^ "2023 Football Schedule". Northwestern University Sports. Retrieved December 20, 2022.

[1] Chicago Tribune staff (November 15, 2023). "David Braun named Northwestern's permanent head football coach midway through interim season". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 2, 2023.

[2] "Northwestern's Braun named Big Ten coach of the year. Coaches vote 8 Michigan players to 1st team". Associated Press. November 29, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.

[3] "Northwestern Football: Pat Fitzgerald Suspended Amid Hazing Probe - Sports Illustrated". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

[4] "Northwestern fires Fitzgerald amid hazing claims". ESPN.com. July 10, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

[5] "Northwestern names defensive coordinator David Braun as interim head coach". Yahoo Sports. July 14, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

[6] Cobb, David (July 25, 2023). "Big Ten football predicted order of finish for 2023: Michigan picked to win conference title over Ohio State". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 20, 2023.

[7] "2023 Football Schedule". Northwestern University Sports. Retrieved December 20, 2022.

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Northwestern Wildcats football
Venues	Northwestern Field (1905–1925) Ryan Field (1926–2023) Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium (2024–2025)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Illinois Michigan: George Jewett Trophy Notre Dame
Culture and lore	Willie the Wildcat "Go U Northwestern" Marching band 2006 Michigan State game
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1876 1877–1881 1882 1883–1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906–1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2024 2025