Updated on 1/4/18
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Northwestern Wildcats (Big Ten West)
2017 Schedule & Results
| Record: 10-3 | Second-order wins (diff.): 8.1 (-1.9) | S&P+ Rk: 46 | |||||||||
| Date | Opponent | Opp. S&P+ Rk | Score | W-L | Win Expectancy |
Adj. Scoring Margin |
Percentile Performance |
Off. Percentile |
Def. Percentile |
| 2-Sep | Nevada | 108 | 31-20 | W | 90% | 11.6 | 72% | 64% | 67% |
| 9-Sep | at Duke | 65 | 17-41 | L | 1% | -22.2 | 13% | 24% | 16% |
| 16-Sep | Bowling Green | 109 | 49-7 | W | 100% | 44.9 | 94% | 96% | 89% |
| 30-Sep | at Wisconsin | 6 | 24-33 | L | 1% | -22.2 | 15% | 22% | 30% |
| 7-Oct | Penn State | 4 | 7-31 | L | 0% | -36.2 | 8% | 3% | 30% |
| 14-Oct | at Maryland | 114 | 37-21 | W | 99% | 21.5 | 84% | 78% | 77% |
| 21-Oct | Iowa | 49 | 17-10 | W | 89% | 11.3 | 74% | 24% | 93% |
| 28-Oct | Michigan State | 19 | 39-31 | W | 35% | -3.6 | 43% | 76% | 25% |
| 4-Nov | at Nebraska | 103 | 31-24 | W | 98% | 18.2 | 80% | 70% | 77% |
| 11-Nov | Purdue | 41 | 23-13 | W | 73% | 5.7 | 63% | 33% | 77% |
| 18-Nov | Minnesota | 97 | 39-0 | W | 100% | 35.3 | 93% | 75% | 96% |
| 25-Nov | at Illinois | 118 | 42-7 | W | 100% | 31.4 | 90% | 77% | 92% |
| 29-Dec | vs. Kentucky | 90 | 24-23 | W | 27% | -5.5 | 35% | 31% | 57% |
| Category | Offense | Rk | Defense | Rk |
| S&P+ | 26.8 | 82 | 21.9 | 23 |
| Points Per Game | 31.7 | 53 | 21.8 | 20 |
Five Factors
| Offense | Defense | |||||
| Category | Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| EFFICIENCY | Success Rate | 42.1% | 58 | 38.4% | 36 | 40.3% |
| EXPLOSIVENESS | IsoPPP | 1.02 | 120 | 1.14 | 52 | 1.17 |
| FIELD POSITION | Avg. FP | 30.3 | 47 | 30.1 | 82 | 29.6 |
| FINISHING DRIVES | Pts. Per Trip in 40 | 4.49 | 65 | 3.48 | 6 | 4.42 |
| TURNOVER MARGIN | EXPECTED | 5.2 | 26 | Turnover Luck (PPG): +0.70 |
||
| ACTUAL | 7 | 26 | ||||
Rushing
| Offense | Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| Rushing S&P+ | 98.0 | 76 | 119.4 | 20 | 100.0 |
| Rushing Success Rate | 42.4% | 69 | 36.3% | 20 | 42.2% |
| Rushing IsoPPP | 0.84 | 91 | 0.80 | 17 | 0.92 |
| Adj. Line Yards | 95.9 | 97 | 117.5 | 20 | 100.0 |
| Opportunity Rate | 37.4% | 77 | 34.4% | 27 | 38.5% |
| Power Success Rate | 63.5% | 96 | 53.7% | 7 | 67.7% |
| Stuff Rate | 17.6% | 36 | 22.8% | 30 | 19.3% |
Individual Rushing Stats
| Player | Pos. | Ht, Wt | Year | Rushes | Yards | TD | Yards/ Carry |
Hlt Yds/ Opp. |
Opp. Rate |
Fumbles (Lost) |
| Justin Jackson | RB | 5'11, 200 | SR | 287 | 1311 | 11 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 34.5% | 1 (0) |
| Jeremy Larkin | RB | 5'10, 194 | FR | 84 | 503 | 5 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 42.9% | 1 (1) |
| Clayton Thorson | QB | 6'4, 225 | JR | 57 | 232 | 8 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 31.6% | 1 (1) |
| John Moten IV | RB | 6'0, 203 | SO | 17 | 55 | 0 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 35.3% | 0 (0) |
| Matt Alviti | QB | 6'0, 204 | SR | 12 | 144 | 1 | 12.0 | 12.6 | 58.3% | 0 (0) |
| Jelani Roberts | WR | 5'8, 172 | JR | 10 | 98 | 2 | 9.8 | 3.9 | 90.0% | 1 (1) |
| Jesse Brown | RB | 5'11, 198 | FR | 9 | 64 | 2 | 7.1 | 4.3 | 55.6% | 0 (0) |
| Auston Anderson | RB | 5'9, 198 | JR | 6 | 23 | 0 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 33.3% | 0 (0) |
| Corey Acker | RB | 5'9, 188 | SR | 4 | 36 | 1 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 50.0% | 0 (0) |
| NOTE: Quarterback run totals above do not include sacks (which are counted toward pass averages below) or kneeldowns. | ||||||||||
Passing
| Offense | Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| Passing S&P+ | 101.4 | 62 | 100.6 | 62 | 100.0 |
| Passing Success Rate | 41.9% | 51 | 39.9% | 61 | 40.3% |
| Passing IsoPPP | 1.21 | 127 | 1.37 | 41 | 1.48 |
| Adj. Sack Rate | 96.4 | 77 | 89.9 | 87 | 100 |
Individual Passing Stats
| Player | Ht, Wt | Year | Comp | Att | Yards | TD | INT | Comp Rate |
Sacks | Sack Rate | Yards/ Att. |
| Clayton Thorson | 6'4, 225 | JR | 262 | 434 | 2844 | 15 | 12 | 60.4% | 30 | 6.5% | 5.7 |
| Matt Alviti | 6'0, 204 | SR | 11 | 22 | 155 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% | 1 | 4.3% | 6.7 |
| TJ Green | 6'2, 202 | SO | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 5.0 |
Individual Receiving Stats
| Player | Pos. | Ht, Wt | Year | Targets | Catches | Yards | TD | Yds/ Catch |
Yds/ Target |
Catch Rate | Success Rate | Target Rate |
| Bennett Skowronek | WR | 6'4, 218 | SO | 78 | 45 | 644 | 5 | 14.3 | 8.3 | 57.7% | 51.3% | 17.6% |
| Flynn Nagel | WR | 5'11, 194 | JR | 71 | 48 | 489 | 2 | 10.2 | 6.9 | 67.6% | 52.1% | 16.1% |
| Justin Jackson | RB | 5'11, 200 | SR | 59 | 44 | 276 | 0 | 6.3 | 4.7 | 74.6% | 32.2% | 13.3% |
| Macan Wilson | WR | 6'0, 185 | SR | 57 | 32 | 446 | 1 | 13.9 | 7.8 | 56.1% | 49.1% | 12.9% |
| Garrett Dickerson | SB | 6'3, 248 | SR | 56 | 37 | 401 | 4 | 10.8 | 7.2 | 66.1% | 53.6% | 12.7% |
| Riley Lees | WR | 6'0, 193 | FR | 36 | 18 | 235 | 2 | 13.1 | 6.5 | 50.0% | 44.4% | 8.1% |
| Cameron Green | SB | 6'3, 230 | SO | 28 | 20 | 170 | 2 | 8.5 | 6.1 | 71.4% | 53.6% | 6.3% |
| Jeremy Larkin | RB | 5'10, 194 | FR | 15 | 11 | 115 | 0 | 10.5 | 7.7 | 73.3% | 53.3% | 3.4% |
| Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman | WR | 6'2, 199 | FR | 10 | 4 | 35 | 1 | 8.8 | 3.5 | 40.0% | 30.0% | 2.3% |
| Jace James | WR | 6'0, 194 | FR | 7 | 3 | 41 | 0 | 13.7 | 5.9 | 42.9% | 42.9% | 1.6% |
| Jalen Brown | WR | 6'1, 198 | JR | 7 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 11.0 | 4.7 | 42.9% | 42.9% | 1.6% |
| Kyric McGowan | WR | 5'10, 191 | FR | 6 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 7.3 | 3.7 | 50.0% | 33.3% | 1.4% |
| Charlie Fessler | WR | 6'3, 210 | SO | 5 | 3 | 66 | 0 | 22.0 | 13.2 | 60.0% | 60.0% | 1.1% |
| Cody Link | SB | 6'3, 238 | FR | 3 | 2 | 29 | 0 | 14.5 | 9.7 | 66.7% | 66.7% | 0.7% |
| Clayton Thorson | QB | 6'4, 225 | JR | 1 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 24.0 | 24.0 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.2% |
| James Prather | SB | 6'4, 265 | JR | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.2% |
Standard Downs
| Offense | Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| Standard Downs S&P+ | 103.4 | 55 | 105.6 | 41 | 100.0 |
| Standard Downs Success Rate | 48.9% | 40 | 42.8% | 29 | 46.5% |
| Standard Downs IsoPPP | 0.98 | 106 | 1.03 | 52 | 1.07 |
| SD Line Yards per Carry | 2.89 | 69 | 2.32 | 10 | 2.92 |
| SD Sack Rate | 5.0% | 66 | 4.9% | 71 | 5.3% |
Passing Downs
| Offense | Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| Passing Downs S&P+ | 86.4 | 113 | 109.2 | 44 | 100.0 |
| Passing Downs Success Rate | 27.1% | 105 | 29.9% | 68 | 30.7% |
| Passing Downs IsoPPP | 1.22 | 128 | 1.46 | 48 | 1.53 |
| PD Line Yards per Carry | 3.48 | 41 | 3.00 | 47 | 3.22 |
| PD Sack Rate | 7.9% | 73 | 6.2% | 91 | 7.8% |
Situational
| Offense | Defense | |||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | |
| Q1 S&P+ | 85.9 | 106 | 106.4 | 45 |
| Q2 S&P+ | 113.9 | 33 | 109.3 | 45 |
| Q3 S&P+ | 99.6 | 72 | 108.8 | 40 |
| Q4 S&P+ | 112.2 | 29 | 106.7 | 39 |
| 1st Down S&P+ | 115.0 | 26 | 105.0 | 49 |
| 2nd Down S&P+ | 94.0 | 93 | 110.8 | 35 |
| 3rd Down S&P+ | 91.0 | 99 | 110.1 | 38 |
Offensive Footprint
| Team | Rk | Nat'l Average | |
| Std. Downs Run Rate | 54.4% | 93 | 60.0% |
| Pass Downs Run Rate | 39.6% | 35 | 35.3% |
| Adj. Pace | -1.3 | 35 | +0.0 |
| % of Solo Tackles | 77.2% | 34 | 73.8% |
Defensive Footprint
| Team | Rk | Nat'l Average | |
| Std. Downs Run Rate | 48.9% | 128 | 59.9% |
| Pass. Downs Run Rate | 29.2% | 113 | 35.0% |
| Overall Havoc Rate | 20.1% | 10 | 16.0% |
| DL Havoc Rate | 7.2% | 18 | 4.9% |
| LB Havoc Rate | 5.7% | 28 | 4.4% |
| DB Havoc Rate | 7.1% | 46 | 6.5% |
| PD to INC | 35.4% | 53 | 33.9% |
Individual Defensive Stats
| Name | Pos | Ht, Wt | Year | Tackles | TFL (Sacks) | Run Stuffs* | Int (PBU) | FF | Succ. Rate** |
| Paddy Fisher | LB | 6'4, 245 | FR | 89.0 | 9 (0) | 18 | 1 (3) | 4 | 35.4% |
| Godwin Igwebuike | S | 6'0, 212 | SR | 64.5 | 1.5 (0) | 7 | 2 (9) | 1 | 64.0% |
| Nate Hall | LB | 6'2, 230 | JR | 64.0 | 16.5 (5) | 12 | 2 (6) | 0 | 26.6% |
| Montre Hartage | CB | 6'0, 195 | JR | 53.0 | 2 (0) | 2 | 3 (7) | 1 | 82.5% |
| Brett Walsh | LB | 6'1, 220 | SR | 51.5 | 3.5 (1) | 3 | 0 (1) | 0 | 44.8% |
| Kyle Queiro | S | 6'3, 220 | SR | 46.0 | 5.5 (0) | 7 | 5 (9) | 1 | 60.7% |
| Joe Gaziano | DL | 6'4, 280 | SO | 30.0 | 12.5 (9) | 11 | 0 (5) | 4 | 13.9% |
| Tyler Lancaster | DL | 6'4, 315 | SR | 27.0 | 9.5 (2) | 14 | 0 (1) | 0 | 7.5% |
| Blake Gallagher | LB | 6'1, 221 | FR | 24.5 | 1 (0) | 6 | 0 (0) | 0 | 33.3% |
| Samdup Miller | DL | 6'3, 261 | FR | 24.0 | 8.5 (5.5) | 4 | 0 (1) | 0 | 18.8% |
| Alonzo Mayo | DB | 5'11, 188 | SO | 24.0 | 0.5 (0) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 72.4% |
| Jared McGee | S | 6'1, 220 | JR | 21.5 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 (1) | 1 | 73.9% |
| Alex Miller | DL | 6'3, 280 | SO | 18.0 | 4.5 (2) | 5 | 0 (5) | 0 | 22.7% |
| Warren Long | LB | 6'0, 218 | SR | 17.5 | 3 (1) | 2 | 0 (0) | 2 | 50.0% |
| Jordan Thompson | DL | 6'3, 290 | JR | 17.0 | 4.5 (2.5) | 8 | 0 (1) | 1 | 23.1% |
| Marcus McShepard | DB | 5'11, 200 | SR | 16.5 | 1 (0) | 2 | 1 (2) | 0 | 68.8% |
| Trae Williams | DB | 6'0, 212 | SO | 14.5 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (3) | 1 | 85.7% |
| Trent Goens | DL | 6'3, 254 | SO | 12.0 | 5.5 (4) | 3 | 0 (0) | 0 | 21.4% |
| Fred Wyatt | DL | 6'4, 290 | JR | 10.0 | 1.5 (0) | 2 | 0 (0) | 0 | 33.3% |
| Chris Bergin | LB | 5'11, 200 | FR | 10.0 | 1 (0) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 62.5% |
| Corey Acker | RB | 5'9, 188 | SR | 8.5 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 | ||
| Nathan Fox | LB | 6'2, 230 | SO | 8.0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 62.5% |
| Ben Oxley | DL | 6'6, 286 | JR | 7.5 | 0 (0) | 2 | 0 (0) | 1 | 27.3% |
| Moe Almasri | DB | 5'11, 180 | SR | 6.0 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 | ||
| Joe Bergin | DB | 5'11, 200 | SO | 5.5 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 66.7% |
* Stuffs are rushes stopped at or behind the line. They are not necessarily tackles for loss (since they include zero-yard gains), so adding sacks and stuffs won't necessarily equal TFLs. Also: the figure is based on how many stuffs a tackler has taken part in -- solo tackles and assist tackles count for the same amount.
** For defenders, Success Rate is defined as the offense's success rate on plays in which the defender made a tackle. The lower the number, the better for the defender. On average, due to proximity to the line of scrimmage, defensive linemen will produce lower success rates than linebackers, who producer lower rates than defensive backs.
Special Teams
| Rating | Rank | |
| Special Teams S&P+ | -0.1 | 77 |
| Category | Rate | Rank |
| FG Value (per kick) | 0.10 | 54 |
| Punt Success Rate | 61.8% | 45 |
| Kickoff Success Rate | 58.8% | 116 |
| Punt Return Success Rate | 38.5% | 91 |
| Kick Return Success Rate | 28.0% | 124 |
| Place-Kicker | Ht, Wt | Year | PAT | FG | Pct |
| Charlie Kuhbander | 6'0, 189 | FR | 43-44 | 13-16 | 81.3% |
| Makay Redd | 6'1, 252 | SR | 2-2 | 0-0 | #DIV/0! |
| Punter | Ht, Wt | Year | Punts | Avg | TB | FC | I20 | FC/I20 Ratio |
| Hunter Niswander | 6'5, 243 | SR | 67 | 43.0 | 3 | 20 | 19 | 58.2% |
| Daniel Kubiuk | 6'1, 210 | JR | 2 | 36.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Kicker | Ht, Wt | Year | Kickoffs | Avg | TB | TB% | OOB | Fair Catches |
Onside Att |
Onside Success |
| Luke Otto | 5'8, 220 | SR | 68 | 59.0 | 20 | 29.4% | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Punt Returner | Ht, Wt | Year | Returns | Avg. | TD | Fair Catch | Fumbles (Lost) |
| Riley Lees | 6'0, 193 | FR | 8 | 9.8 | 0 | 11 | 1 (0) |
| Flynn Nagel | 5'11, 194 | JR | 5 | 3.2 | 0 | 14 | 0 (0) |
| Marcus McShepard | 5'11, 200 | SR | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 (0) |
| Kick Returner | Ht, Wt | Year | Returns | Avg. | TD | Fair Catch | Fumbles (Lost) |
| Riley Lees | 6'0, 193 | FR | 11 | 20.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 (0) |
| John Moten IV | 6'0, 203 | SO | 9 | 16.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 (0) |
| Jeremy Larkin | 5'10, 194 | FR | 4 | 22.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 (0) |
| Tackler | Pos | Ht, Wt | Year | ST Tackles | PR Avg | KR Avg |
| Blake Gallagher | LB | 6'1, 221 | FR | 9.0 | 12.5 | 18.3 |
| Corey Acker | RB | 5'9, 188 | SR | 8.5 | 4.0 | 21.5 |
| Moe Almasri | DB | 5'11, 180 | SR | 6.0 | -1.0 | 24.3 |
| Joe Bergin | DB | 5'11, 200 | SO | 3.5 | 19.0 | |
| Jared McGee | S | 6'1, 220 | JR | 3.0 | 18.0 |
Stats via SportSource Analytics