B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

[BDawg35]

2029 STANDINGS, RANKINGS, HEISMAN UPDATES

Big Ten Conference standings




National rankings






1. TYRON STANFORD, West Virginia, QB, rSoph.
2029 stats: 156-for-222, 2,576 yards, 21 TD, 4 int.; 86 carries, 325 yards, 6 TD

2. DAVID CUTRERA, Clemson, QB, rFr.
2029 stats: 161-for-227, 2,278 yards, 23 TD, 3 int.; 48 carries, 225 yards, 3 TD

3. DAMION KERRIGAN, Texas Christian, WR, Sr.
2029 stats: 53 catches, 1,009 yards, 12 TD; 9 carries, 51 yards, 2 TD

4. NAZIR KUSH, Northwestern, HB, Sr.
2029 stats: 190 carries, 933 yards, 11 TD; 5 catches, 44 yards, 0 TD

5. KEILAN FORSETT, Clemson, WR, Jr.
2029 stats: 35 catches, 671 yards, 10 TD; 11 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD

[BDawg35]

CLASS OF 2030 RECRUITING UPDATE





CRUSHIN’ ’CROOTIN’
Northwestern’s 5-star haul up to 7
after 3 more elite recruits commit

EVANSTON, Ill. — At this rate, there won’t be many elite defensive players left for the rest of the country to recruit.

Northwestern is piling up an embarrassment of riches on the defensive side of the ball, adding three more five-star players to its haul.

The Wildcats have a commitment from the No. 1-ranked cornerback and second overall player in the country, Jabu Newcomb of West Point, Miss. They also landed the second-ranked middle linebacker and No. 10 overall player, Ricardo Rustin of Fayetteville, N.C.

And yet another five-star defensive end has joined the mix in Deandre Stumph of Louisville, Ky. Stumph is the seventh-rated right end and 29th overall player in this recruiting cycle.

Northwestern previously landed five-star defensive ends Aiden McKnight, Eric Kuhn and Austin Monty, along with five-star offensive tackle Thomas Pifer.

The Wildcats have seven of the top 29 recruits in the country.

B-Dawg had never signed a five-star prospect until McKnight’s commitment. This is B-Dawg’s sixth recruiting cycle.

Newcomb chose Northwestern over Mississippi and Tulane, while Rustin chose the Wildcats over Georgia and North Carolina State.

“Defense has already been a strong suit for us ever since I came here,” B-Dawg said. “If I don’t change my sliders or bump up to Heisman mode, the CPU may never score a point against us the next several years.”

With seven five-star recruits, Northwestern has more than the other six teams among the top seven-rated classes combined. Those teams have combined for five, but the Wildcats rank only fifth because they have fewer total recruits so far.

Four-star players would normally headline a Northwestern recruiting class, but now they are just part of the depth. The offensive line added two four-star prospects in center Hayden DiMarco of South Bend, Ind. and tackle Juan Gore of Fishers, Ind. Gore is the fifth-ranked right tackle and Gore is the 11th-ranked center.

There is potential to add yet another five-star prospect to the defensive line, this time in the middle. Defensive tackle J.T. McHugh of Mashpee, Pa. has Northwestern ranked No. 1 on his list and has a Week 11 visit scheduled. The nation’s third-rated defensive tackle is also visiting Syracuse in Week 10 and Penn State in Week 12.

[tarheelguy4736]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Your Defense is going to be solid for the next few years with all of those 5* recruits!

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Your Defense is going to be solid for the next few years with all of those 5* recruits!

It's going to be insane! I've had good luck with defensive linemen so far in this dynasty, and none of them were five-star guys. I can see I may have to move someone to outside linebacker or defensive tackle to keep everyone happy and all that talent on the field at once.

[BDawg35]

2029 SEASON - GAME 8




Northwestern cornerback Soni Motuapuaka intercepts a Hail Mary in the end zone on the final play.


Northwestern running back Prince Hoke runs for the winning touchdown with 32 seconds left.


The winning touchdown was set up by Andres Nickey’s 52-yard catch on the first play of the drive.


Caden Curl hauls in a 75-yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds left to give USC a 38-35 lead.


J.C. Cantwell grabs an 11-yard touchdown pass to give Northwestern a 35-31 lead with 1:01 left in the game.


Tua Tuitele scores on a 1-yard run to give USC a 31-28 lead with 3:46 left.


Northwestern’s Nazir Kush ran 27 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns.


Northwestern’s Andres Nickey caught 11 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown.


USC receiver Caden Curl caught six passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns.


USC receiver Jesse Najvar caught three passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns.


USC quarterback Tyrell Thomas was 23-for-33 for 452 yards, four touchdowns and one pick.


Northwestern’s David Diggs sacks USC quarterback Tyrell Thomas on third-and-goal from the 4-yard line, forcing
the Trojans to settle for a field goal.

FIREWORKS SHOW
Northwestern, USC combine to score
five touchdowns in last 6:54 of game

LOS ANGELES — When the last pass was soaring through the air, B-Dawg held his breath.

A Hail Mary rarely works, but B-Dawg was bracing himself for the worst after watching USC quarterback Tyrell Thomas torch his Northwestern defense with deep ball after deep ball throughout the afternoon.

The ball made its way into a maze of players, most of them Northwestern defenders who had dropped back in a prevent defense.

B-Dawg could exhale when the ball wound up in the hands of cornerback Soni Motuapuaka for an interception on the final play of the game that sealed top-ranked Northwestern’s wild 42-38 victory over 19th-ranked USC on Oct. 27, 2029.

“The way they lit us up with deep balls today, I fully expected them to complete that final pass,” B-Dawg said. “I finally had the right defense called, which isn’t exactly rocket science when it’s prevent time.”

Thomas threw touchdown passes of 29, 68, 50 and 75 yards over Northwestern defenders, finishing 23-for-33 for 452 yards, four touchdowns and one pick. Four of USC’s five touchdown drives took four plays or less.

The Wildcats extended their winning streak to seven games by emerging on top from a crazy scoring spree in the fourth quarter. The teams combined for three touchdowns in a 29-second span during the final 1:01 and five in the last 6:54, exchanging the lead five times.

Backup Northwestern running back Prince Hoke began the fireworks with a 1-yard touchdown run with 6:54 left to give the Wildcats a 28-24 lead and ended it with a 4-yard game-winning touchdown run with 32 seconds remaining.

In between USC took a 31-28 lead on its only short touchdown, a 1-yard run on a direct snap to running back Tua Tuitele with 3:46 left; Northwestern went back on top on an 11-yard pass to J.C. Cantwell with 1:01 remaining; and the Trojans quickly regained the lead at 38-35 on a 75-yard bomb to Caden Curl with 49 seconds on the clock.

Northwestern called for a fair catch on the kickoff following Curl’s touchdown, hoping to preserve as many ticks as possible, while also knowing they were very unlikely to return the ball past the 25-yard line.

The Wildcats aren’t equipped to hit the deep ball like USC, so B-Dawg figured he would need a series of 10- to 15-yard passes and would have to exhaust all three remaining timeouts along the way.

Northwestern connected on a rare deep shot on its first play, with freshman Andres Nickey hauling in a 52-yard pass to the USC 23-yard line with 43 seconds remaining. B-Dawg dialed up a play he uses often for drag routes, but took a chance on a streak to Nickey, who was in single coverage with no safety help.

“That was the play of the game,” B-Dawg said. “We probably don’t score if we don’t hit that shot. We could’ve tied it with a field goal, but we would’ve needed to get down around their 20 for a realistic shot at making one as bad as I am with this meter.”

Eating up 52 yards quickly allowed Northwestern to run its short-passing game, then its run game to get in position for Hoke to cap a four-play, 75-yard drive that took only 17 seconds. Ridiculous injury timeouts ensure the Wildcats didn’t have to burn timeouts along the way, but also left USC with enough time to get close enough for a final Hail Mary.

Hoke finished with 14 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns after being limited to 23 carries over the previous four games. B-Dawg put wear and tear back on, which resulted in starter Nazir Kush checking out for most of the fourth quarter with the uniquely EA Sports injury of elbow bursitis.

Kush ran 27 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Nickey had 11 catches for 177 yards and a touchdown

Vernon Starr had his best game to date, going 29-for-36 for 354 yards and two touchdowns.

A play that might get overlooked in all the fireworks late in the game was a sack by David Diggs on third-and-goal from the 4-yard line that forced USC to settle for a field goal midway through the third quarter. The Trojans went up 24-14 with the kick before Northwestern took its first lead with two straight touchdowns.

Northwestern held Tuitele, a 90 OVR halfback, to 18 yards on 11 carries.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Calvin Claybrooks 11 pancakes, 2 sacks; Hunter Schilens 6-0; Cornell Kafka 6-0; Nate Barr 5-0; Josh Stephen 4-0; Alex Estes 4-0; Deon Barry 3-0; Montrell Murray 2-0; Dell Choice 1-0; Nick Stoddard 1-0; Brady Ellington 1-0.



Big Ten Conference standings




College Football Playoff rankings

[BDawg35]

CLASS OF 2030 RECRUITING UPDATE



Yet another 5-star D-lineman commits
to Northwestern’s 2030 recruiting class

EVANSTON, Ill. — Yeah, now it’s just getting stupid.

Another week on the recruiting trail has brought another five-star defensive lineman to Northwestern, this time a tackle.

The nation’s third-ranked defensive tackle, J.T. McHugh of Mashpee, Mass., has joined a scary-good Northwestern recruiting class of 2030.

McHugh is the 31st-ranked player in the country overall, giving the Wildcats an astounding eight of the top 31 players in the nation. They never recruited a single top-31 player before this season.

McHugh is a 6-foot-1, 287-pound speed rusher who chose Northwestern over Penn State and Syracuse.

Even though he’s “only” a four-star, halfback Joey Scioli of Weare, N.H. is a key get for the Wildcats to replenish a position that has only three players (all seniors) this season. Northwestern now has two halfbacks among its 13 commits. B-Dawg hopes to recruit at least four, hopefully five, because of the impact of wear and tear in College Football 25.

Scioli is the 41st-ranked halfback and 396th-ranked player overall in the Class of 2030. He is an elusive back who chose Northwestern over Boston College and Boise State.


NORTHWESTERN’S CLASS OF 2030 RECRUITS

JABU NEWCOMB, CB-1; 5-11, 191; West Point, Miss.; No. 2 overall; 5 stars
AIDEN McKNIGHT, RE-1; 6-4, 281; Middle Village, N.Y.; No. 4 overall; 5 stars
RICARDO RUSTON, MLB-2; 6-0, 237; Fayetteville, N.C.; No. 10 overall; 5 stars
AUSTIN MONTY, RE-4; 6-6, 274; Grand Blanc, Mich.; No. 15 overall; 5 stars
ERIC KUHN, RE-5; 6-6, 243; Des Plaines, Ill.; No. 17 overall; 5 stars
THOMAS PIFER, RT-1; 6-5, 329; Batavia, Ill.; No. 18 overall; 5 stars
DEANDRE STUMPH, RE-7; 6-5, 259; Louisville, Ky.; No. 29 overall; 5 stars
J.T. McHUGH, DT-3; 6-1, 287; Mashpee, Mass.; No. 31 overall; 5 stars
JUAN GORE, RT-5; 6-8, 328; Fishers, Ind.; No. 68 overall; 4 stars
STAN BARON, HB-20; 6-0, 197; Barberton, Ohio; No. 233 overall; 4 stars
HAYDEN DiMARCO, C-11; 6-4, 282; South Bend, Ind.; No. 368 overall; 4 stars
JOEY SCIOLI, HB-41; 6-0, 207; Weare, N.H.; No. 396 overall; 4 stars
BRIAN CUMMINGS, DT-70; 6-1, 321; Oak Lawn, Ill.; No, 1,445 overall; 3 stars

[redsox907]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

That defensive line is going to eat quarterbacks holy cow. Plus you've got a lock down corner in the back to clean up the miss throws from the pressure.

Also, huge win over USC. Those games where the CPU seemingly completes every deep throw are frustrating during, but very satisfying to finally get out with the W

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

That defensive line is going to eat quarterbacks holy cow. Plus you've got a lock down corner in the back to clean up the miss throws from the pressure.

Also, huge win over USC. Those games where the CPU seemingly completes every deep throw are frustrating during, but very satisfying to finally get out with the W

I'm going to have so much talent at DE that I think I may have to move some to OLB to get them all on the field and keep them happy.

Those deep balls are particularly frustrating for me because I have shown little to no ability to throw deep. The CPU has a four-play drive, then I have to grind out a 15-play drive. If something goes wrong along the way, I'm in trouble.

[BDawg35]

2029 FIRST AWARDS WATCH LIST


Northwestern’s Nazir Kush ranks first for Best Running Back on the first awards watch list of 2029.

Inclusion of some Northwestern players
on first ’29 awards watch list is baffling

B-Dawg can’t think of a single significant play Josh Stephen, George Dennis, Larry Tamm or Montell Feeley have made for Northwestern’s football team this season.

But there they are anyway, showing up on the first awards watch list of the 2029 season.

User-controlled teams seem to have an unfair advantage in some awards and find it nearly impossible to win others.

Apparently, it doesn’t take much for a player from a user team to make the watch list for the Best Defensive Back (Thorpe) and Best Linebacker (Butkus) awards.

Four of the top five on the Butkus list and five of the top eight for the Thorpe are Northwestern Wildcats.

It makes sense that someone like David Diggs ranks first for the Butkus, Jayvon Hope is first for the Thorpe or Nazir Kush is first for Best Running Back. You notice those guys nearly every single game. But others are baffling.

Northwestern even has Stephen at No. 9 on the Best Tight End list, even though he rarely gets the ball.

Following are the top three players and any Northwestern Wildcats who made the initial awards watch list:

COACH OF THE YEAR
1. Lamar Davis, Alabama-Birmingham
2. Gabe Firth, Hawaii
3. Brian Powers, Connecticut

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1. David Cutrera, Clemson, QB, rFr.
2. Damion Kerrigan, TCU, WR, Sr.
3 Soma Duff, Arkansas, QB, rSoph.
5. Nazir Kush, Northwestern, HB, Sr.

BEST QUARTERBACK
1. David Cutrera, Clemson, rFr.
2. Soma Duff, Arkansas, rSoph.
3. Tyron Stanford, West Virginia, rSoph.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER
1. Tayquon Granger, Notre Dame, DE, rJr.
2. David Diggs, Northwestern, OLB, Jr.
3. Markus Sandland, Kentucky, DE, rSr.

BEST DEFENSIVE BACK
1. Jayvon Hope, Northwestern, CB, rJr.
2. Soni Motuapuaka, Northwestern, CB, rSr.
3. Lamar Bakhtiari, Northwestern, SS, rSr.
7. Montell Feeley, Northwestern, FS, rJr.
8. Larry Tamm, Northwestern, CB, rSoph.

BEST RUNNING BACK
1. Nazir Kush, Northwestern, Sr.
2. Prince Hoke, Northwestern, Sr.
3. Nick Gumbs, Notre Dame, rJr.

BEST RECEIVER
1. Damion Kerrigan, TCU, Sr.
2. Byron Gallimore, Alabama, rJr.
3. Keilan Forsett, Clemson, Jr.

LOMBARDI AWARD
1. Tayquon Granger, Notre Dame, DE, rJr.
2. Jeremiah Hagans, Oregon, DT, rSr.
3. Markus Sandland, Kentucky, DE, rSr.

UNITAS GOLDEN ARM
1. Finau Toilolo, Texas A&M, rSr.
2. James Feliz, Oregon, rSr.
3. Marquis Fontaine, South Carolina, rSr.

BEST DEFENSIVE END
1. Tayquon Granger, Notre Dame, DE, rJr.
2. Markus Sandland, Kentucky, DE, rSr.
3. Al Perkins, Hawaii, DE, Jr.

BEST INTERIOR LINEMAN
1. Rico Estandia, Texas, OG, rSr.
2. Jose Ordonez, Texas, OG, rJr.
3. Monte Falah, Alabama, OG, rSr.

BEST TIGHT END
1. Juan Tubbs, Oregon, rSoph.
2. Jim Vernon, Arkansas, rJr.
3. Spencer McManis, Michigan, rJr.
9. Josh Stephen, Northwestern, rSr.

BROYLES AWARD
1. Justin Wilson, Alabama-Birmingham, OC
2. Dan Toone, Alabama-Birmingham, DC
3. Matt Bailey, Connecticut, OC

BEST LINEBACKER
1. David Diggs, Northwestern, OLB, Jr.
2. Leati Ursua, Alabama-Birmingham, OLB, Sr.
3. Tavon Lenon, Northwestern, MLB, Jr.
4. Carl Sermon, Northwestern, OLB, rJr.
5. George Dennis, Northwestern, OLB, rJr.

BEST CENTER
1. Soma Pulutau, USC, Sr.
2. Jake Graves, Auburn, rSr.
3. Pat Wilkes, South Carolina, rSr.

LOU GROZA
1. George Soriano, Memphis, rSr.
2. Brian Coat, Army, Sr.
3. Quan Burgess, Liberty, Sr.

RAY GUY
1. Dom Mooney, Eastern Michigan, rSr.
2. Rico Bakhtiari, Oregon State, rSoph.
3. Jamie Pead, Arkansas State, Sr.

BEST RETURNER
1. Keilan Forsett, Clemson, WR, Jr.
2. Alex Dishman, Arkansas State, HB, Soph.
3. Baraka Adeyemi, North Carolina State, rJr.

[BDawg35]

2029 SEASON - GAME 9




Michigan quarterback Dashaun Dunsmore was 17-for-17 for 398 yards and four touchdowns to start the game
— and it wasn’t even halftime yet.


These are not final passing numbers. These are what Michigan and Northwestern racked up through the air by
halftime.


Michigan receiver Ronald Freitas, who is only 66 OVR, caught three passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.


Michigan receiver Jake Bean caught five passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.


Michigan's Nathan Ramczyk leaves Northwestern’s Montell Feeley in his wake on a 72-yard touchdown run.


Treyvon York completed the scoring for Michigan with a 23-yard touchdown run.


Northwestern’s Andres Nickey set dynasty records with 214 receiving yards and an 89-yard touchdown catch.


Northwestern’s J.C. Cantwell caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown.


Northwestern backup running back Prince Hoke catches a 10-yard touchdown pass.

HELP WANTED: NOW!!!
Michigan shreds Northwestern defense
that’s suddenly hemorrhaging big plays

EVANSTON, Ill. — All those five-star defensive studs who have committed to Northwestern can’t get on campus soon enough.

The Wildcats’ defense is sudden hemorrhaging big play after big play, jeopardizing Northwestern’s chances of winning another Big Ten Conference championship and returning to the national title game.

Fourth-ranked Michigan lit up Northwestern for five touchdowns of 47 yards or longer, including three of at least 72 yards, during a 59-35 victory over the top-ranked Wildcats on Nov. 3, 2029.

In the last two games, Northwestern has allowed eight touchdowns of 47 yards or longer and 97 points in a victory over USC and a loss to Michigan.

Northwestern’s recruiting Class of 2030 has so far netted seven five-star defensive players, including five on the defensive line. The Wildcats also have the top-ranked cornerback in their recruiting class.

Those guys could step on the field right now as high school seniors and do a better job of stopping opposing quarterbacks than the current Wildcats have the last two weeks.

Last week, Tyrell Thomas of USC was 23-for-33 for 452 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on a Hail Mary to end the game.

Michigan fifth-year senior Deshaun Dunsmore was in full-on robo-QB mode, putting up video game numbers by completing his first 17 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns before intentionally throwing the ball away late in the first half. He had 248 yards and three touchdown passes in the first quarter alone.

Dunsmore was able to operate in a bubble, as the Wildcats didn’t sack him once or even come close. Against USC, they had two sacks.

“Quarterbacks might as well be playing 7-on-7 against us,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “We aren’t coming close to putting pressure on them. I thought I might have to toughen up my sliders when my five-star guys arrive, because we’ve generally played pretty good defense, but we’re going to rely on those guys to get us back to where we’ve been in recent years on the defensive side of the ball. I don’t know what’s happened, but we’re in trouble if we don’t get our act together.”

Forced to keep up, Northwestern quarterback was able to match Dunsmore for a while, but couldn’t make it last. A Wildcat passing game that struggles to hit the deep ball connected for three long touchdowns on passes of 86 and 89 yards to freshman Andres Nickey and 53 yards to sophomore J.C. Cantwell. Starr was 11-for-18 for 300 yards and three touchdowns by halftime, as Michigan held a 31-21 lead.

Dunsmore cooled off and Michigan went back to its running roots in the second half, as he was only 5-for-8 for 57 yards and one touchdown in the second half. However, Nathan Ramczyk broke off a 72-yard touchdown run and Treyvon York had a 23-yarder in the second half to expand the lead.

Starr went 20-for-38 for 385 yards and three touchdowns, but was pulled after throwing a pick-six to Bret Brent with 6:28 left in the game.

In less than a quarter of action, redshirt freshman Kristian Brown chucked the ball 25 times, completing 12 passes for 181 yards and his first two career touchdown passes. Combined, Northwestern's quarterbacks threw for 566 yards.

Nickey set dynasty records with 214 receiving yards and an 89-yard touchdown catch. He also had an 86-yard touchdown catch that tied the previous dynasty record. Cantwell wasn’t too far behind with 181 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches.

Forced to keep up through the air, Northwestern wasn’t able to help running back Nazir Kush’s Heisman candidacy. He had 67 yards and no touchdowns on only 13 carries.

Michigan is the defending national champion and carries an 89 OVR team rating, but the receiver who did the most damage was 66 OVR sophomore Ronald Freitas. All three of Freitas’ catches went for touchdowns totaling 133 yards.

An offense can’t operate with great play up front. Fifth-year senior center Sam Knight, who is 90 OVR, had 18 pancakes for Michigan.

Northwestern fell to 7-2 overall, but is still in good shape in the Big Ten Conference at 5-1, good for a share of first place with Oregon. Northwestern beat Oregon head-to-head. Michigan (7-2 overall) is in third at 4-2.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Alex Estes 6 pancakes, 0 sacks; Deon Barry 6-1; Hunter Schilens 4-0; Calvin Claybrooks 2-0; Cornell Kafka 2-0; Josh Stephen 2-0; Montrell Murray 2-0.


Big Ten Conference standings




College Football Playoff rankings

[BDawg35]

CLASS OF 2030 RECRUITING UPDATE



Receiver commits to Northwestern
after aerial circus against Michigan

Northwestern’s dreadful defensive performance during a 59-35 loss to Michigan may have scared away some recruits, but Jamie Stack saw plenty to like.

Stack is a wide receiver, so he wants in on some of that action after seeing the Wildcats pass for 566 yards.

It was a huge day for Northwestern receivers, with Andres Nickey setting a dynasty record with 214 receiving yards and J.C. Cantwell racking up 181 of his own.

Stack is a four-star recruit from Louisville, Ky. who is the 31st-ranked wide receiver in the nation and 274th overall recruit. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound Stack is known as a physical receiver.

Northwestern won the recruiting battle for Stack in a class battle with Kentucky. Pittsburgh was a distant third.


NORTHWESTERN’S CLASS OF 2030 RECRUITS

JABU NEWCOMB, CB-1; 5-11, 191; West Point, Miss.; No. 2 overall; 5 stars
AIDEN McKNIGHT, RE-1; 6-4, 281; Middle Village, N.Y.; No. 4 overall; 5 stars
RICARDO RUSTON, MLB-2; 6-0, 237; Fayetteville, N.C.; No. 10 overall; 5 stars
AUSTIN MONTY, RE-4; 6-6, 274; Grand Blanc, Mich.; No. 15 overall; 5 stars
ERIC KUHN, RE-5; 6-6, 243; Des Plaines, Ill.; No. 17 overall; 5 stars
THOMAS PIFER, RT-1; 6-5, 329; Batavia, Ill.; No. 18 overall; 5 stars
DEANDRE STUMPH, RE-7; 6-5, 259; Louisville, Ky.; No. 29 overall; 5 stars
J.T. McHUGH, DT-3; 6-1, 287; Mashpee, Mass.; No. 31 overall; 5 stars
JUAN GORE, RT-5; 6-8, 328; Fishers, Ind.; No. 68 overall; 4 stars
STAN BARON, HB-20; 6-0, 197; Barberton, Ohio; No. 233 overall; 4 stars
JAMIE STACK, WR-31; 6-3, 207; Louisville, Ky.; No. 274 overall; 4 stars
HAYDEN DiMARCO, C-11; 6-4, 282; South Bend, Ind.; No. 368 overall; 4 stars
JOEY SCIOLI, HB-41; 6-0, 207; Weare, N.H.; No. 396 overall; 4 stars
BRIAN CUMMINGS, DT-70; 6-1, 321; Oak Lawn, Ill.; No, 1,445 overall; 3 stars

[redsox907]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

I think a few of those defenders need to reclassify and suit up next week to help with the playoff push lol hopefully the cpu cools off by playoff time and the defense rounds into form

on the bright side, you were able to air it out pretty well trying to catch up. Encouraging sign for the passing game going forward if you get in another shootout

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

I think a few of those defenders need to reclassify and suit up next week to help with the playoff push lol hopefully the cpu cools off by playoff time and the defense rounds into form

on the bright side, you were able to air it out pretty well trying to catch up. Encouraging sign for the passing game going forward if you get in another shootout

As that game was going along, I wasn't totally upset because I was finally able to hit some deep balls - and against a team like Michigan, too! I think I've had one TD pass of 80-yards-plus in this whole dynasty before getting two in that game. My outside receivers are both young have 95 SPD, so maybe I just needed some guys who can get some separation. We will be experimenting with the passing game in what should be an easy matchup with Minnesota.

[BDawg35]

2029 SEASON - GAME 10




Nazir Kush ran for a dynasty-record four touchdowns, capped by a 75-yarder.


Receiver J.C. Cantwell set a Northwestern dynasty record with 220 receiving yards.


Tight end Josh Stephen scores his first touchdown in two years at Northwestern.


Running back Prince Hoke catches a touchdown pass.


Receiver Andres Nickey makes a 44-yard catch along the sideline.


Minnesota receiver Jamie Jaimes is in the clear for a 48-yard touchdown.


Backup Minnesota running back Adrian Kriewaldt caught 10 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

KUSH GETS HIS
Three individual dynasty records fall
as Northwestern rolls past Gophers

EVANSTON, Ill. — B-Dawg went into Northwestern’s game against Minnesota looking to determine if the deep-passing game that worked so well against Michigan could torch a weaker Golden Gophers secondary.

But while B-Dawg was obsessed with the passing game, running back Nazir Kush still had room to shine and keep his name in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

Kush carried the ball 23 times for 147 yards and a dynasty-record four touchdowns during No. 8 Northwestern’s 52-38 victory over Minnesota on Nov. 10, 2029.

His first three touchdowns were on runs of four yards or less, but his 75-yarder with 7:56 left in the game sufficiently padded his rushing stats.

“Nazir is more of a power back, so he doesn’t get a lot of explosive runs,” B-Dawg said. “When he does, it’s usually late in the game when the other defense is tired. I’m just glad to see him stick around for the fourth quarter. He usually checks out by then, but his workload wasn’t as heavy today.”

Kush also broke the real-life Northwestern record for career rushing touchdowns. He has 43 touchdowns on the ground in 44 games, eclipsing the mark of 41 set by Justin Jackson from 2014-17. Kush has run 1,053 times for 4,851 yards, putting the 5,000-yard milestone squarely in his sights.

The 75-yard run was part of Northwestern’s 612 yards of total offense, most of which took place in the passing game.

While Kush was setting the dynasty record for touchdown runs, sophomores Vernon Starr and J.C. Cantwell were setting them through the air. Starr threw for 427 yards, going 20-for-27, to break the mark of 413 yards set by Ryan Boe at Michigan on Oct. 7, 2028. Cantwell caught seven passes for 220 yards and a touchdown, eclipsing the 214 receiving yards freshman Andres Nickey had just one week earlier.

“I really wanted to see if we actually have something in the deep-passing game,” B-Dawg said. “I figured if we could do it against Michigan, we can do it against Minnesota. Having 95 SPD in our two outside receivers definitely helps in that regard.”

Northwestern (8-2) built a 28-7 lead, then nearly squandered much of it before halftime. The Wildcats forced the Golden Gophers to settle for two field goals at the end of promising drives in the final 1:12 of the first half.

Leading 49-25 midway through the fourth quarter, B-Dawg put in his backups. His backup defensive players showed why they’re backups, allowing two touchdown drives in which Minnesota (1-9) faced little resistance.

“I told my wife after the game, I don’t want to hear anyone on defense complaining about a lack of playing time after the way they ended that game,” B-Dawg said. “Yes, I actually said that to her.”

Coming into the game, B-Dawg was terrified to go up against running back Jamal Qualls, who has 98 SPD. The Golden Gophers failed to exploit him, perhaps because they were down so quickly, giving him the ball only nine times for 57 yards.

Backup running back Adrian Kriewaldt didn’t run the ball, but is somehow on the field as a receiver. He caught 10 passes for 172 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Northwestern tight end Josh Stephen caught his first touchdown catch as a Wildcat. He had six as a freshman and three as a sophomore at Oregon State. He has only 15 catches for 203 yards in two years at Northwestern.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Cornell Kafka 8 pancakes, 0 sacks; Brady Ellington 7-0; Deon Barry 4-0; Trayvon Riggins 4-0; Alex Estes 3-0; Hunter Schilens 3-0; Calvin Claybrooks 2-0; Nate Barr 1-0; J.D. Amatova 1-0; Dionte Hicks 1-0; Montrell Murray 1-0; Nick Stoddard 1-0; J.C. Cantwell 1-0.


Big Ten Conference standings




College Football Playoff rankings

[BDawg35]

CAREER TD PASS RECORD BROKEN



South Carolina quarterback breaks
career record for touchdown passes

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Major college football has a new all-time career leader in touchdown passes.

South Carolina’s Marquise Fontaine broke the record when he threw for five touchdowns in a 38-27 victory over Oklahoma on Nov. 10, 2029.

Fontaine has thrown 159 touchdowns against only 32 interceptions during his four years as a starter. He broke the real-life mark of 155 shared by Dillon Gabriel of Central Florida and Oregon (2019-24) and Case Keenum of Houston (2007-11).

Cam Ward threw 158 career touchdown passes for three schools, but the first 71 were thrown for Incarnate Word, which doesn’t play at the FBS level.

Fontaine threw 35 touchdown passes in 2026, 42 in 2027, 43 in 2028 and 39 so far in 2029. He has amassed 15,025 passing yards.

The fifth-year senior was a four-star prospect out of Louisville, Ga. He is rated 90 OVR with 91 THP and 91 THA.

Against Oklahoma, he went 26-for-35 for 337 yards, five touchdowns and no picks.