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

[BDawg35]

Indiana’s George Mangum caught six passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.


Indiana’s Deacon Williams intercepts a pass.


Indiana linebacker Russell Littlejohn picks off a pass intended for running back Stan Baron.


Northwestern’s Andres Nickey caught five passes for 80 yards.

SHOCKER IN EVANSTON!
Lowly Indiana hands Northwestern
first loss in 10th game of 2030 season

EVANSTON, Ill. — It was a classic case of foot-in-mouth syndrome.

Following a victory at the Big House on Oct. 12, 2030, Northwestern coach B-Dawg made a rookie mistake by providing bulletin-board material for his upcoming opposition.

“We won’t take anyone for granted,” B-Dawg said after the Wildcats improved to 5-0. “Well, maybe Indiana and Purdue, but nobody else.”

That statement was plastered on every square inch of the Hoosiers’ dressing room and came back to bite B-Dawg on Nov. 16, 2030.

The top-ranked Wildcats, coming into a home game against a 2-7 Indiana squad, became a victim of the biggest upset of the season in a 38-28 loss.

Indiana outscored Northwestern 25-0 in the third quarter to break open a 10-7 halftime lead. Northwestern scored three straight touchdowns on passes by backup Floyd Keenan in the fourth quarter to get within seven points, but couldn’t recover an onside kick and gave up a game-clinching field goal.

“We overlooked these guys, and that’s my fault,” B-Dawg said. “We didn’t play up to the level necessary to win this game. We are always locked in when we play nationally ranked teams, but we took these guys for granted and it bit us.”

Indiana quarterback Quan Murphy was 28-for-39 for 286 yards, two touchdowns and one pick.

“He had all day to throw,” B-Dawg said. “We had two sacks, but didn’t get the pressure we normally get on quarterbacks.”

He refused to blame the loss on the refs, but you can’t overlook the fact Northwestern was penalized seven times for 50 yards while Indiana didn’t have a single penalty. The penalties left the Wildcats in several third-and-long situations. They were only 2-for-11 on third-down conversions.

“Not going there,” B-Dawg said. “If we played to our standard, the penalties don’t matter.”

After starter Vernon Starr threw his third interception, he was replaced by Keenan. Keenan threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

[BDawg35]

Purdue receiver Joel Kashama sheds Northwestern defensive back Xavier Tubbs on his way to the game-winning touchdown.


Northwestern freshman Stan Baron ran 36 times for 191 yards and two touchdowns.


Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn sacks Purdue quarterback Deion Dickens for a safety.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE?
Northwestern falls victim to another
upset on late TD pass by Boilermakers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There was no excuse for eighth-ranked Northwestern to not be locked in against unranked Purdue on Nov. 23, 2030.

The Wildcats should’ve been playing with their hair on fire following a shocking upset loss to Indiana last week, but somehow was the victim in another stunning result.

Northwestern made Purdue quarterback Deion Dickens look like the second coming of Drew Brees in a 34-27 loss.

Dickens, a 76 OVR fifth-year senior, was 21-for-30 for 335 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. He threw the game-winning 46-yard touchdown pass to Joel Kashama with 59 seconds left in the game in response to a game-tying touchdown by the Wildcats with 1:58 remaining.

It’s the second straight loss for the Wildcats after a 9-0 start that had them atop the national rankings.

Both losses came against teams Northwestern coach B-Dawg belittled in postgame comments following a victory at Michigan moved the Wildcats to 5-0.

Let’s revisit that comment that provided fuel to Northwestern’s last two opponents:

“We won’t take anyone for granted,” B-Dawg said. “Well, maybe Indiana and Purdue, but nobody else.”

Ouch!

Thankfully, he didn’t say anything about Illinois, Northwestern’s next opponent.

Purdue came into the game with a 6-4 record, so the Boilermakers aren’t exactly trash. But they’re not the caliber of team Northwestern beat routinely while starting out 9-0.

Floyd Keenan got the start at quarterback after throwing three touchdown passes in relief of Vernon Starr in the loss to Indiana. Keenan was pulled after his second interception, having gone only 4-for-11 for 31 yards. The killer was a pick-six shortly after a safety gave Northwestern a 9-7 lead.

Starr wasn’t much better, going 16-for-28 for 210 yards, no touchdowns and a pick.

Northwestern hung around because freshman running back Stan Baron was a workhorse, carrying the ball 36 times for 191 yards and two touchdowns.

On Purdue’s winning touchdown pass, Kashama caught a hook route, broke a tackle and was gone. He then ran over defender Xavier Tubbs at the 20-yard line, proving this touchdown was preordained by EA.

On Northwestern’s final drive, the Wildcats came up one yard short of a first down on fourth-and-10 from the Purdue 42-yard line with 11 seconds left. Starr hit Brendan Wicks with an out route as the secondary read.

With back-to-back losses, Northwestern’s is suddenly in a position of needing a victory over Illinois next week to have a shot at the College Football Playoff.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Alex Jameson 11 pancakes, 1 sack; Alex Estes 7-0; J.D. Amatova 6-0; Connor Garror 6-0; Nick Stoddard 5-0; Walter Flanagan 4-0; Brady Ellington 4-0; Nick Barr 2-0; Robert Parker 2-0; J.C. Cantwell 1-0.

[Deuce2223]

Back to Back, that's tough.. Your playoffs hopes are slipping away.. Cool to see Western Kentucky having a great season though.. How is Boise State doing in your Dynasty.. I see Utah State, UNLV and Nevada all in the Top-25 but no Broncos

[BDawg35]

Back to Back, that's tough.. Your playoffs hopes are slipping away.. Cool to see Western Kentucky having a great season though.. How is Boise State doing in your Dynasty.. I see Utah State, UNLV and Nevada all in the Top-25 but no Broncos

Boise State isn't the Boise State we've all come to know and love in my dynasty. This is my seventh season and they haven't even made a Mountain West Conference championship game! Hard to believe. UNLV seems to get there most seasons.

For those wondering, the games I'm posting were played months ago. I'm in the 2033 season, about halfway done. I'm want to finish off that season before starting a CFB 26 dynasty. I just bought the game, but have played only one Play Now game. I'm hearing horror stories about the game, so I'm not in a hurry to get started until another patch or three are released. I have a lot of games to report. To get this caught up, I'll probably do very short recaps on the minor games and regular recaps on the games that stand out from here on out.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern cornerback Jayvon Hope had two interceptions.


Northwestern freshman Stan Baron ran for two touchdowns.


Northwestern lineman Ofisa Hand had 3.5 sacks.

SLUMP BUSTER
Northwestern builds huge lead,
hangs on to end losing streak

EVANSTON, Ill. — It should have been easy, but nothing seems to be easy for Northwestern down the stretch of the 2030 football season.

Once 9-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Wildcats came into their rivalry game against Illinois reeling from back-to-back upsets against Indiana and Purdue.

Northwestern came out like an angry team against Illinois, building a 38-7 lead in the second quarter. The Wildcats appeared to be coasting to an easy victory, but back-to-back interceptions late in the first half led to touchdowns that made the game much closer than it needed to be.

In the end, 14th-ranked Northwestern won by one possession, 44-36, on Nov. 30, 2030.

“Interceptions continue to kill us,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “If we hadn’t built such a huge lead, we might be looking at a third straight loss. We got gun-shy in the second half after those two picks and weren’t nearly as aggressive as we were early in the game.”

Northwestern’s aerial attack was on fire early, with four different receivers catching a pass of at least 42 yards in the first half. When backup running back Larry Edds scored on a 4-yard run with 4:17 left in the second quarter, Northwestern’s lead was at 38-7.

Northwestern was on the verge of extending the lead, moving to the Illinois 6-yard line, when Vernon Starr served up a 95-yard pick-six to Bernie Small with 39 seconds left in the first half.

Not content to just go into halftime with a 38-14 lead, the Wildcats kept pressing and served up another interception. Jeffrey Johnson’s pick with 23 seconds left in the half led to a touchdown three seconds before halftime.

Northwestern managed only two field goals in the second half and allowed two touchdowns. The final touchdown with 44 seconds left in the game got Illinois (5-7) within eight points. Dell Choice recovered the onside kick for Northwestern to end any thoughts of an epic comeback.

Starring on defense for Northwestern were cornerback Jayvon Hope with two interceptions and defensive lineman Ofisa Hand with 3.5 sacks. Hope has seven interceptions and Hand 10.5 sacks this season.

Despite the victory, Northwestern didn’t earn a berth in the Big Ten Conference championship game. The Wildcats must now await the results of conference championship week to see if they make the College Football Playoff. This is a scenario that seemed unlikely when Northwestern took a 9-0 record into a home stretch against the likes of Indiana, Purdue and Illinois. Northwestern is currently out of the top 12, but that could change when ranked teams lose in conference title games.

Nebraska and Oregon will play for the Big Ten championship after finishing 8-1 in the conference. Northwestern and Penn State were 7-2 in league play. Nebraska beat Iowa, 31-16, and Oregon beat Maryland, 36-17, to secure their trips to Indy. Penn State was knocked out of consideration with a 24-17 loss to UCLA.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Alex Jameson 8 pancakes, 0 sacks; Connor Garror 7-0; Brady Ellington 5-0; Walter Flanagan 3-0; Nick Barr 3-0; Robert Parker 3-0; Alex Estes 3-0; J.D. Amatova 3-1; Eric Gibbs 2-0; J.C. Cantwell 2-0.

[BDawg35]

Backup QB leads Nebraska to
2030 Big Ten championship

INDIANAPOLIS — Nebraska got a stellar performance from backup quarterback Quentin Coale to beat Oregon 31-21 in the 2030 Big Ten Conference championship game.

Coale went 21-for-32 for 327 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. The 83 OVR redshirt freshman started because 86 OVR redshirt senior Cameron Dumaine was injured.

Dom Matlock caught five passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskers.

Oregon quarterback Jason Muma was 26-for-40 for 311 yards and two touchdowns. Rudy Soto caught eight passes for 93 yards and a score.

2030 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
Conference USA: Western Kentucky 22, Louisiana Tech 13
Mid-American Conference: Buffalo 38, Ball State 28
Big 12: West Virginia 27, Iowa State 24
Sun Belt: Georgia Southern 28, South Alabama 20
SEC: Georgia 27, Mississippi 20
American: Rice 33, Alabama-Birmingham 28
Mountain West: Nevada 29, UNLV 24
Big Ten: Nebraska 31, Oregon 21
ACC: Stanford 14, California 13

[BDawg35]

GOIN' DANCIN'
Northwestern squeaks into playoff,
will travel to Ole Miss in first round

Northwestern will have to go on the road and play a first-round game College Football Playoff for the first time, but at least the Wildcats are in the dance.

Back-to-back upset losses late in the season jeopardized the Wildcats’ playoff chances after a 9-0 start, but they have gotten in as the 10th-ranked team in the final CFB poll.

Northwestern will visit third-ranked Mississippi in the first round of the playoffs. It’s the fourth straight playoff appearance for the Wildcats, who received first-round byes as the Big Ten Conference champion the last three years. They won it all in 2027, lost in the championship game in 2028 and lost in the quarterfinals in 2029.

“We have to take the hard road now, but at least we have a shot,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “If we play our type of ball, we will come out of this with a natty.”

Northwestern will have to be aware of the dual-threat ability of Mississippi quarterback Brian Landman, an 84 OVR redshirt junior. Landman has run 124 times for 467 yards and three touchdowns. He is 256-for-368 for 3,491 yards, 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

His favorite receivers are 82 OVR redshirt sophomore George Odenigbo (75 catches, 1,168 yards, 13 touchdowns) and 81 OVR redshirt sophomore Sammy Ziegler (44 catches, 795 yards, 12 touchdowns).

Vernon Sneed, an 82 OVR redshirt sophomore, leads the team in rushing with 924 yards and eight touchdowns on 215 carries.

Freshman running back Stan Baron has been Northwestern’s top offensive weapon, running 255 times for 1,249 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching 39 passes for 716 yards and four touchdowns. He would’ve won the Heisman Trophy if not for Northwestern’s two late losses.

Northwestern will have to tone down the interceptions. Vernon Starr has thrown 17 this season to go with 25 touchdown passes.

The Northwestern-Mississippi winner will take on West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl.

[BDawg35]

BRIAN LANDMAN, Mississippi, QB, rJr., 84 OVR
2030 stats: 256-for-368, 3,491 yards, 35 TD, 7 int.; 124 carries, 467 yards, 3 TD

TYRON STANFORD, West Virginia, QB, rJr., 87 OVR
2030 stats: 242-for-347, 3,359 yards, 33 TD, 7 int.; 133 carries, 662 yards, 8 TD

LEO PROVO, South Carolina, QB, rSr., 96 OVR
2030 stats: 272-for-401, 4,095 yards, 43 TD, 6 int.; 78 carries, 359 yards, 2 TD

DAVID CUTRERA, Clemson, QB, rSoph., 88 OVR
2030 stats: 296-for-427, 3,978 yards, 40 TD, 7 int.; 67 carries, 303 yards, 2 TD

SAM WIEGMANN, Oregon, WR, rSr., 86 OVR
2030 stats: 70 catches, 1,120 yards, 12 TD; 19 carries, 342 yards, 6 TD

[bayers3]

Don't know about that WVU guy...

[BDawg35]

The West Virginia QB gave me problems when we played them a couple years ago. I believe he beat us.

(I haven't figured out how to quote a response when replying to it on the new forum.)

[bayers3]

No problem, I think I messed it up by commenting instead of quoting myself.

[BDawg35]

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tyron Stanford, West Virginia, QB, rJr.
HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR: Jeff Singleton, Notre Dame
BEST QUARTERBACK: Tyron Stanford, West Virginia, QB, rJr.
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Dillon Willett, Nebraska, DE, rSr.
BEST DEFENSIVE BACK: Lamarcus Mixon, Oklahoma, SS, rSr.
BEST RUNNING BACK: Stan Baron, Northwestern, HB, Fr.
BEST RECEIVER: Alex Vargas, Alabama-Birmingham, WR, rSoph.
LOMBARDI: Dillon Willett, Nebraska, DE, rSr.
UNITAS GOLDEN ARM: Leo Provo, South Carolina, QB, rSr.
BEST DEFENSIVE END: Dillon Willett, Nebraska, DE, rSr.
BEST INTERIOR LINEMAN: Mafu Mukuamu, Nevada, RG, rSr.
BEST TIGHT END: Treo Carter, Utah, TE, rJr.
BROYLES AWARD: Ewan Michael, Notre Dame, OC
BEST LINEBACKER: Manu Rau, Nevada, OLB, rSr.
BEST CENTER: Matthew Kapinos, Temple, C, rJr.
LOU GROZA: Devin Schoonmaker, Western Kentucky, K, rSr.
BEST PUNTER: Tye Russo, Texas Christian, P, rSr.
BEST RETURNER: Sergio Royer, California, WR, Sr.


FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICA
Stan Baron, HB

FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA
Stan Baron, HB
Eric Kuhn, DE

FIRST-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
Stan Baron, HB
Montell Feeley, SS

FRESHMAN ALL-BIG TEN
Stan Baron, HB
Walter Flanagan, TE
Quentin Upshaw, RG
Eric Kuhn, LE
Ross Stewart, OLB

[bayers3]

I'm getting more and more curious what decides these awards. Landman, a QB, wins the Heisman... but a different QB wins the Davey O'Brien (Best QB) AND Walter Camp (Player Of The Year)?

[BDawg35]

I'm getting more and more curious what decides these awards. Landman, a QB, wins the Heisman... but a different QB wins the Davey O'Brien (Best QB) AND Walter Camp (Player Of The Year)?

The awards system is broken. I've had guys (including this year) win a national award and not even get second-team all-conference. I have purchased College Football 26, but haven't started a dynasty to see if things have changed. I am going to finish the 2033 season (I'm way behind on posting and will make my posts much more brief for the next three seasons) before starting my new dynasty.

[BDawg35]

Mississippi’s Mike Lemmons picks off a pass that he returned 56 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:21 left.


Mississippi’s Mike Lemmons isn’t going to be caught on a 56-yard pick-six for the winning touchdown with 1:21 left.


Mississippi’s James Clinton ended the first half with an 87-yard pick-six.


Sammy Ziegler scores on a short catch to give Mississippi the lead early in the fourth quarter.


Mississippi’s Vernon Sneed hauls in a 55-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.


Northwestern running back Stan Baron scored with 5:09 left to tie the game.

GIFT-WRAPPED
Northwestern serves up 2 pick-6s,
falls to Ole Miss in CFP first round

It was as soul-crushing a loss as B-Dawg has experienced in a lengthy coaching career that dates back to NCAA 2003.

It’s bad enough to blow a 17-point lead and lose on a pick-six late in a game. It’s quite another to do so in a College Football Playoff game when your team seemed assured of moving on to the next round.

A game that 10th-ranked Northwestern seemed to have under control slipped away when Mike Lemmons picked off a pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown with 1:21 remaining, giving third-ranked Mississippi a 31-24 victory in the first round of the CFP on Dec. 17, 2030.

It was one of two pick-sixes served up by Northwestern quarterback Vernon Starr, who threw four interceptions and no touchdown passes despite rolling up 464 yards through the air.

The other pick-six was an 87-yarder by James Clinton as time expired in the first half, getting the Rebels within 17-10 at halftime. Northwestern had taken a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter, getting its own defensive score on a 35-yard fumble return by middle linebacker Ricardo Ruston.

The Wildcats held a Mississippi offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Brian Landman to only two touchdowns, but the pick-sixes were a killer.

“This one really hurts,” B-Dawg said. “Everything was going so well early, then we got stupid right before halftime and the game seemed to change right there. Had we just taken the field goal instead of pressing for another touchdown in the final seconds, we probably come away with the dub. You hate to lose a game the way we did. You’d rather have them complete a long pass or break off a long run, anything but scoring the game-winner on a total gift.”

On the winning touchdown, Lemmons picked off a drag route on third-and-four when speedy receiver Eric Gibbs couldn’t get his usual separation from coverage. The Wildcats’ comeback hopes seemed to end when free safety Trent Bourne picked off a post route thrown into double coverage intended for Andres Nickey with 40 seconds left.

However, Northwestern got the ball back one last time with 21 seconds left from its own 32-yard line following three timeouts following running plays that netted zero yards.

A 51-yard pass to J.C. Cantwell on the first play near the left sideline was caught inbounds with 15 seconds left, forcing the Wildcats into hurry-up mode at Mississippi’s 17-yard line.

With the clock ticking and running a play designed to go deep, not score from medium range, Starr threw one final interception in the end zone to cornerback Koren Grubb with three seconds remaining.

“I should’ve spiked the ball but, quite frankly, I never do that and didn’t know which button to pressure to do so,” B-Dawg said. “The fact I never do that meant it never entered my thought process. I just wanted to get off a snap and either throw an incompletion or get the ball into the end zone. I really should learn the basics of the game after 20-plus years.”

Northwestern’s passing game put up huge numbers, but couldn’t get into the end zone. Gibbs caught 10 passes for 137 yards and Cantwell had eight catches for 126 yards. Freshman running back Stan Baron ran 25 times for 99 hard-fought yards and two touchdowns while catching four passes for 75 yards.

Northwestern finished its season 10-3, losing three of its final four games after a 9-0 start. Mississippi will take a 12-2 record into a quarterfinal game against West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
J.D. Amatova 8 pancakes, 0 sacks; Connor Garror 7-0; Alex Jameson 6-0; Walter Flanagan 4-0; Brady Ellington 3-0; Nick Stoddard 2-0; J.C. Cantwell 1-0; Alex Estes 1-0; Niles Mount 1-2.

[BDawg35]

FIRST ROUND

MISSISSIPPI 31, NORTHWESTERN 24: Northwestern led 17-0 in the second quarter, but served up a pick-six on the final play of the first half and the game-winning 56-yard interception return by Mike Lemmons with 1:21 remaining. The Wildcats threw two more interceptions after that to kill their comeback hopes.

OREGON 56, AUBURN 35: Oregon trailed 21-14 at halftime before putting up 42 second-half points behind the right arm of 88 OVR redshirt sophomore quarterback Jason Muma. Muma threw seven touchdown passes, going 18-for-34 for 383 yards. Trey Crespo had six catches for 153 yards and one touchdown, while Rudy Soto and Markus Davis each caught two touchdown passes. Auburn’s Brian Rozeboom caught 11 passes for 188 yards and no touchdowns, while teammate Reggie Osborne had six catches for 169 yards and two scores. Auburn’s Keenan Barry threw for 428 yards and five touchdowns, but also served up three picks.

NOTRE DAME 39, BUFFALO 22: Upstart Buffalo hung around for a half, trailing 17-16 at the break and 30-22 after three quarters before the Fighting Irish pulled away. Notre Dame quarterback Jamie Hagans was 17-for-29 for 264 yards, three touchdowns and two picks.

PENN STATE 37, MASSACHUSETTS 35: Penn State averted the biggest upset in College Football Playoff history by outscoring Massachusetts 23-7 in the fourth quarter. Penn State quarterback Ricky Carney was 22-for-30 for 253 yards, four touchdowns and no picks. Hugh Hyde, a 79 OVR true freshman receiver, caught four passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns for the Nittany Lions. Massachusetts quarterback Eric Salaam was 19-for-26 for 308 yards, four touchdowns and a pick.


QUARTERFINALS

NEBRASKA 27, OREGON 26 (Rose Bowl): Nebraska beat Oregon for the second time in the postseason, having knocked off the Ducks 31-21 in the Big Ten championship game. The teams did not meet during the regular season. Cameron Dumaine, who didn’t play in the first meeting against Oregon, was 16-for-21 for 162 yards, one touchdown and one pick. Receiver Caesar Ortiz scored on a 72-yard run. Nebraska led 17-0 after one quarter but trailed 20-17 going into the fourth. Oregon’s Jason Muma, who threw seven touchdown passes in the first playoff game, was 19-for-29 for 430 yards, three touchdowns and two picks.

MISSISSIPPI 37, WEST VIRGINIA 7 (Sugar Bowl): Fresh off a dramatic victory over Northwestern, Mississippi rolled past West Virginia by jumping out to a 34-0 halftime lead. Heisman winner Brian Landman was 20-for-27 for 281 yards, three touchdowns and one pick for the Rebels. Sammy Ziegler caught eight passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. West Virginia played without Heisman finalist Tyron Stanford, who was injured. True freshman Amari Yazzie was in over his head, going 20-for-36 for 170 yards, no touchdowns and two picks.

PENN STATE 32, GEORGIA 21 (Peach Bowl): Down 14-9 at halftime, Penn State stormed back by outscoring Georgia 13-0 in the third quarter. Ricky Carney was 18-for-32 for 231 yards, two touchdowns and a pick for Penn State. Kelvin Blumberg ran 17 times for 67 yards and two scores. Georgia’s Udo Adeyemi caught seven passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

NOTRE DAME 27, WESTERN KENTUCKY 9 (Fiesta Bowl): Notre Dame quarterback Jamie Hagans was 18-for-30 for 288 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. Richard Rainey caught three passes for 105 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown. Kaleb Torrence of Western Kentucky threw for only 161 yards, going 14-for-32.


SEMIFINALS

NEBRASKA 41, NOTRE DAME 35 (Cotton Bowl): Nebraska held on after taking a 38-14 lead with a 28-0 third-quarter run. Cameron Dumaine was 11-for-22 for 195 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while running eight times for 64 yards and a score for Nebraska. Dom Matlock caught three passes for 102 yards and a score. Notre Dame’s Jamie Hagans had a good news/bad news day, throwing five touchdown passes but also serving up four picks while going 33-for-51 for 421 yards. Notre Dame’s 94 OVR fifth-year senior running back, Nick Gumbs, was held to 13 yards on seven carries.

PENN STATE 45, MISSISSIPPI 24 (Orange Bowl): Penn State got out to a 31-14 lead by halftime and sacked Heisman winner Brian Landman three times. Landman was 23-for-34 for 243 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Ricky Carney, Penn State’s 89 OVR redshirt junior quarterback, was 15-for-19 for 185 yards and four touchdowns.


NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

NEBRASKA 28, PENN STATE 24: Nebraska trailed 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter before outscoring Penn State 21-7 to take the natty. Cameron Dumaine, an 86 OVR fifth-year senior, was 22-for-31 for 227 yards, three touchdowns and one pick for the Cornhuskers. He also ran for a touchdown. Caesar Ortiz, a 79 OVR redshirt sophomore receiver, caught 10 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Penn State’s Ricky Carney, an 89 OVR redshirt junior, was 21-for-35 for 317 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.




2030 BOWL GAMES

WEEK 1
LA Bowl: Maryland 30, Nevada 10
Frisco Bowl: Temple 20, Georgia State 15
Fenway Bowl: Alabama-Birmingham 41, Stanford 7
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Marshall 33, Akron 30
Bahamas Bowl: Old Dominion 24, Louisiana Tech 8
CFP first round: Oregon 56, Auburn 35
Cure Bowl: Central Michigan 24, Louisiana 13
CFP first round: Notre Dame 39, Buffalo 22
New Mexico Bowl: Hawaii 48, Jacksonville State 17
Las Vegas Bowl: Purdue 45, Texas Christian 17
CFP first round: Mississippi 31, Northwestern 24
68 Ventures Bowl: Southern Mississippi 24, Ohio 3
CFP first round: Penn State 37, Massachusetts 35
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State 31, Coastal Carolina 17
Boca Raton Bowl: Tulane 41, North Carolina 14
Detroit Bowl: Michigan 41, Northern Illinois 7
New Orleans Bowl: Boise State 23, Sam Houston 10
Hawaii Bowl: UNLV 35, Georgia Southern 7
Gasparilla Bowl: Cincinnati 29, Southern Methodist 27
Independence Bowl: Iowa State 38, USC 24
Armed Forces Bowl: Connecticut 24, Colorado State 14
Texas Bowl: Texas Tech 44, Texas A&M 21
Military Bowl: Wake Forest 49, Charlotte 28
First Responder Bowl: Troy 27, Rice 21
Liberty Bowl: Kansas State 27, Memphis 21
Birmingham Bowl: California 42, South Alabama 24
Holiday Bowl: Rutgers 29, North Carolina State 20
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Baylor 27, Wyoming 24
Camellia Bowl: Ball State 27, Appalachian State 10

WEEK 2
Sugar Bowl: Mississippi 37, West Virginia 7
Rose Bowl: Nebraska 27, Oregon 26
Peach Bowl: Penn State 32, Georgia 21
Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame 27, Western Kentucky 9
Pop-Tarts Bowl: Central Florida 31, Syracuse 24
Alamo Bowl: Brigham Young 38, New Mexico State 21
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Clemson 52, Colorado 21
Sun Bowl: Kansas 27, Florida International 21
Music City Bowl: LSU 24, UCLA 16
Arizona Bowl: Fresno State 45, Bowling Green 14
Reliaquest Bowl: Kentucky 35, Ohio State 27
Citrus Bowl: Arkansas 45, Iowa 39
Gator Bowl: Alabama 34, Virginia Tech 29

WEEK 3
Orange Bowl: Penn State 45, Mississippi 24
Cotton Bowl: Nebraska 41, Notre Dame 35

WEEK 4
The Natty: Nebraska 28, Penn State 24

[BDawg35]

2030 NORTHWESTERN SEASON RECAP

Team ratings: 89 OVR, 89 offense, 89 defense
Preseason ranking: No. 4 media, No. 5 coaches
Final ranking: No. 12 media, No. 12 coaches
Record: 10-3 overall, 7-2 Big Ten (T-3rd)
Playoff game: Mississippi 31, Northwestern 24 (first round)
Award winner: Stan Baron (Best Running Back)
First-team All-America: HB Stan Baron
Freshman All-America: HB Stan Baron, SS, DE Eric Kuhn
First-team All-Big Ten: HB Stan Baron, SS Montell Feeley
Freshman All-Big Ten: HB Stan Baron, TE Walter Flanagan, OG Quentin Upshaw, DE Eric Kuhn, OLB Ross Stewart
Passing leader: Vernon Starr 272-for-425, 3.993 yards, 25 TD, 21 int.
Rushing leader: Stan Baron 280 carries, 1,348 yards, 16 TD
Receiving leader: Eric Gibbs 77 catches, 1,126 yards, 9 TD
Defense: Jayvon Hope 87 tackles, 7 int.; Ricardo Ruston 24 TFL; Eric Kuhn 12 sacks; Levi Ingram 10 deflections
Synopsis: Northwestern won its first nine games of the season before suffering back-to-back upset losses against Indiana and Purdue. Those were painful losses, but few losses have been as soul-crushing as the one the Wildcats experienced in the first round of the College Football Playoff. They jumped out to a 17-0 lead on the road against Mississippi, but served up two pick-sixes in a 31-24 loss. The winning touchdown came on a 56-yard interception return by Mike Lemmons with 1:21 remaining. There is much hope for the future, as several freshman from a class loaded with five-star recruits made an immediate impact. Running back Stan Baron has a chance to become B-Dawg’s all-time leading rusher, while defensive end Eric Kuhn could set his all-time sacks record.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern persuades QB, WR to return

Northwestern secured its quarterback of the future by retaining a quarterback on its current roster.

Floyd Keenan considered transferring for better pro potential, but coach B-Dawg persuaded him to return to Evanston. Keenan is 80 OVR and just completed his redshirt freshman season. The quarterback job is open following the graduation of Vernon Starr.

Keenan will have a major weapon at his disposal because 88 OVR junior receiver J.C. Cantwell will also return after flirting with the NFL draft. He was projected to be a seventh-round pick.

“Getting these two back is huge, to go along with all the true freshmen who really showed out this season,” B-Dawg said. “We will miss some of the guys who helped build this program, but our best days lie ahead.”

The following Wildcats have used up their eligibility:

CONNOR GARROR, OT, 86 OVR
JAYVON HOPE, CB, 84 OVR
MONTELL FEELEY, SS, 84 OVR
DAVID DIGGS, OLB, 84 OVR
ALEXANDER BUTCHER, CB, 82 OVR
DARIN BOHANON, DT, 82 OVR
CORNELL KAFKA, OG, 81 OVR
REGGIE NALL, CB, 81 OVR
GEORGE DENNIS, OLB, 81 OVR
DELL CHOICE, WR, 81 OVR
ANGELO SAUER, OLB, 81 OVR
LEO DAVIS, CB, 80 OVR
TRAYVON RIGGINS, OG, 80 OVR
TOBIAS LAMM, OG, 80 OVR
TAVON LENON, MLB, 79 OVR
TAYLOR JACKSON, C, 78 OVR
BRENDAN WICKS, WR, 78 OVR
CARL SERMON, OLB, 77 OVR
TONY GIDEON, DT, 75 OVR
ALEX LABELLE, OLB, 74 OVR
KERRY HANOIAN, WR, 73 OVR
ALTON DEVINE, OT, 73 OVR
NICK STODDARD, TE, 71 OVR