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

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IN-SEASON RECRUITS
JULIAN MAGOOLAGHAN, RE-1; 6-5, 287; Belleville, Mich.; No. 8 overall; 5 stars
TYE EMEZIE, MLB-2; 6-3, 240; Chicago, Ill.; No. 17 overall; 5 stars
TYLER ANKRAH, ATH-2; 6-0, 228; Mountain View, Calif.; No. 21 overall; 5 stars (projects HB)
ALEX CRECELIUS, QB-2; 6-4, 223; Rosenberg, Texas; No. 22 overall; 5 stars
JOSE AWOSIKA, LT-1; 6-6, 311; Sun Prairie, Wis.; No. 36 overall; 4 stars
BLAIR WILBUR, TE-3; 6-4, 226; Charlotte, N.C.; No. 59 overall; 4 stars
JARED DeGEARE, ATH-9; Bentonville, Ark.; No. 115 overall; 4 stars (projects HB)
SHAKIR MADDY, FS-22; 5-11, 201; Harvest, Ala.; No. 458 overall; 4 stars
NICK ARNOLD, CB-51; 5-10, 186; Chelsea, Mich.; No. 553 overall; 3 stars
JEFF McBRIDE, RT-40; 6-4, 296; Sun Prairie, Wis.; No. 583 overall; 3 stars
KOREN GARZA, C-24; 6-2, 3101; San Bruno, Calif.; No. 593 overall; 3 stars


OFFSEASON RECRUITS
None


TRANSFER PORTAL
TREVANTE POTTS, SS-9; 5-11, 192; Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; No. 156 overall; 3 stars (Michigan State)
DESEAN LICITA, HB_5; 6-1, 177; Madison Heights, Mich.; No. 54 overall; 3 stars (Central Michigan)


CLASS OF 2031 RECRUITING RANKINGS

1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. LSU
4. Texas
5. Ohio State
6. Oklahoma
7. Penn State
8. Mississippi
9. The U
10. Wisconsin
11. Clemson
12. Notre Dame
13. Nebraska
14. Michigan
15. Auburn
16. Tennessee
17. Texas Christian
18. West Virginia
19. Alabama
20. Kentucky
21. Texas A&M
22. Liberty
23. Stanford
24. UCLA
25. North Carolina State
28. NORTHWESTERN
31. USC
41. Washington
42. Iowa
50. Indiana
54. Maryland
65. Michigan State
69. Purdue
73. Minnesota
100. Illinois
106. Rutgers
134. Air Force


TOP CLASS OF 2031 RECRUITS

1. BRIAN SABRI, OLB; Wilmington, N.C.; Liberty
2. STEPHEN DOBBS, QB; Waco, Texas; Texas
3. ORLANDO BUSBY, WR; Metairie, La.; Georgia
4. SCOTTY REDMAN, OG; Camden, N.J.; Notre Dame
5. RYAN HURNS, WR; Frisco, Texas; Texas Christian
6. JAMES TONER, ATH (MLB); Oxnard, Calif.; Arizona State
7. EMANUEL COLOMBO, DE; Humble, Texas; Oklahoma
8. JULIAN MAGOOLAGHAN, DE; Belleville, Mich.; Northwestern
9. DONTRELL HASTY, WR; Stockton, Calif.; Oregon
10. HUGH SHEAD, WR; Bakersfield, Calif.; Oregon

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QUARTERBACKS

Two quarterbacks will likely see starting action for Northwestern in 2031, with the one who protects the ball best eventually locking down the job. Vernon Starr, who is 80 OVR, is the returning starter but threw 21 interceptions against 25 touchdown passes last year. Starr has 87 SPD, 92 THP, 92 SAC, 91 MAC and 76 DAC. Redshirt sophomore Floyd Keenan saw some high-leverage action last year as the backup, going 26-for-51 for 366 yards, four touchdowns and two picks last year. He is 82 OVR with 78 SPD, 88 THP, 91 SAC, 82 MAC and 89 DAC.


RUNNING BACKS

Sophomore Stan Baron has a chance to become B-Dawg’s all-time leading rusher, if he can stay healthy. Baron ran 280 times for 1,348 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman. He also caught 43 passes for 791 yards and four touchdowns. Baron is 80 OVR with 92 SPD, 86 CAR, 80 BTK and 73 CTH. His backups are 79 OVR Desean Licata and 78 OVR Joey Scioli.


WIDE RECEIVERS

Northwestern has a deadly tandem at receiver in 88 OVR J.C. Cantwell and 82 OVR Eric Gibbs. Gibbs, who has 97 SPD and 99 ACC, had 77 catches for 1,126 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Cantwell, who has 95 SPD and 87 ACC, has 65 catches for 988 yards and four scores. Don’t sleep on 74 OVR sophomore Andres Nickey, who had 52 catches for 644 yards and five scores. He has 95 SPD from the slot. Jamie Stack progressed a ton from 74 OVR to 87 OVR. His 95 CTH rating makes him a perfect slot receiver. Stack had two catches for 44 yards and a touchdown last year, but his limited playing time allowed him to come into this season as a redshirt freshman.


TIGHT ENDS

The tight end position is used almost exclusively for blocking in B-Dawg’s offense. Bryce Maloney is an 80 OVR redshirt freshman who had one catch for 20 yards last year, but retained his redshirt. His 96 CTH rating is the best on the team and his 81 SPD is a plus at the tight end position. He would be Kelce-like in any other offense. Walter Flanagan was the No. 1 tight end last year, catching 11 passes for 124 yards and two scores, but he’ll be the No. 2 tight end at 78 OVR with 82 SPD and 82 CTH.


OFFENSIVE LINE

Northwestern has plenty of depth on the O-line in case wear and tear gets out of control. The starters are 84 OVR Juan Gore at left tackle, 86 OVR Niles Mount at left guard, 83 OVR Alex Estes at center, 89 OVR Alex Jameson at right guard and 84 OVR J.D. Amatova at right tackle.


DEFENSIVE LINE

B-Dawg will try to squeeze out three more seasons before starting a College Football 26 dynasty, in large part to see what kind of numbers sophomore left end Eric Kuhn compiles. Kuhn had 12 sacks, 23 tackles for losses and 53 tackles as a true freshman. At 89 OVR with 86 SPD, 88 ACC, 90 STR and 89 TAK, the dude is a freak! He pursues well behind the play to catch ball carriers, an underrated trait for a guy known for getting to the quarterback. Another outstanding sophomore, 86 OVR Austin Monty, will play right end. Monty has 99 STR and 84 SPD. The tackles will be 82 OVR Christian Runyan and 82 OVR J.T. McHugh.


LINEBACKERS

Northwestern has had great individual linebackers over the years, but never a complete unit like this one. Sophomore Ricardo Ruston is an 86 OVR middle linebacker with 93 SPD, 94 ACC and 92 TACK. The outside linebackers are 85 OVR Ross Stewart and 83 OVR sophomore Aiden McKnight. Raheem Jells, at 81 OVR, will back up when needed at any position.


DEFENSIVE BACKS

Northwestern can put four cornerbacks on the field who are at least 82 OVR in 87 OVR Levi Ingram, 83 OVR Jabu Newcomb, 82 OVR Larry Tamm and 82 OVR Jeff Hentrich. Xavier Tubbs is an 80 OVR free safety, while 77 OVR Nazir Small is the weak link in the secondary at strong safety. Because Small has only 84 SPD, 74 OVR Avery Carswell may start at strong safety because of his 90 SPD>


SPECIAL TEAMS

Northwestern has the same kicking duo for the third straight year. Jay Olsen is the kicker at 83 OVR with 92 KPW and 74 KAC, while Cortez Duarte is the punter at 71 OVR with 84 KPW and 79 KAC. Gibbs will be the main kick returner.



2031 NORTHWESTERN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

AUG. 30 — at APPALACHIAN STATE
SEPT. 6 — MISSISSIPPI
SEPT. 13 — at STANFORD
SEPT. 27 — UCLA
OCT. 2 — OREGON
OCT. 18 — at NEBRASKA
OCT. 25 — PURDUE
NOV. 1 — at USC
NOV. 8 — MINNESOTA
NOV. 15 — MICHIGAN
NOV. 22 — at PENN STATE
NOV. 29 — at ILLINOIS





2031 PRESEASON

DARIUS ATWELL, USC, QB, rSr., 94 OVR
2030 stats: 251-for-442, 3,542 yards, 34 TD, 8 int.; 82 carries, 226 yards, 2 TD

JASON MUMA, Oregon, QB, rJr., 92 OVR
2030 stats: 328-for-513, 4,777 yards, 47 TD, 6 int.; 63 carries, 153 yards, 2 TD

BARRY PETTIGREW, Notre Dame, WR, Sr., 94 OVR
2030 stats: 57 catches, 822 yards, 10 TD

KANE SOW, Texas, WR, rSr., 93 OVR
2030 stats: 47 catches, 567 yards, 5 TD; 29 carries, 190 yards, 4 TD

NATHAN GOODIN, Alabama-Birmingham, QB, rSr., 91 OVR
2030 stats: 300-for-479, 3,907 yards, 43 TD, 9 int.; 72 carries, 233 yards, 1 TD

[LopaKa]

JULIAN MAGOOLAGHAN might just be the best player name i've ever seen. Love to see you still chugging along Bdawg! Looking forward to seeing what happens in these final 3 seasons.

[BDawg35]

JULIAN MAGOOLAGHAN might just be the best player name i've ever seen. Love to see you still chugging along Bdawg! Looking forward to seeing what happens in these final 3 seasons.

There are some great names in the game! I should begin recruiting based on some of those names just for fun factor.

I'm going to try to get all my games posted, but may condense blocks of seasons if they're just ho-hum games. The games happened, so they need to be documented here. A new patch just came out for CFB 26, so I'm itching to get going there. I'm 11 games into the 2033 season, the last one I'll play in this version.

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Northwestern’s Eric Gibbs catches the go-ahead 58-yard touchdown pass with 9:56 left in the game.


Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn sacks Appalachian State quarterback Pat Philip.

UPSET AVERTED
Wildcats avoid fate of ’07 Wolverines,
rally to win 2031 opener at App State

BOONE, N.C. — It shouldn’t have been this difficult, but that’s what the 2007 Michigan football team was also thinking.

At least Northwestern got away with a sluggish performance against Appalachian State, unlike B-Dawg’s beloved Wolverines in one of college football’s greatest upsets.

The fifth-ranked Wildcats trailed the Mountaineers by five points after three quarters before waking up and coming away with a 35-29 victory in the season opener on Aug. 30, 2031.

Speedy Eric Gibbs hauled in a 58-yard touchdown pass from Floyd Keenan with 9:56 left in the game to give Northwestern the lead for good. Northwestern stretched the lead to 35-22 before Appalachian State tacked on a late meaningless touchdown.

“I know all too well to not take App State for granted,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “I remember being with my family in a restaurant after my grandmother’s funeral when that Michigan-App State came on in 2007. I saw it was close, but figured Michigan would win in the end. When they lost, I just laughed. It didn’t really matter to me in that moment.”

Everybody got to eat in Northwestern’s offense.

Stan Baron ran 28 times for 110 yards, Gibbs caught eight passes for 165 yards, J.C. Cantwell caught five passes for 115 yards, and Keenan threw for 381 yards.

App State quarterback Pat Philip threw for 309 yards, but didn’t have a touchdown pass.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Alex Estes 12 pancakes, 0 sacks; Niles Mount 10-2; Alex Jameson 7-0; Juan Gore 5-0; Nate Barr 3-0; J.D. Amatova 3-1; Walter Flanagan 2-0; Eric Gibbs 1-0; Brady Ellington 1-0; Bryce Maloney 1-0.

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Northwestern receiver J.C. Cantwell hauls in the game-winning touchdown pass with 56 seconds left.


Northwestern receiver Eric Gibbs caught 15 passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns.

DYNAMIC DUO
Northwestern receiving tandem shines
in ‘revenge’ victory over Mississippi

EVANSTON, Ill. — When you have two outstanding receivers on the same football team, there’s always the concern a prima donna attitude could emerge.

What happens if one pass catcher gets butt-hurt that his teammate is getting more shine?

So far, that’s not a problem for Northwestern.

There have been plenty of catches to go around for Eric Gibbs and J.C. Cantwell, who are emerging as the most dangerous receiving duo in the nation.

Both players had 100-yard receiving games for the second time in two games, as fourth-ranked Northwestern beat sixth-ranked Mississippi on Sept. 6, 2031.

Gibbs set records for this dynasty with 15 catches and three touchdown receptions, gaining 151 yards. Cantwell had 10 catches for 102 yards, scoring the game-winning touchdown on an 18-yard connection with Vernon Starr with 56 seconds remaining.

In two games, Gibbs has 23 catches for 316 yards and four touchdowns, while Cantwell has 15 catches for 217 yards and a score.

“Both receivers are team-first guys, so I don’t anticipate any problems,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “There could be games where, depending on how the play-calling goes, one or both of them don’t put up big numbers. Everybody here is just concerned about stacking dubs.”

It didn’t matter who was throwing the ball either. Starter Floyd Keenan was pulled after throwing three interceptions, including back-to-back pick-sixes. Starr, who has been in that position before, entered the game and threw three touchdown passes and one pick. They combined for 422 passing yards as the ground game managed only 67 yards on 37 attempts.

The Rebels took a 33-30 lead with 2:07 left in the game on an 11-yard pass from Lamar Bazley to George Odenigbo. Northwestern countered by going 76 yards in seven plays for the winning touchdown.

Larry Tamm intercepted a fourth-down pass with 31 seconds left following a third-and-two sack by Eric Kuhn. The Rebels had all three timeouts left, so Northwestern was unable to drain the clock and kicked a field goal with 17 seconds remaining.

This was the first of two consecutive games on Northwestern’s 2031 Revenge Tour. Northwestern lost to Ole Miss in the first round of last year’s College Football Playoff, while Stanford beat the Wildcats in triple overtime in the quarterfinals the previous season.

While the scheduling was intentional, B-Dawg isn’t sure if the victory over the Rebels counts as actual revenge.

“This was nice for the guys who were on the team last year and suffered that heartbreaking loss, but it’s not really revenge unless you do it in the playoffs,” B-Dawg said.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Juan Gore 10 pancakes, 0 sacks; Niles Mount 7-1; Alex Estes 5-0; Alex Jameson 5-0; J.D. Amatova 3-0; J.T. Garibay 1-0.

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Northwestern running back Stan Baron ran 26 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns.


Northwestern linebacker Ross Stewart celebrates after sacking Stanford quarterback Sateki Whipple.

PLAYING WITH FIRE
Northwestern keeps stacking dubs
despite throwing three more picks

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Northwestern continues to stack up victories early in the 2031 season, despite flirting with disaster from its quarterbacks.

Vernon Starr, who regained the starting job after Floyd Keenan threw two pick-sixes last week against Mississippi, got away with three interceptions during a 28-20 victory over Stanford on Sept. 13, 2031.

The Wildcats are off to a 3-0 start, despite throwing nine interceptions and only six touchdown passes.

Starr was 23-for-30 for 219 yards and a touchdown. When Keenan threw three early interceptions, including two returned for scores, he was pulled from last week’s game. Starr remained behind center for the entire Stanford game because the third interception didn’t come until midway through the fourth quarter with the Wildcats leading by 15 points.

“We weren’t going to be throwing the ball much after that last one,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “There was no sense pulling him, just to put in Floyd to hand off the ball.”

Handing off the ball proved to be a better strategy for Northwestern on this day. The Wildcats ran the ball 49 times for 196 yards, with Stan Baron getting 104 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and freshman Tyler Ankrah 87 yards on 19 carries. Third-stringer George Enechukwu had a touchdown run.

“It was great to see signs of life from our running game, because we struggled in that area in the first two weeks,” B-Dawg said.

The defense overcame the mistakes in the passing game by holding Stanford to only 176 yards of total offense. Sophomore outside linebacker Ross Stewart led the charge with three tackles for losses and two sacks. All eight of his tackles were solos, which is virtually unheard of.

The Cardinal would’ve been wise to give the ball to 91 OVR running back Tye Rogan more than nine times for 41 yards. Northwestern led 21-10 at halftime, so it’s not as if Stanford was in total desperation mode the whole game and needed to air it out.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Niles Mount 10 pancakes, 0 sacks; Juan Gore 9-0; J.D. Amatova 9-0; Alex Estes 9-0; Alex Jameson 5-0; Walter Flanagan 3-0; Bryce Maloney 3-0; Andres Nickey 1-0; Brady Ellington 1-0; Eric Gibbs 1-0; Jamie Stack 1-0.

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Northwestern defensive end Ofisa Hand forces UCLA quarterback Dominick Ankrah to fumble the ball …


… and recovers the loose ball in the end zone for Northwestern’s first touchdown.


Northwestern receiver Eric Gibbs caught five passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

STAT-STUFFER
Northwestern DE has 4 big stats
on one play in win over UCLA

EVANSTON, Ill. — It was a dream stat-stuffer moment for Northwestern defensive end Ofisa Hand.

How often does a player record a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a touchdown on the same play?

Almost never.

But Hand experienced that rarity to produce top-ranked Northwestern’s first touchdown in a 34-17 victory over UCLA on Sept. 27, 2031.

On third-and-nine, Hand started the fun with a sack of UCLA quarterback Dominick Ankrah. Ankrah coughed up the ball, which Hand recovered in the end zone with just 1 minute and 16 seconds into the game.

“I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a player get all four stats on the same play,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “It was a super-cool moment.”

Perhaps still giddy from the rare play, B-Dawg dialed up an all-out blitz on UCLA’s first play of the next series and got burned for an 86-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Stecker.

That would be the only touchdown of the game for the Bruins (1-4) against a defense led by middle linebacker Ricardo Ruston’s five tackles for losses and two sacks each from Hand and Eric Kuhn.

Speedy receiver Eric Gibbs continued his hot start to the season for the Wildcats (4-0), catching five passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He has 38 catches for 512 yards and six touchdowns through four games, stats that would be a solid full season for most wide receivers. Andres Nickey had a 59-yard touchdown catch that gave Northwestern a 27-14 lead in the third quarter.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Niles Mount 6 pancakes, 0 sacks; J.D. Amatova 5-0; Hayden DiMarco 4-0; Alex Jameson 4-1; Juan Gore 3-0; Walter Flanagan 3-0; Alex Estes 2-0; J.T. Garibay 1-0; Thomas Pifer 1-0; Daniel King 1-0; Blair Wilbur 1-0; Eric Gibbs 1-0; Nate Barr 1-0; J.C. Cantwell 1-0.

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Up next for top-ranked Northwestern is a top-10 matchup against No. 10 Oregon in Evanston.

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Northwestern defensive end Ofisa Hand returns a fumble for a touchdown. He's had two fumble recovery touchdowns in the
last two weeks.


Northwestern cornerback Jabu Newcomb celebrates a pick-six on the final play of the first half while the Oregon mascot can’t
believe the sudden turn of events.


Northwestern running back Stan Baron celebrates a touchdown.

HANDY MAN
Ofisa Hand wasn’t big-time recruit,
but he plays like one for Wildcats

EVANSTON, Ill. — On a defense that includes a middle linebacker and cornerback who were the No. 1-ranked recruits in the nation two years ago and a defensive end who is racking up sacks like he’s playing a video game, it’s easy to overlook Ofisa Hand.

But sleep on Hand at your own peril.

Hand was only a three-star recruit in the Class of 2029, ranked No. 93 among right defensive ends coming out of high school. He isn’t always in the starting lineup for the Wildcats, but always seems to make an impact when he touches the field.

For the second week in a row, Hand scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery during No. 1 Northwestern’s 27-17 victory over 10th-ranked Oregon on Oct. 2, 2031.

Unlike last week, when Hand recovered a fumble in the end zone after he forced the ball loose with a sack, he had to huff and puff for this one.

Oregon quarterback Jason Muma rolled to his right, hoping to lead the Ducks to a score late in the first half, when he was sacked by defensive tackle Nick Kiernan. The ball came loose and was scooped up by Hand, who ran it back 52 yards for a score with 35 seconds left in the first half.

The Wildcats’ defense would score again before halftime, as cornerback Jabu Newcomb picked off a pass and took it 34 yards to the house as time expired. Northwestern instantly had a 21-7 lead in a game that was tied 7-7 in the final minute of the first half.

“We have playmakers all over the field on defense,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “We have guys who are backups who would’ve been stars for me in my early years in Evanston. It’s really an embarrassment of riches. Oregon has one of the most high-powered offenses in the game and our defense scored as many touchdowns as they did.”

On the other end of Northwestern’s defensive line, sophomore end Eric Kuhn was a wrecking ball with four sacks and seven tackles for losses.

“Eric Kuhn is the reason I will stay at Northwestern for this season and two more before starting my College Football 26 dynasty,” B-Dawg said. “He has a chance to put up some special career numbers, and it would be a shame to cut him short because a new game drops.”

Northwestern had eight sacks and held Oregon to minus-2 yards on 16 carries.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Juan Gore 8 pancakes, 1 sacks; Niles Mount 6-1; Nate Barr 3-0; Alex Estes 3-0; Walter Flanagan 2-0; J.D. Amatova 2-0; J.C. Cantwell 2-0; Fredrick Slade 1-0; Bryce Maloney 1-0; Brady Ellington 1-0; Jamie Stack 1-0; Blair Wilbur 1-0.

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No. 1 Northwestern's next game is a tough road test at No. 22 Nebraska.

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Northwestern’s Larry Tamm intercepted two passes.


Northwestern tight end Bryce Maloney catches a touchdown pass.


Northwestern receiver Jamie Stack heads to the end zone with a touchdown catch.

RUN STUFFERS
Northwestern holds another team to minus
rushing yards in victory over Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. — If any team hopes to beat Northwestern during the 2031 season, running the ball is unlikely to be the winning strategy.

For the second straight game, the second-ranked Wildcats held an opponent to negative rushing yards during a 28-14 victory over 22nd-ranked Nebraska on Oct. 18, 2031.

Nebraska had minus-4 yards on 16 carries. Only two sacks factored into that total. Steve Lanning, an 85 OVR senior running back, was held to six yards on seven carries. The Cornhuskers’ longest run was five yards.

Last week, Oregon had minus-2 yards on 16 carries against Northwestern. In six games this season, the unbeaten Wildcats have allowed only 81 yards on 115 carries, a paltry average of 0.7 yards per carry.

“Usually, you associate numbers like Nebraska had today with a game in which you get eight sacks or something like that,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “You take away our two sacks, and they still have only 13 rushing yards. The five-star sophomores on our defense are really coming into their own.”

Northwestern got out to a 20-0 lead before Nebraska got some hope with a touchdown pass as time expired in the first half. The Cornhuskers wouldn’t score again until there was 1:44 left in the game and Northwestern’s backups were in the game.

Larry Tamm had two of Northwestern’s three interceptions against Quentin Coale.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Niles Mount 13 pancakes, 0 sacks; Alex Jameson 9-1; J.D. Amatova 4-0; J.C. Cantwell 4-0; Juan Gore 3-0; Hayden DiMarco 3-0; Walter Flanagan 3-0; J.T. Garibay 2-0; Fredrick Slade 2-0; Alex Estes 2-0; Quentin Upshaw 1-0; Nate Barr 1-0; Daniel King 1-0; Brady Ellington 1-0; Bryce Maloney 1-0.

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2031 Big Ten Conference standings



2031 national rankings

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Northwestern middle linebacker Ricardo Ruston intercepts a pass that he took a whopping one yard to the house.


Northwestern linebacker Ross Stewart celebrates a sack.


Northwestern free safety Xavier Tubbs intercepts a pass.

SHORT HOUSE CALL
Wildcat LB matches shortest pick-six
in B-Dawg’s career in win over Purdue

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern middle linebacker Ricardo Ruston certainly has the wheels to go the full distance of the field if a turnover ends up in his hands.

But he didn’t have to break a sweat when he intercepted a pass just outside the goal line during second-ranked Northwestern’s 52-20 rout of Purdue on Oct. 25, 2031.

Ruston, who has freakish 93 SPD and 94 ACC, tied the shortest pick-six ever by a B-Dawg player when he had a one-yard return for a touchdown with 9:57 left in the third quarter.

When outside linebacker Ross Stewart hit Purdue quarterback John Levis as he was throwing on third-and-long from his own end zone, the ball popped right into the hands of Ruston, who needed to take just a step or two for the touchdown.

The only other one-yard pick-six by a B-Dawg player came from Air Force free safety Nick Lindsey during the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech on Jan. 1, 2026 in NCAA ’14. Lindsey’s interception broke the record of eight yards set by Eastern Michigan’s Lyle Garrison against Ohio on Oct. 13, 2007 in NCAA 2008.

It was an all-around massive day for Ruston, who had seven solos, six assists, four tackles for a loss and half a sack.

Ruston’s pick-six seemed to turn the momentum in a game in which Purdue’s passing offense was lighting up the Wildcats. Levis was 17-for-21 for 299 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but was 14-for-21 for 138 yards in the second half. Purdue was blanked in the second half after trailing 31-20 at halftime.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Juan Gore 10 pancakes, 0 sacks; Niles Mount 9-0; Brady Ellington 7-0; Alex Jameson 6-0; Fredrick Slade 4-0; J.D. Amatova 3-0; Alex Estes 3-0; Blair Wilbur 2-0; Walter Flanagan 1-0; Jamie Stack 1-0; Nate Barr 1-0.

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Northwestern will head to USC this week still ranked No. 1 in the nation during the 2031 season.