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

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Northwestern receiver Andres Nickey hauls in one of his two long touchdown catches.


Northwestern middle linebacker Ricardo Ruston celebrates a big play on defense.


Northwestern defensive back Larry Tamm had two interceptions.

HOME RUN HITTER
WR whose role has been reduced
has 2 long TD catches in win at USC

LOS ANGELES — Don’t sleep on Andres Nickey.

While Eric Gibbs and J.C. Cantwell have emerged as a dynamic receiving duo for Northwestern, Nickey can still be a force to be reckoned with when his number is called.

His number hasn’t been dialed up as much as in the past. In fact, he didn’t have a catch in three of Northwestern’s first seven games.

But in a span of 2 minutes and 20 seconds during the third quarter, Nickey showed his explosive ability by hauling in touchdown passes of 47 and 66 yards as the top-ranked Wildcats poured it on in a 63-24 rout of USC on Nov. 1, 2031.

Nickey entered the game with only nine catches for 228 yards and two touchdowns before making three catches for 136 yards and two scores against USC. His touchdowns were on plays of 59 and 45 yards. It’s been a greatly reduced role for the junior speedster, who had 77 catches for 1,161 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman and 52 catches for 644 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore.

While Nickey is averaging fewer than two catches per game, he’s averaging 30.3 yards every time the ball gets in his hands.

“Teams have to be so preoccupied with J.C. and Eric that Andres sometimes gets wide open,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “If I’m patient enough at the sticks, I can get to that read and see him in the clear. When we go to him, it’s usually a splash play. I know he’s frustrated not getting the ball as much, but he’s also a team player and just happy that we are having success.”

There were six scoring plays of 47 yards or more in this fireworks show at the L.A. Coliseum. Gibbs got it started with a 53-yard touchdown catch and running back Tyler Ankrah had a 67-yard scoring run for the Wildcats.

Two long touchdown passes by USC (5-4) left Northwestern trailing 14-7 after one quarter. From there, the Wildcats scored 49 straight points in the second and third quarters.

The Trojans were only 1-for-10 on third down, settling for a field goal late in the third quarter on fourth-and-one while trailing 56-14.

Larry Tamm intercepted two passes for Northwestern.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Juan Gore 11 pancakes, 0 sacks; Alex Jameson 8-0; Niles Mount 5-0; J.D. Amatova 4-0; Robert Parker 3-0; Walter Flanagan 3-0; Brady Ellington 3-0; Braylon Best 2-0; Alex Estes 2-1; Danny Bass 1-0; Ricardo Ruston 1-0; Daniel King 1-0; J.T. Garibay 1-0; Fredrick Slade 1-0; Nate Barr 1-0.

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2031 Big Ten Conference standings



2031 national college football rankings

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Northwestern MLB in Heisman hunt

Northwestern coach B-Dawg has never had a defensive player win a Heisman Trophy, but sophomore middle linebacker Ricardo Ruston is in the hunt so far in the 2031 season.

Ruston ranks fourth on this week’s Heisman hype list. He has 27 solo tackles, 36 assists, 22 tackles for losses, four sacks, five deflections, a forced fumble and a touchdown.

1. DAVID CUTRERA, Clemson, QB, rJr.
2031 stats: 200-for-291, 2,621 yards, 29 TD, 3 int.; 45 carries, 205 yards, 1 TD

2. JOEY DiNAPOLI, Notre Dame, QB, rSr.
2031 stats: 153-for-224, 2,117 yards, 27 TD, 0 int.; 50 carries, 240 yards, 1 TD

3. TYLER CAMACHO, Texas, WR, rSoph.
2031 stats: 58 catches, 833 yards, 15 TD; 10 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD

4. RICARDO RUSTON, Northwestern, MLB, Soph.
2031 stats: 27 solos, 36 assists, 63 tackles, 22 TFL, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 5 deflections, 1 FF, 1 TD

5. RICKY CARNEY, Penn State, QB, rSr.
2031 stats: 152-for-222, 2,055 yards, 22 TD, 1 int.; 51 carries, 212 yards, 2 TD

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Northwestern defensive end Ofisa Hand hurdles Minnesota quarterback Joe Erving on his way to a 58-yard interception return.


Northwestern defensive tackle Christian Runyan celebrates a sack.



Northwestern receiver J.C. Cantwell caught two touchdowns passes.

BIG FELLA IS EATIN’!
Northwestern DE scores his 3rd TD
as Wildcats shut out Minnesota

EVANSTON, Ill. — When you think of defensive players scoring touchdowns, it’s usually guys in the secondary who pick off a pass and have the speed to take it all the way.

You don’t think of a 6-foot-6, 286-pound defensive end as someone who could make multiple house calls in the same season.

Yet, redshirt junior defensive end Ofisa Hand is one touchdown away from B-Dawg’s single-season record for a defender after taking an interception 58 yards for a score during No. 1-ranked Northwestern’s 49-0 shutout of Minnesota on Nov. 8, 2031.

Hand has three touchdowns in the last six games, the others coming off fumbles against UCLA and Oregon.

B-Dawg’s single-season record for defensive touchdowns is four, set by Eastern Michigan defensive back Corey Everson in the 2007 season of NCAA 2008.

On the interception, defensive tackle Nick Kiernan hit Minnesota quarterback Joe Erving, forcing the ball into the air. Hand showed some athleticism by not only picking the ball out of the air, but hurdling Erving as he began his touchdown return.

“We always love to see the big fellas eat,” B-Dawg said. “They usually only get their shine when they sack the quarterback, but it’s always cool to see them get the glory of taking it to the end zone.”

Northwestern scored in the final 13 seconds of each of the first three quarters to take a 28-0 lead before Hand’s pick-six made it 35-0 with 10:20 left in the game. Vernon Starr threw touchdown passes for the first three scores. After tossing a 7-yarder to Eric Gibbs on the final play of the first quarter, he connected with J.C. Cantwell on touchdown plays of 22 and 44 yards.

Cantwell finished with 159 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches. Starr was 21-for-32 for 338 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Minnesota had chances early in the game to grab some momentum. The Golden Gophers drove to Northwestern’s 10-yard line before Ross Stewart forced a fumble that was recovered by safety Avery Carswell with 7:43 left in the first quarter.

Minnesota chose to punt from Northwestern’s 31-yard line on fourth-and-nine on its next possession. The Golden Gophers had 117 passing yards in the first quarter with nothing to show for it.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: J.D. Amatova 5 pancakes, 0 sacks; Juan Gore 4-0; Alex Estes 4-0; Niles Mount 4-0; Jamie Stack 3-0; Alex Jameson 3-0; Nate Barr 3-0; Hayden DiMarco 1-0; Daniel King 1-0; Andres Nickey 1-0; Bryce Maloney 1-0; Fredrick Slade 1-0.

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Redshirt freshman receiver Jamie Stack hauled in two fourth-quarter touchdown passes.


Northwestern’s Eric Gibbs grabs a game-tying 50-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.


Northwestern free safety Xavier Tubbs jars loose a fourth-and-goal pass in the end zone with 2:52 left.

NEW WEAPON EMERGES
Freshman has breakout performance
in No. 1 NW’s win over No. 2 Michigan

EVANSTON, Ill. — We all know that football video games are all about dat SPD.

With that harsh reality, redshirt freshman receiver Jamie Stack doesn’t slot into Northwestern’s lineup where his OVR suggests he should.

Stack’s 87 OVR rating is second on the team’s to J.C. Cantwell’s 88, but coach B-Dawg has him No. 4 on the depth chart because the three guys ahead of him have 95 SPD or faster.

Stack is a 6-foot-3, 207-pound receiver with a nice 95 CTH rating, which is great in real life (think Amon-Ra St. Brown), but doesn’t provide many explosive plays on the virtual gridiron.

Stack finally got an opportunity to shine during Northwestern’s biggest game of the season in a 1-2 matchup against Michigan on Nov. 15, 2031.

He hauled in touchdown passes of 33 and 75 yards in the fourth quarter as the top-ranked Wildcats broke open a three-point lead in a 38-21 victory over the second-ranked Wolverines.

Michigan took a 21-14 lead on a 2-yard pass from Max Gillikin to Mac Wade with 8:25 left in the third quarter. Northwestern quickly responded, tying the game on a 50-yard pass from Vernon Starr to Eric Gibbs just 1 minute and 17 seconds later.

Northwestern took a 24-21 lead when B-Dawg elected to kick a 19-yard field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 9:51 left in the game.

Then Stack broke through for two long touchdown passes coming open out of the slot to help Northwestern avoid any late-game drama.

Stack had only 18 catches for 127 yards and one touchdown in his first eight games. He had five catches for 77 yards against Minnesota last week before hauling in four passes for 121 yards and two scores against Michigan.

“We have so much talent at wide out that it’s hard to get everyone involved, but it also gives us a lot of options from different routes,” B-Dawg said. “Like with Andres Nickey when he had his big game, if I show the patient to go through my progression, there’s a good chance Jamie Stack will get open.”

Showing his all-around value to the offense, Stack had four pancake blocks to rank second on the team.

Michigan had a chance to cut the deficit to three points, but a fourth-and-goal pass from the 3-yard line was jarred loose by free safety Xavier Tubbs in the end zone with 2:52 remaining.

Northwestern improved to 10-0 with regular-season games remaining against Penn State and Illinois. Michigan fell to 8-2.

Chris Fowler said before the game, “This is a potential national championship game preview.”

We shall see …





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Niles Mount 6-0; Jamie Stack 4-0; Alex Jameson 4-0; Alex Estes 3-0; Bryce Maloney 2-0; Nate Barr 2-0; J.D. Amatova 1-0; Juan Gore 1-0.

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2031 Big Ten Conference football standings



2031 college football national rankings

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Northwestern’s Tyler Ankrah ran 19 times for 158 yards and four touchdowns.


Northwestern’s Larry Tamm intercepts a pass with 1:32 left in the game.


Northwestern receiver Eric Gibbs grabs a 68-yard touchdown pass.

GROUND AND POUND
Northwestern achieves rare rushing feat,
stays unbeaten with win at Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Tyler Ankrah was projected to be an understudy to Stan Baron for most of his career at Northwestern and was considered a high risk to transfer.

But on one glorious afternoon on one of college football’s biggest stages, Ankrah outshined Baron — and it’s not because Baron played poorly.

Both running backs had outstanding performances during 42-24 come-from-behind victory over sixth-ranked Penn State on Nov. 22, 2031.

Ankrah, a true freshman, ran 19 times for 158 yards and four touchdowns. That included a 51-yarder with 34 seconds left in the game. He was named national Offensive Player of the Week.

“We were going to run the ball one more time and let the clock run out, but Tyler saw daylight and took off,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said.

Baron, meanwhile, carried the ball 31 times for 143 yards.

It’s only the third time in B-Dawg’s coaching career, which dates back to NCAA 2004, that he’s had two runners gain at least 140 yards. Running back Jerome Jackson (328 yards) and quarterback Antonio Haines (161) of Michigan did it first against Memphis on Sept. 3, 2025 in NCAA 2004. The other duo to do it were running backs Matt Howard (172) and Marion Benjamin (145) of Air Force against Colorado State on Sept. 21, 2024 in NCAA ’14.

“It wasn’t anything fancy,” B-Dawg said. “We just pounded the rock from I-formation and it was working for positive yardage almost every time. That allowed us to run our offense in a hostile road environment without worrying about the struggle squiggles messing up our play calls.”

For the second straight game, Northwestern trailed in the second half against a top-10 team, only to win by a comfortable margin.

One week after scoring the final 24 points in a 38-21 victory over No. 2 Michigan, the Wildcats came back from a 24-21 deficit after three quarters against Penn State.

Quarterback Vernon Starr put Northwestern ahead with a one-yard run with 5:34 left in the game, then hit Eric Gibbs for a 68-yard touchdown to give Northwestern insurance with 3:03 remaining. Gibbs had 101 yards on six catches, entering the game fifth on the Heisman hype list.

Northwestern improved to 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten Conference, clinching a spot in the conference championship game. The Wildcats will play either Penn State, Oregon or Wisconsin, all of which are 6-2.

The news wasn’t all good for Northwestern, which lost 83 OVR fifth-year senior center Alex Estes for the rest of the season with a torn pec.

Avery Carswell, a 77 OVR sophomore strong safety, will be out two weeks with an abdominal tear.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Alex Jameson 15-0; Juan Gore 9-0; Alex Estes 9-0; Hayden DiMarco 8-0; Niles Mount 7-1; Brady Ellington 5-0; J.D. Amatova 5-0; Nate Barr 2-0; Bryce Maloney 2-0; Walter Flanagan 1-0.

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2031 Big Ten Conference football standings



2031 college football national rankings



Northwestern vs. Illinois rivalry

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Freshman running back Tyler Ankrah runs through a huge hole into the end zone.


Northwestern sacked Illinois quarterback Taulia Cavka six times.


Northwestern linebacker Ross Stewart intercepts a pass.


Illinois receiver Kai Boger hauls in a 75-yard touchdown pass.

DON’T FIX IT
Northwestern continues ground dominance
in seventh straight rivalry win over Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — What’s that old saying about if something ain’t broke?

Northwestern coach B-Dawg felt there was no need to change up his attack after Tyler Ankrah and Stan Baron became only his second tandem to rush for at least 140 yards in the same game last week at Penn State.

Pounding the ball from the I-formation and Maryland-I isn’t sexy, but it’s been effective for the Wildcats.

One week after achieving one rarity, Ankrah and Baron combined for another during top-ranked Northwestern’s 44-17 victory over Illinois on Nov. 29, 2031.

Ankrah rank 23 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns, while Baron ran 24 times for 116 yards and one score. The Wildcats ran 57 times for 246 yards while throwing 18-for-27 for 254 yards with three quarterbacks.

It marked only the third time B-Dawg has had two players rush for at least 100 yards in back-to-back games during a coaching career that dates back in NCAA 2004.

Western Michigan running back and quarterback David Landrum were the first to do it against Purdue and Minnesota on Oct. 20 and 27, 2018 in NCAA ’14. In fact, they each had a 100-yard rushing performance in three out of four games, doing so two weeks later against Ohio State.

Cox was also part of the other instance in which it happened along with quarterback John Nelson in Western Michigan’s final game of the 2019 season and the 2020 opener in NCAA ’14.

“When you start playing these cold-weather games and tougher road games late in the season, it’s a comfort to have a strong running game to reduce the risk of turnovers or being unable to audible or see play art,” B-Dawg said. “We will continue to pound the rock as long as it’s successful. We all knew Stan Baron is an elite running back, but Tyler Ankrah has been a revelation. It’s also super nice to finally have a deep offensive line to run behind. The big fellas deserve a lot of the credit. They’re racking up pancakes like they’re at the all-you-can-eat buffet at iHop.”

Ankrah will be vital to Northwestern’s ground success, because Baron has a habit of tapping out of games by the fourth quarter with various wear-and-tear issues. He had 21 carries for 106 yards in the first half, but only three carries for 10 yards after halftime.

As has been the pattern lately, the game was close until it wasn’t.

The score was tied 24-24 before Ankrah’s 1-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds left in the first half put Northwestern ahead to stay. The Wildcats pitched a shutout in the second half after being torched in the first half.

Receiver J.C. Cantwell made his 300th career catch with 10 minutes left in the game.

It was the seventh straight victory for Northwestern in the Battle for the Land of Lincoln rivalry.

Northwestern moves on to play Wisconsin for the Big Ten Conference championship and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Juan Gore 10 pancakes, 0 sacks; Hayden DiMarco 9-0; Niles Mount 9-1; Alex Jameson 8-0; Daniel King 8-0; Bryce Maloney 6-0; J.D. Amatova 4-0; Gill Trimble 4-0; Walter Flanagan 4-0; Thomas Pifer 3-0; Nate Barr 3-0; Brady Ellington 3-0; J.T. Garibay 2-0; J.C. Cantwell 2-0; Fredrick Slade 1-0; Quentin Upshaw 1-0; Jamie Stack 1-0.

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2031 rankings after regular season



2031 Final Big Ten Conference standings


Note: Wisconsin won tie-breaker to play in Big Ten championship game by beating Oregon 35-34 on
Sept. 20 in Eugene.

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Northwestern’s Eric Gibbs take a kickoff 96 yards to the house following a Wisconsin field goal.


Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn hits Wisconsin quarterback Miles Ahanotu, forcing an incompletion on fourth-and-10
with 5:48 left.


Northwestern receiver Andres Nickey scores on a 37-yard pass.


Northwestern receiver J.C. Cantwell grabs a 1-yard touchdown pass.

MO’ KILLER!
Rare kick return rights the ship,
Northwestern wins Big Ten title

INDIANAPOLIS — Northwestern’s 17-0 lead was slowly slipping away, reduced to three points after three quarters and sitting at 31-24 after the defense stood tall and held Wisconsin to a short field goal with 7:41 left in the game.

With that much time on the clock, there was a risk that the top-ranked and unbeaten Wildcats would choke away the Big Ten Conference championship game on Dec. 13, 2031.

Then the Badgers kicked off following their field goal and Eric Gibbs began to head upfield. He didn’t stop until he’d gone 96 yards with a house call that gave Northwestern some breathing room in a 45-31 victory over 13th-ranked Wisconsin.

It was only the fourth kick return for a touchdown in the seven-year history of this dynasty. J.C. Cantwell had a 96-yarder in 2028 and Andres Nickey had two in the same game against Illinois in 2029. All three players who have returned kicks for touchdowns are part of the current receiving corps and scored in this game.

“A massive exhale went up from our sideline once Eric was in the clear,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “It felt like they had momentum from just before halftime on and the clock couldn’t tick down fast enough. They were still in it, but our odds of winning increased dramatically.”

Northwestern jumped out to a 17-0 lead with 1:57 left in the second quarter when the Wildcats settled for a field goal after having first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. B-Dawg dialed up plays from the Monster formation in an attempt to go up 21-0, only to be stopped.

“That’s the kind of stuff you do when you underestimate a team and lose focus,” B-Dawg said. “We should have gotten into our base power running stuff or had Vernon Starr run QB Blast out of five wide. It seems everything began to unravel for a bit after that.”

Wisconsin cut the deficit to 17-7 on a 42-yard pass from Miles Ahanotu to Trey Peppers with 47 seconds left in the half. Two touchdown passes by Ahanotu in the third quarter made it a 24-21 game.

After a 1-yard run by Tyler Ankrah put the Wildcats up 31-21, Wisconsin had a chance to counter. But an incomplete pass on third-and-goal from the 3-yard line forced the Badgers to settle for a 20-yard field goal with 7:41 left.

Gibbs’ kick return and a 1-yard pass to Cantwell put the Wildcats up 45-24, continuing Northwestern’s trend of breaking open tight games in the fourth quarter.

Middle linebacker Ricardo Ruston, who will likely get invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, had 16 total tackles, five for losses and two sacks. B-Dawg has never had a defensive player win a Heisman.

The victory improved Northwestern to 13-0 and gives the Wildcats a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. The loss was devastating for Wisconsin (9-4), which likely will miss the playoffs after having a chance to secure a bye with a victory.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Niles Mount 8 pancakes, 0 sacks; Hayden DiMarco 6-1; Alex Jameson 5-0; Juan Gore 5-0; Walter Flanagan 3-0; Brady Ellington 2-0; J.D. Amatova 2-0; Nate Barr 2-0.


2031 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
Conference USA: Western Kentucky 27, Texas-El Paso 17
Mid-American: Buffalo 31, Ball State 10
Big 12: Central Florida 27, Cincinnati 23
Sun Belt: Old Dominion 43, South Alabama 21
American: Alabama-Birmingham 38, North Texas 20
Mountain West: UNLV 28, Air Force 9
SEC: Oklahoma 35, Mississippi 33
Big Ten: Northwestern 45, Wisconsin 31
ACC: Clemson 35, Duke 10

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Northwestern will play the winner of the Notre Dame-Tennessee game in the quarterfinals of the 2031 College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl. The Big Ten Conference didn't fare as well as in the past, getting only two playoff berths. It didn't help that conference runner-up Wisconsin had four losses. The SEC raked in the dough with five playoff qualifiers.

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PLAYER OF THE YEAR: David Cutrera, Clemson, QB, rJr.
HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR: B-Dawg, Northwestern
BEST QUARTERBACK: David Cutrera, Clemson, QB, rJr.
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Ricardo Ruston, Northwestern, MLB, Soph.
BEST DEFENSIVE BACK: Levi Ingram, Northwestern, CB, rJr.
BEST RUNNING BACK: Tyler Ankrah, Northwestern, HB, Fr.
BEST RECEIVER: Tay Way, Clemson, WR, rJr.
LOMBARDI: Eric Kuhn, Northwestern, DE, Soph.
UNITAS GOLDEN ARM: Joey DiNapoli, Notre Dame, rSr.
BEST DEFENSIVE END: Eric Kuhn, Northwestern, DE, Soph.
BEST INTERIOR LINEMAN: Darren Hacker, Clemson, C, rSr.
BEST TIGHT END: Afa Pitoitua, Oklahoma, TE, rJr.
BROYLES AWARD: Tommy Walker, Northwestern, OC
BEST LINEBACKER: Ricardo Ruston, Northwestern, MLB, Soph.
BEST CENTER: Darren Hacker, Clemson, C, rSr.
LOU GROZA: Keke Offset, Toledo, K, rSr.
BEST PUNTER: Trent Hennessy, Cincinnati, P, rJr.
BEST RETURNER: Louis Ruegamer, Washington State, rFr.

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Northwestern and Notre Dame will meet for the first time in this dynasty in the quarterfinals of the 2031 College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl. The Fighting Irish earned their spot in the matchup by beating Tennessee, 38-35. The SEC had five qualifiers, but is down to two after Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi (against Alabama) lost. The SEC is guaranteed a semifinalist, with Oklahoma and Alabama meeting in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal.

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Northwestern quarterback Floyd Keenan runs for the winning 1-yard touchdown in overtime.


Keenan then celebrates after capping the greatest comeback in B-Dawg’s coaching career.


Northwestern receiver Andres Nickey grabs a 9-yard touchdown pass with one second left in the fourth quarter.


Then Keenan forced overtime by scoring on a 2-point run.


One of Northwestern’s few highlights early was a safety by defensive tackle J.T. McHugh.


Notre Dame torched Northwestern’s secondary in the first half by scoring on three touchdown passes of 57 yards or longer.

FOR THE AGES
Northwestern authors historic comeback,
ousts Notre Dame in playoff quarterfinal

PASADENA, Calif. — When Northwestern quarterback Floyd Keenan reached the end zone on a 1-yard run with 10:19 left in the game, commentator Kirk Herbstreit gave the Wildcats what amounted to a condescending pat on the head.

“Obviously, this game is out of reach but, again, they’re fighting until the very end, which is always good to see,” he said.

Out of reach?

Was it out of reach when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hecks, naw!

Yes, the going had gotten tough, really tough, for the top-ranked and unbeaten Wildcats in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl on Dec. 23, 2031.

But what looked like a window-dressing touchdown early in the fourth quarter triggered the greatest comeback in B-Dawg’s video game history, which dates back to Madden 2003.

Northwestern outscored Notre Dame 31-0 in the fourth quarter and won the game 46-43 in overtime when Keenan scored on a 1-yard run after Notre Dame kicked a field goal on its first possession.

Northwestern trailed 40-9 entering the fourth quarter, and it could have been much worse had the Wildcats not held the Fighting Irish to four straight field goals.

In fact, the biggest play of the game, in retrospect, might have come when Northwestern forced quarterback Joey DiNapoli to throw away the ball under pressure on third-and-goal from the 5-yard line late in the third quarter. That forced the Fighting Irish to settle for a 22-yard field goal.

“Crazy as it sounds, it crossed my mind that we were still within four possessions after that field goal instead of being down five,” B-Dawg said. “When you break it up into number of possessions versus number of points, it seems more manageable.”

B-Dawg’s biggest comeback ever was also from 31 points down, but his Vanderbilt team in NCAA 2007 began its rally against Florida late in the first half on Nov. 10, 2012. Trailing by 31 in the fourth quarter is a death sentence.

“To be honest, I considered pulling the plug on this game and coming back another time,” B-Dawg said. “But if you’re going to run a legitimate dynasty, there are times when you have to just bend over and take your punishment like a man.”

It helped that Notre Dame put in its backups in the fourth quarter and that the CPU logic didn’t have the good sense to put the starters back in when the Wildcats started cutting into the lead or even in overtime.

It also helped that the Fighting Irish, who shredded Northwestern with their passing game, got super conservative and kept punting the ball back to the Wildcats.

After Notre Dame punted on fourth and inches, a 19-yard pass to J.C. Cantwell and Stan Baron’s 2-point run made it 40-25 with 7:27 left in the game.

B-Dawg tried to keep running his offense as usual, but needed a splash play when the Wildcats took the field shortly before the two-minute warning. He got one when Eric Gibbs hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass from Keenan with 2:29 remaining. B-Dawg chose to kick the extra point rather than possibly miss a 2-pointer and essentially end the game here.

Northwestern caught a massive break when a touchdown pass by Notre Dame with 2:14 left was negated by a holding penalty on wide receiver Craig Lasco. The Wildcats then caught two more breaks when a holding penalty negated a first down and a pass was dropped on third-and-three with 1:41 left.

“Comeback code sometimes works for the user coach, as well,” B-Dawg said.

Northwestern took over at its own 21 with 1:36 left, eventually getting the ball to Notre Dame’s 9-yard line with 11 seconds remaining. After two incompletions, the Wildcats had third-and-goal with four seconds remaining. B-Dawg hot-routed slot receiver Andres Nickey to run a slant from right to left and Keenan found him for a touchdown with one tick on the clock to complete an 11-play, 79-yard drive.

But there was still one major item of business remaining — the 2-point conversion.

B-Dawg paused the game and composed himself, trying to decide the best course of action. Does he run QB Blast? Does he hand off to star running back Stan Baron? Does he spread the field and throw it?

He ultimately dialed up QB Blast out of a five-wide set, only to see Notre Dame’s defense prepared for it with five players on the line and a linebacker in the middle. Out of timeouts, B-Dawg was pot-committed, ran the ball with Keenan and fought for the tying 2-pointer.

It was on to overtime, where Notre Dame settled for a field goal after B-Dawg spied defensive tackled Christian Runyan on third-and-13, a move that paid off when backup quarterback Jamie Hagans tried to scramble. Runyan was there to clean up the mess, forcing a field goal.

Northwestern faced fourth-and-12 after an illegal procedure, moving the ball back to the 27, but Keenan found Nickey down the middle to the 1-yard line to set up the winning QB Blast.

“You coach in hundreds and hundreds of games over the years, and only a few truly stick out,” B-Dawg said. “This is one I’ll never forget.”

Keenan was in the game because Vernon Starr was pulled after going 9-for-19 for 157 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. Keenan was 22-for-38 for 305 yards, three touchdowns and no picks.

The Wildcats had three receivers reach 100 yards, with Gibbs catching nine passes for 150 yards, Jamie Stack five for 117 and Cantwell 10 for 109.

DiNapoli was everything he was advertised to be for Notre Dame. He came into the game having thrown 46 touchdowns and ZERO interceptions. Those totals are now 49 touchdowns and zero interceptions after he torched Northwestern for three scoring strikes of 57 yards or more by midway through the second quarter. Notre Dame didn’t score a touchdown after halftime, however.

Northwestern (14-0) must now regroup and prepare to face Alabama-Birmingham in the national semifinals in the Fiesta Bowl.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Hayden DiMarco 9-0; Alex Jameson 6-0; Juan Gore 6-0; Niles Mount 5-0; Brady Ellington 3-0; Bryce Maloney 3-0; Andres Nickey 1-0; Jamie Stack 1-0; Quentin Upshaw 1-0; Nate Barr 1-0.


B-DAWG’S GREATEST COMEBACKS
31 — Vanderbilt 41, Florida 38, Nov. 10, 2012, NCAA ’07 (Trailed 31-0 late first half)
31 — Northwestern 46, Notre Dame 43 (OT), Dec. 23, 2031, CFB 25 (Trailed 40-9 early in fourth quarter)
28 — Oregon State 52, Texas 49, Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 1, 2012, NCAA ’09 (Trailed 49-21 midway through third quarter)
28 — Vanderbilt 68, Ohio State 65, Sept. 2, 2028, NCAA ’14 (Trailed 45-17 at halftime)
27 — Lions 45, Cowboys 44, Madden 2004 (Trailed 41-14 late third quarter)