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

[BDawg35]

Northwestern running back Stan Baron scores the winning touchdown with 6:25 left in the game.


Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn celebrates one of his five sacks.


Nate Glennon caught two touchdown passes for Jacksonville State.

LEGEND AT WORK
Eric Kuhn ties record with 5 sacks
to help NW fend off pesky Jax State

EVANSTON, Ill. — It’s beginning to become a no-brainer.

Eric Kuhn will go down in history as the greatest defensive end ever coached by B-Dawg.

He solidified his legendary status by tying a record with five sacks during a surprisingly difficult 24-17 victory over Jacksonville State on Sept. 17, 2033.

Kuhn shares the single-game record with six other players who have been coached by B-Dawg since NCAA 2004. Michigan’s Desi Hatfield was the first to do so in NCAA 2005 and Vanderbilt’s Terion Sugick was the most recent in NCAA ’14.

Kuhn is the main reason B-Dawg is even playing one more season before starting his CFB 26 dynasty. His incredible performance against Jacksonville State pushed his career total to 48.5 sacks and makes breaking B-Dawg’s career record more realistic. Michigan’s Jammal Lavin had 57 sacks from 2011-14 in NCAA 2005.

After curb-stomping Texas last week, the Wildcats had a letdown against a team they should’ve steamrolled by 50. It took a 3-yard touchdown run by Stan Baron with 6:25 left in the game for Northwestern to emerge victorious. Baron ran 31 times for 171 yards and two scores.

Jacksonville State’s final attempt to tie the game ended when Nazir Small intercepted a fourth-and-17 pass from midfield with six seconds left.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Hayden DiMarco 14 pancakes, 0 sacks; Thomas Pifer 13-0; Joseph Watt 8-0; Daniel King 5-0; Frederick Slade 4-0; Quentin Upshaw 4-2; Walter Flanagan 2-0; Bryce Maloney 2-0; Jamie Stack 1-0; Kevin Lamb 1-0; David Coat 1-0.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern quarterback Floyd Keenan threw five touchdown passes.


Freshman Northwestern receiver Ruben Pettigrew caught two touchdown passes.


Backup running back Larry Edds breaks off a 40-yard touchdown run.


Northwestern safety Avery Carswell intercepted two passes.

ERUPTION!
Northwestern scores 35 in second quarter
to fight back from early deficit vs. U-Dub

EVANSTON, Ill. — A 35-point explosion in the second quarter enabled Northwestern to fight back from an early 10-0 deficit to beat Washington 49-31 on Oct. 1, 2033.

The quarter featured touchdown runs by Larry Edds and Stan Baron just eight seconds apart and touchdown catches by Baron and Jamie Stack just 28 seconds apart in the final minute of the half.

Floyd Keenan threw three of his five touchdown passes in the second quarter. Two of his touchdown passes went to freshman Ruben Pettigrew on his only two catches of the game.

Defensive end Eric Kuhn had three tackles for losses and one sack, boosting his career total to 49.5. The most sacks ever by a B-Dawg player were 57 by Michigan’s Jammal Lavin from 2011-14 in NCAA 2005.

Safety Avery Carswell picked off two passes.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Hayden DiMarco 7 pancakes, 0 sacks; Joseph Watt 5-0; Quentin Upshaw 5-0; Daniel King 5-0; Juan Gore 2-0; Thomas Pifer 1-0; Frederick Slade 1-0; David Coat 1-0; Walter Flanagan 1-0; Ruben Pettigrew 1-0; George Enechukwu 1-0; Kevin Lamb 1-0.

[BDawg35]

No. 1 Northwestern is two games away from a showdown vs. No. 2 Wisconsin, but first the Wildcats must get past an Ohio State team that has fallen off the rails and isn't ranked.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn gets one of his record six sacks of Ohio State quarterback George Turner.


Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn sacks Ohio State quarterback George Turner, forcing a fumble …


… that he pounces on.


Northwestern kicker Damien Cregg kicks the winning 26-yard field goal with 38 seconds left.

SACK PARTY
Eric Kuhn’s six sacks break record
in last-minute win over Ohio State

EVANSTON, Ill. — His chances were good, but it wasn’t a given that Eric Kuhn would break B-Dawg’s all-time career record for sacks.

An off game or two could derail his pursuit of virtual football immortality.

But it’s pretty much a given now that Kuhn will eclipse a record that has stood since NCAA 2005.

Kuhn, Northwestern’s star senior defensive end, had a performance for the ages during a 30-27 victory over Ohio State on Oct. 8, 2033, a game the Wildcats won on Damien Cregg’s 26-yard field goal with 38 seconds left after blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.

Nobody will remember Cregg’s winning field goal when they bring up this game in the future, however. All anyone will talk about is the beastly performance by Kuhn, who racked up six sacks to set B-Dawg’s single-game record.

He broke the record of five that he shared with six other players. Kuhn had five sacks against Jacksonville State this season.

The sack-fest pushed Kuhn’s four-year total to 55.5, putting him within spitting distance of Jammal Lavin’s 57 for Michigan from 2011-14 in NCAA 2005.

The record seems destined to not only be broken, but obliterated.

Four of Kuhn’s sacks came in the final 7:49 of the game. He got the record-breaker with 32 seconds left and Ohio State trying to mount a comeback following the go-ahead field goal.

The Wildcats needed every bit of Kuhn’s greatness, because Ohio State kept hanging around whenever it looked like Northwestern would pull away.

Northwestern had a 21-0 lead cut to 21-14 on two touchdown runs by Andres Rutter, one of which was a 95-yarder, late in the first half.

With Northwestern leading 27-17 in the fourth quarter, two interceptions nearly cost the Wildcats the game. Marcus Shivers took the first interception 75 yards to the house to cut the lead to 27-24 with 5:38 left in the game.

Brian Suarez then picked off a pass that led to a game-tying field goal. Northwestern marched down the field and kicked what proved to be the winning field goal on fourth-and-inches, leaving some time for Ohio State to mount a rally of its own.

The Buckeyes completed a pass and got out of bounds at their own 49 with 12 seconds left. They then squandered the rest of the clock when quarterback George Turner held the ball for what seemed like an eternity before completing a pass to Northwestern’s 23-yard line with one second remaining. Out of timeouts, Ohio State couldn’t rush to the line to get another snap before time expired.

Most sacks in a game by B-Dawg player

6, Eric Kuhn (Northwestern) vs. Ohio State, Oct. 8, 2033 (CFB 25)

5, Desi Hatfield (Michigan) vs. Wisconsin, Sept. 27, 2008 (NCAA 2005)

5, Jammal Lavin (Michigan) at Iowa, Oct. 19, 2013 (NCAA 2005)

5, Ulysses Heckel (Vanderbilt) at Kentucky, Sept. 15, 2012 (NCAA 2007)

5, Kenny Wilkins (Michigan) at Boy-Z State, Sept. 14, 2013 (NCAA 2012)

5, Jordan Jackson (Air Force) vs. Idaho, Aug. 20, 2020 (NCAA 2014)

5, Terion Sugick (Vanderbilt) at Alabama, Sept. 9, 2024 (NCAA 2014)

5, Eric Kuhn (Northwestern) vs. Jacksonville State, Sept. 17, 2033 (CFB 25).

Note: Cornerback Brandent Englemon (Michigan) had 10 sacks at Minnesota, Oct. 8, 2005 and vs. Illinois, Oct. 15, 2005 in NCAA 2004 using a cheesy defense, so his record won’t count.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Hayden DiMarco 10-0; Walter Flanagan 6-0; Juan Gore 6-0; Daniel King 5-0; Quentin Upshaw 4-0; Daniel Coat 2-0; Bryce Maloney 2-0; Fredrick Slade 1-0; Jamie Stack 1-0; Joseph Watt 1-0; Ruben Pettigrew 1-0; Josh Rourke 1-0; Joey Wilcox 1-0; Kevin Lamb 1-0.

[tarheelguy4736]

Dang BDawg - you have built Northwestern in to a powerhouse... congrats on another NC!

[BDawg35]

Dang BDawg - you have built Northwestern in to a powerhouse... congrats on another NC!

Thanks! And thanks for your feedback. I was thinking nobody came here any more. I think I set a record for most consecutive game posts without an interaction.

Like with any dynasty, it's starting to get almost too easy now that I'm 10 years in. I have some really competitive games, but almost always pull them out. You learn a handful of money plays that can bail you out and lean on them. I finished this season about a month or so ago. I'm going to post the rest of the games because I want them saved for posterity here. I'm nearly done with my first season of my CFB 26 dynasty, which I hope to start posting fairly soon. I don't want to get too far behind posting those games, because I did that a lot with this one and doing the game reports started to feel like a work obligation.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern defensive end Ofisa Hand sacks Wisconsin quarterback Justice Lee.


Northwestern cornerback Nick Arnold picks off a pass in the end zone.


Northwestern receiver Joey Wilcox hauls in a 43-yard touchdown pass.


Northwestern receiver Jamie Stack grabs a 58-yard touchdown pass.


Wisconsin’s Saahdiq Bullitt grabs an interception he took to the house.

KUHN SHUT DOWN
But rest of defense gets to QB
in 31-24 victory over Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — Justice Lee was just happy to leave Camp Randall Stadium in one piece.

The Wisconsin quarterback had to be fearing for his life after watching Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn sack Ohio State quarterback George Turner a record-breaking six times last week.

The Badgers couldn’t knock off the Wildcats, losing 31-24 on Oct. 15, 2033, but they did keep Kuhn from sacking their quarterback. Northwestern did have four sacks as a team, a fairly low total for one of the most ferocious pass rushes in the nation.

That leaves Kuhn standing on 55.5 career sacks in his pursuit of B-Dawg’s career record of 57 set by Michigan’s Jammal Lavin from 2011-14 in NCAA 2005.

As was the case last week against Ohio State, the Wildcats nearly blew a game they appeared to have well in hand.

With Northwestern leading 28-14 at halftime, quarterback Floyd Keenan spoiled an otherwise outstanding performance by serving up a 58-yard pick-six to Saahdiq Bullitt with 5:35 left in the third quarter.

The teams traded field goals in the final quarter, the last one being a 27-yarder by Wisconsin with 36 seconds left. The Badgers hoped to get within seven and recover the onside kick, but Northwestern receiver Ruben Pettigrew pounced on it to preserve the unbeaten Wildcats’ sixth victory.

Northwestern has won 31 consecutive regular-season games since being upset by Indiana and Purdue in back-to-back weeks late in the 2030 season.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Walter Flanagan 4 pancakes, 0 sacks; Quentin Upshaw 4-0; Juan Gore 3-0; Daniel Coat 2-0; Fredrick Slade 2-0; Joseph Watt 1-0; Hayden DiMarco 1-0; Daniel King 1-1.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern cornerback Jabu Newcomb grabs one of his three interceptions.


Jabu Newcomb’s second interception of the game right before halftime set up a field goal.


Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn had 2.5 sacks, giving him B-Dawg’s all-time career record.


Northwestern receiver Kevin Lamb breaks free for a touchdown.


Northwestern receiver Jamie Stack snares a touchdown catch.

A JABU SIGHTING!!!
Under-performing top-ranked corner
has 3 interceptions in win over UCLA

PASADENA, Calif. — A lot more was expected from Jabu Newcomb when Northwestern signed him as the No. 1 cornerback and second overall recruit in the Class of 2030.

He was projected to be another Charles Woodson or Deion Sanders. Instead, he’s just been … a dude.

Newcomb’s pedestrian play has been overlooked because many of his five-star classmates have turned out to become downright legendary.

Finally, on one glorious afternoon in the Rose Bowl, Newcomb played like the elite cornerback he was projected to be.

Newcomb intercepted three passes during the second-ranked Wildcats’ 59-24 victory over sixth-ranked UCLA in a battle of unbeatens on Oct. 22, 2033.

Newcomb came into the game with only six interceptions in 50 games over his four-year career. He also had a game-high 14 tackles, which has been more of his strong suit than being a shutdown corner.

“That’s what we expected from Jabu,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “There are games in which I forget he’s even on our team.”

Newcomb managed to do something he hasn’t been able to his entire career — overshadow Eric Kuhn.

Newcomb’s three-pick performance came on the same day that the inevitable happened, with Kuhn becoming B-Dawg’s all-time career sacks leader. Kuhn, who was part of the Wildcats’ epic Class of 2030, had 2.5 sacks to push his career total to 58. He broke B-Dawg’s career record of 57 set by Michigan’s Jammal Lavin from 2011-14 in NCAA 2005.

While on the subject of the Class of 2030, middle linebacker Ricardo Ruston had 11 tackles to push his career total to 443. His 443 career tackles recently broke B-Dawg’s record of 422 set by Air Force strong safety DeAndre McCollum from 2023-26 in NCAA ’14. Ruston is also up to 102 career tackles for losses, breaking Lavin’s career record of 100.

Senior running back Stan Baron has a shot at 6,000 career rushing yards. He has 5,488 yards and 59 touchdowns on 1,121 carries. Quarterback Floyd Keenan threw his 60th career touchdown pass against UCLA.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Juan Gore 6-0; Hayden DiMarco 5-1; Quentin Upshaw 3-0; Daniel King 2-0; Fredrick Slade 2-0; Koren Garza 1-0; Joseph Watt 1-0; David Coat 1-0; Walter Flanagan 0-1.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern receiver Geoff Trahan grabs a 43-yard touchdown pass.


Northwestern receiver Jamie Stack grabs a 42-yard touchdown pass.


Northwestern receiver Kevin Lamb scores on a 5-yard touchdown pass.

RECORD WATCH
Northwestern’s Stan Baron closing in
on B-Dawg’s all-time rushing record

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — With the Eric Kuhn and Ricardo Ruston watches out of the way, it’s time to focus on the career numbers of senior running back Stan Baron.

Kuhn secured B-Dawg’s all-time sack record last week and Ruston recently surpassed the records for career tackles and tackles for losses.

With 21 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown during a 52-7 rout of Rutgers on Oct. 29, 2033, Baron pushed his career numbers to 5,610 yards and 60 touchdowns on 1,142 carries.

With four regular-season games and potentially four games after that, Baron stands a good chance of breaking B-Dawg’s career rushing record of 6,192 yards set by Michigan legend Joey McBride in only three seasons from 2013-15 in NCAA 2005. Baron has played four seasons and has had the benefit of extra playoff games. The same could be said for Kuhn and Ruston, who were in the same Class of 2030 with Baron.

Northwestern built a 38-0 halftime lead against Rutgers, as Floyd Keenan spread the wealth by throwing touchdown passes to Geoff Trahan, Kevin Lamb and Jamie Stack. Backup running back George Enechukwu had two touchdowns in the second half.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Juan Gore 9-0; Hayden DiMarco 8-0; Daniel King 6-0; Joseph Watt 3-0; Koren Garza 3-0; Quentin Upshaw 3-1; Jose Awosika 2-0; David Coat 2-0; Skyler Clauss 1-0; Geoff Trahan 1-0; Fredrick Slade 1-0; Thomas Pifer 1-0; Walter Flanagan 1-0; Kevin Lamb 1-0; Jamie Stack 1-0; Bryce Maloney 1-0.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern’s Antonio Gaffney takes a kickoff 95 yards to the house.


Northwestern safety Avery Carswell picks off a pass in the end zone.


Northwestern running back Stan Baron scores a touchdown.

HOUSE CALL
Antonio Gaffney has rare kick return TD
in Northwestern’s win over Michigan St.

EVANSTON, Ill. — A rare kick return for a touchdown was the highlight of unbeaten Northwestern’s 35-14 victory over Michigan State on Nov. 5, 2033.

The Spartans had just tied the game 7-7 on a 2-yard pass from Eric Willett to Nazir Brahms with 9:46 left in the second quarter when Antonio Gaffney had an explosive response.

Gaffney took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to the house just 10 seconds later to put the Wildcats back on top, 14-7.

It was only the fifth kick return touchdown in the 10-year history of this dynasty. J.C. Cantwell had the first in 2028, Andres Nickey had two against Illinois in 2029 and Eric Gibbs had one in 2031.

Gaffney’s return didn’t alter momentum of the game, as Michigan State responded with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Willett to J.D. Hammer on the next drive to tie the game. The 85-yard drive took 14 plays, as the Wildcats seemed baffled in how to defend the Spartans.

However, top-ranked Northwestern (9-0) got its act together and shut out MSU (2-7) the rest of the game.

Jamie Stack gave Northwestern the lead for good by catching a 7-yard touchdown pass from Floyd Keenan with 3:54 left in the first half. The Wildcats had a chance to extend the lead before halftime, driving to MSU’s 14-yard line before Nathan Lecounte picked off a pass in the end zone with two seconds left.

The Spartans couldn’t take advantage of the stop, allowing two third-quarter touchdowns to have their comeback hopes pretty much end.

Middle linebacker Ricardo Ruston had 22 tackles, 10 of them solos, to come one tackle shy of his own single-game record for a B-Dawg player. Cornerback Jabu Newcomb had 19 tackles, eight of them solos, to set a record for the most tackles by a B-Dawg defensive back. Air Force safety DeAndre McCollum had two 16-tackle games in NCAA ’14.

Northwestern lost defensive tackle J.T. McHugh for three weeks.

Most tackles by a B-Dawg player

23, Ricardo Ruston (Northwestern) 11 solos, 12 assists vs. Nebraska, Dec. 11, 2032 (CFB 25)

22, Ricardo Ruston (Northwestern), 10 solos, 12 assists vs. Michigan State, Nov. 5, 2033 (CFB 25)

21, Brendan McIntosh (Northwestern) 3 solos, 18 assists at Oregon, Oct. 18, 2025 (CFB 25)

19, Jabu Newcomb (Northwestern) 8 solos, 11 assists vs. Michigan State, Nov. 5, 2033 (CFB 25)

17, Xander Mueller (Northwestern) 8 solos, 9 assists vs. Miami of Ohio, Aug. 31, 2024 (CFB 25)

17, Carvin Johnson (Michigan) vs. Air Force, Sept. 1, 2012 (NCAA 2012)

16, Quavian Lewis (Vanderbilt) at Memphis, Sept. 5, 2009 (NCAA 2007)

16, Patrick Bolden (Vanderbilt) at Tennessee, Nov. 27, 2021 (NCAA 2007)

16, Chris May (Eastern Michigan) vs. East Carolina, Dec. 30, 2009 (NCAA 2008)

16, DeAndre McCollum (Air Force) vs. Colorado State, Nov. 15, 2025 (NCAA 2014)

16, DeAndre McCollum (Air Force) at Army, Nov. 1, 2026 (NCAA 2014)





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Hayden DiMarco 12-0; Juan Gore 7-0; Daniel King 5-0; David Coat 3-0; Quentin Upshaw 3-0; Walter Flanagan 2-0; Joey Wilcox 1-0; Ruben Pettigrew 1-0.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern receiver Jamie Stack celebrates his game-winning 10-yard TD catch with 4:27 left.


Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn gets one of his 5 sacks of Nebraska quarterback Quentin Coale.


Northwestern’s Shakir Maddy intercepts a Nebraska pass with 58 seconds left.


Backup Northwestern QB Alex Crecelius celebrates his game-tying TD run in the fourth quarter.

CRACKING THE CODE
After 4 straight turnovers to start game,
Northwestern rallies behind backup QB

EVANSTON, Ill. — It could not have been a more disastrous start to a football game for Northwestern.

The Wildcats had turnovers on their first four possessions and came perilously close to making it 5-for-5 to begin their game against Nebraska on Nov. 12, 2033.

The rash of miscues left Northwestern in a 21-0 hole, but if we’ve learned anything about Northwestern during B-Dawg’s 10-year tenure it’s that no deficit is too large for this team to overcome.

The latest bit of comeback magic began moments after top-ranked Northwestern (10-0) nearly coughed up the ball for a fifth straight time.

The biggest play in what would become a 38-31 victory for the unbeaten Wildcats came when backup quarterback Alex Crecilius fumbled the ball on second-and-goal from the 4-yard line and receiver Kevin Lamb alertly pounced on it. One play later, Crecelius rewarded Lamb by going to him for Northwestern’s first touchdown on an eight-yard drag route.

It was the first of three touchdown passes by Crecelius in a span of 2 minutes and 8 seconds. Just like that, Northwestern was tied 21-21. Nebraska regrouped, taking the lead before halftime on a field goal and heading into the fourth quarter with a 31-24 lead.

Crecelius tied the game on a four-yard run with 7:29 left in the fourth quarter and produced the winning touchdown on a 10-yard pass to Jamie Stack with 4:27 remaining.

Northwestern benefited from stupid CPU play-calling logic when Nebraska punted on fourth-and-one from the Wildcats’ 40-yard line with 2:09 left. The Cornhuskers then benefited from two injury timeouts that spared them having to use their own, allowing them to get the ball back with 1:49 remaining followed a batted down pass on third-and-five.

Freakish defensive end Eric Kuhn had two sacks on Nebraska’s ensuing possession, which ended when Shakir Maddy intercepted a pass with 58 seconds left.

Nebraska (3-7) still had all three timeouts because of a rash of injury timeouts (something that needs to be eliminated from college football), so there was a chance the Cornhuskers could get the ball back when they had Northwester in a third-and-10 situation.

Backup running back ran the ball to within inches of the first down, then converted a fourth-and-inches run with 45 seconds left to seal the victory.

It’s the seventh time in this dynasty that Northwestern has rallied to win when trailing by at least 17 points.

“I chalked up the early nonsense to the EA cheat code in which every play is a turnover,” B-Dawg said. “But I also know that eventually wears off. Kevin Lamb falling on that fumble seemed to break the code.”

The ultimate code-breaker may have been pulling Floyd Keenan from the game after one of the worst starts ever for a quarterback. Keenan was 1-for-5 for minus-4 yards and three interceptions. EA didn’t even know how to quantify that as a quarterback rating, showing a number of 6446.9.

Crecelius, who would be next year’s starter if there was a next year for B-Dawg, went 28-for-44 for 327 yards and four touchdowns.

In what is almost an after thought for Kuhn, he had five more sacks and seven tackles for losses. He now has 65 career sacks after getting at least five for the third time this season. He has 108 tackles for losses among 223 total tackles.

By running 27 times for 102 yards, Stan Baron pushed his career total to 5,856 yards, making 6,000 yards a real possibility with two regular-season games and as many as four postseason games remaining.






NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Hayden DiMarco 11-0; Daniel King 9-0; Juan Gore 6-2; Quentin Upshaw 4-0; David Coat 2-0; Bryce Maloney 1-0; Kevin Lamb 1-0; Josh Rourke 1-0; Koren Garza 1-0; Geoff Trahan 1-0.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern receiver Joey Wilcox grabs one of his three touchdown catches.


Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn gets one of his 3.5 sacks.


Northwestern’s Stan Baron breaks off a 55-yard touchdown run, eclipsing 6,000 career yards
in the process.


Northwestern receiver Kevin Lamb hauls in a 23-yard touchdown pass.


Northwestern safety Avery Carswell intercepts a pass.

HAVE A DAY!
Unheralded NW WR scores 3 TD’s,
Baron eclipses 6,000 rushing yards

EVANSTON, Ill. — Sometimes, the stars just align for a certain player to have a big game.

Joey Wilcox is third on Northwestern’s wide receiver depth chart behind Jamie Stack and Kevin Lamb, who collect most of the Wildcats’ touchdown passes.

But the down-and-distance and play calls near the goal line worked out perfectly for Wilcox to have a career day during a 56-35 victory over Maryland on Nov. 19, 2033.

Wilcox caught seven passes for 82 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were on plays of 10 yards or shorter. Through the first 10 games of the season, Wilcox had 35 catches for 386 yards and one touchdown.

“He usually gets the cheap catches on touch passes,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “There are players you barely remember are even on your team; Joey Wilcox is one of them. It’s nice that the kid had a day like this to remember. He might turn out to be a great receiver in time, but he’ll never get that opportunity. My days here are numbered.”

While Wilcox is an after thought in Northwestern’s offense, senior running back Stan Baron definitely is not.

Baron will go down as one of the greatest running backs B-Dawg has ever coached after becoming only his second player to eclipse 6,000 career yards.

Baron did it in style, breaking the barrier on a 55-yard touchdown run with 5:05 left in the third quarter. He finished with 223 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries, pushing his career totals to 6,079 yards and 64 touchdowns on 1,218 carries.

He now has a chance to break B-Dawg’s all-time career rushing record of 6,192 yards set by Michigan legend Joey McBride from 2013-15 in NCAA 2005. McBride needed only three seasons and didn’t have the benefit of conference championship or playoff games to extend his seasons.

Northwestern is 11-0 going into its rivalry game with Illinois.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Daniel King 16-0; Hayden DiMarco 14-0; Juan Gore 10-0; Koren Garza 6-0; David Coat 4-0; Joseph Watt 2-0; Kevin Lamb 2-0; Walter Flanagan 2-0; Jamie Stack 2-0; Joey Wilcox 1-0.

[BDawg35]

With one regular-season game remaining in the 2033 season, it appears the Big Ten Conference championship game could pit No. 1 vs. No. 2.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern running back Stan Baron became B-Dawg’s all-time leading rusher.


Northwestern running back Tyler Ankrah scores a touchdown in his first game of the season.


Northwestern linebacker Ricardo Ruston tackles Illinois running back Rudy Osemele for a safety.


Northwestern safety Avery Carswell picks off a pass.


Northwestern cornerback Jabu Newcomb intercepts a pass.

HE’S NO JOEY
Stan Baron breaks B-Dawg’s rushing mark,
but Joey McBride is still coach’s favorite

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Stan Baron’s name is now No. 1 on B-Dawg’s list of all-time rushers, but make no mistake about — Joey McBride is still No. 1 in his heart.

Baron carried the ball 30 times for 187 yards and four touchdowns, leading top-ranked Northwestern to a 44-17 victory over Illinois on Nov. 26, 2033.

Baron has 6,266 yards and 68 touchdowns on 1,248 carries, an average of 5.02 yards per carry. McBride had 6,192 yards and 44 touchdowns on 1,139 carries (5.4 ypc) for Michigan from 2013-15 in NCAA 2005.

McBride had seasons of 2,017, 1,966 and 2,209 yards when the Wolverines played only 13 regular-season games. Baron has played four seasons with the benefit of conference championship and playoff games.

McBride was the top-rated halfback and No. 11 overall prospect in the country coming out of Haslett, Mich. in the Class of 2013. He had 96 SPD.

“It will take someone awfully special for me to rank them ahead of Joey McBride,” B-Dawg said. “I still have dreams about how he felt in my hands …”

Anyway, changing the subject …

Hey, what do you know? Tyler Ankrah is alive!

Ankrah had disappeared from the radar of Northwestern football fans and coach B-Dawg after suffering a season-ending injury against Indiana around midseason last year.

The injury cost him the final nine games of the 2032 season and, surprisingly, the first 11 of the 2033 season.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Ankrah showed up on the field to spell Baron during the game. Ankrah had six carries for 39 yards and a touchdown.

It’s always good to have another effective running back, given how quickly EA’s “wear and tear” system can destroy a backfield.

Ankrah rushed for 1,021 yards and 14 touchdowns as a true freshman two years ago, giving the Wildcats two 1,000-yard rushers. Baron had 1,567 yards that season.

Illinois (3-9) had a chance to make it a two-possession game in the fourth quarter, but Nazir Small forced a fumble with 9:21 remaining near the goal line.

Floyd Keenan threw for 314 yards on 15-for-20 passing, but didn’t have a touchdown because Wildcat receivers were tackled at the 1-yard line at the end of 68- and 52-yard pass plays.

Northwestern will face second-ranked Oregon in a Big Ten Conference championship game that could also be a playoff preview.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Daniel King 10-0; Hayden DiMarco 7-0; Quentin Upshaw 7-1; Juan Gore 4-0; David Coat 3-0; Joseph Watt 3-0; Fredrick Slade 2-0; Kevin Lamb 2-0; Walter Flanagan 1-0; Josh Rourke 1-0.

[BDawg35]

Northwestern celebrates after winning the 2033 Big Ten championship.


Northwestern cornerback Jabu Newcomb intercepts a pass.


Northwestern running back Stan Baron ran 24 times for 165 yards and a touchdown.


Northwestern receiver Antonio Gaffney catches a 2-yard touchdown pass.

NOT THIS TIME!
Oregon was in process of role reversal,
Northwestern thwarts rally to win Big Ten

INDIANAPOLIS — Another Northwestern-Oregon football game, another large lead beginning to evaporate.

Only this time, it was Northwestern that appeared to be in full-on choke mode.

The top-ranked Wildcats were making a joke out of a clash of unbeatens in the 2033 Big Ten Conference championship game, vaulting out to a 28-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game with the benefit of two interceptions that gave them a short field.

“I needed to check the settings to make sure we weren’t on freshman mode,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said.

But just when it seemed things were too easy for the Wildcats, the Ducks nearly stole a page out of Northwestern’s book, staging a furious rally that came up short in a 35-30 loss to the Ducks on Dec. 10, 2033.

Oregon cut the deficit to 28-20 by halftime, settling for a field goal for its first score after having first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.

It appeared payback was in order after the Wildcats rallied from deficits of at least 20 points to beat the Ducks three times in the 10-year history of this dynasty. Just last season, Northwestern trailed 45-21 with less than seven minutes left before rallying to win, 49-45.

This time, there would be no miracle comeback.

Northwestern held Oregon (12-1) to a three-and-out on its first possession of the second half and went up 35-20 on a 2-yard pass from Floyd Keenan to Antonio Gaffney with 6:33 left in the third quarter.

There was still enough time for the Ducks to win the game when they made it a 35-30 game on a 35-yard pass from Josh Mon to Gabe Fehoko with 4:11 left in the game. Northwestern had enough of messing around, converting two third downs while draining the rest of the clock.

“We got complacent and did some things we don’t normally do when our foot is on the gas with the 28-0 lead,” B-Dawg said. “A lesson was learned. No matter how many games you win in a row, you can always slip up and lose a game.”

Northwestern (13-0) has won 40 consecutive non-playoff games since being upset by Indiana and Purdue on consecutive weeks late in the 2030 season. The Wildcats have won three straight Big Ten championships and six in the last seven seasons.

Northwestern defensive end Eric Kuhn had one sack, pushing his career total to 70.5. He is in the running to become B-Dawg’s first defensive Heisman Trophy winner. If he doesn’t win, he could lose out to teammate Stan Baron, who ran 24 times for 165 yards and a touchdown.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING: Daniel King 10 pancakes, 1 sack; Juan Gore 4-0; Quentin Upshaw 3-0; Hayden DiMarco 3-0; Joseph Watt 3-0; Bryce Maloney 2-0; Walter Flanagan 2-0; Jamie Stack 1-0; Koren Garza 1-0; Antonio Gaffney 1-0; David Coat 1-0.