Northwestern Postgame Notes (Sept. 19, 2009)
Northwestern Postgame Notes
September 19, 2009
Carrier Dome • Syracuse, N.Y.
• Northwestern played the contest with several starters/key reserves out due to injury: CB Sherrick McManis, backup CB Justan Vaughn (who did not make the trip), WR Sidney Stewart (who did not make the trip), RB Stephen Simmons, MLB Nate Williams and RB Jeravin Matthews.
• Players making their first career start for Northwestern: MLB David Nwabuisi, CB Demetrius Dugar and RB Jacob Schmidt.
• Northwestern fell to 2-1 on the season and had its seven-game regular-season nonconference winning streak snapped. The Wildcats also were shooting for their second straight 3-0 start to a season. NU’s last back-to-back 3-0 starts came in 1958 and ’59.
• Northwestern was attempting to win its eighth consecutive regular-season nonconference game. The Wildcats’ last eight-game such streak happened from 1958 to 1961.
• The Wildcats fell to 0-3 all-time at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse now leads the all-time series 5-4.
• Northwestern’s six-game September winning streak came to an end. Before tonight, the last Northwestern loss in September came Sept. 29, 2007 vs. Michigan (28-16 defeat).
• With the loss, NU falls to 19-6 in its last 25 games decided by seven points or less.
• After outscoring its first two opponents 28-0 in the first quarter, Northwestern was outscored 17-0 by Syracuse. With its 21 second-quarter points, NU now has outscored its opposition 51-17 in the second frame.
• Under Fitzgerald, NU is 5-13 when trailing at the half.
• QB Mike Kafka opened the game by completing his first 16 passes—a Northwestern record. The old record for consecutive completions is 15, set by Tom Myers in 1962 (the last season that Northwestern was ranked No. 1 in the nation). Kafka finished the first half 18-of-19 for a career-best 242 yards and 2 TD’s. He also scored one rushing TD in the first half.
• Kafka is the first Big Ten player with at least one passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game since Penn State’s Zack Mills did it against Akron on Sept. 4, 2004.
• Kafka set a Northwestern record for highest single-game completion percentage (35-of-42 or 83.3 percent), breaking the previous record held by Brett Basanez (25-of-31, 80.6 percent, 2005 vs. Illinois)
• Kafka finished the game 35-of-42 for 390 passing yards, three passing TD’s and (-7) rushing yards with one rushing TD. He set a career high by totaling 407 yards of total offense.
• WR Andrew Brewer completed a TD pass to Kafka (after Kafka had lateralled to him), the first of Brewer’s career. Brewer was the Wildcats’ starting quarterback for three games in 2006, his redshirt season. He did not complete any TD passes as a quarterback.
• Late in the third quarter, Kafka caught his first career pass, a 24-yard reception that went for a touchdown. He threw two TD’s, ran for one and caught another.
• SB Drake Dunsmore had a career night, catching 10 passes for 90 yards and one TD, the first score of his career.
• WR Andrew Brewer caught his second TD pass of the year, a 39-yard pass from Kafka in the Wildcats’ 21-point second quarter. His first career TD reception came in the season opener vs. Towson, a 72-yard score.
• WR Zeke Markshausen, who was one of six Northwestern walk-ons to receive a scholarship earlier this week, set career bests for receptions (nine) and yards (86).
• WR Demetrius Fields caught his first career TD pass, a 3-yard reception early in the fourth quarter.
• LB Ben Johnson notched his first career fumble recovery in the second half.
