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2017 Music City
Bowl Page
Created
12/31/17
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Played December 29, 2017
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Attendance: 48,675
Northwestern's 2017 regular season record: 9-3 overall, 7-2
conference. Second place, B1G West; tied for third place, Big Ten
Coach: Pat Fitzgerald
Captains: Godwin Igwebuike, Justin Jackson, Tyler Lancaster, Claton Thorson
Opponent: Kentucky
NU/Kentucky series record (prior to bowl): NU led, 1-0
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
F |
| NU |
3 |
14
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0
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7
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24
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| UK |
7 |
0 |
7
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9 |
23 |
SCORING SUMMARY
UK: Snell 3-yd run (MacGinnis kick), Q1 12:42
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NU 0, UK 7
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NU: C. Kuhbander 33-yd FG, Q1 03:14
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NU 3, UK 7
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NU: J. Jackson 5-yd run (Kuhbander kick), Q2 14:07
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NU 10, UK 7
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NU: Jackson 2-yd run (Kuhbander kick), Q2 05:12
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NU 17, UK 7
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UK: Johnson 3-yd run (MacGinnis kick), Q3 07:11
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NU 17, UK 14
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NU: K. Queiro 26-yd interception (Kuhbander kick), Q4 07:49
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NU 24, UK 14
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UK: MacGinnis 48-yd FG, Q4 04:24
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NU 24, UK 17
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UK: Johnson 9-yd run (Johnson pass failed) Q4 00:37
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NU 24, UK 23
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NU Holds on to Win Music City Bowl
24-23
Justin Jackson, in his final NU game. [All images are AP]
Northwestern
held on to beat Kentucky, 24-23, in the Music City Bowl, claiming
first-ever back to back bowl wins for the program and its tenth win for
the season. 2017 is the third ten-win season during Pat Fitzgerald's
time as head coach, and his fourth as part of the program. The only
ten-win season for NU that did not involve Fitz was in 1903.
The game began inauspiciously for NU. The (Blue) Wildcats scored on the
opening drive in just over two minutes, and the teams settled into
trading punts before Northwestern got onto the scoreboard with a
33-yard field goal.
Early in the second quarter, NU had the ball at midfield, and Justin
Jackson tore through the Kentucky defense to bring NU within field goal
range. On first down at the Kentucky 29-yard line, Clayton Thorson
handed the ball off. Jeremy Larkin then lobbed a pass back to Thorson,
who completed for first and goal. However, Thorson injured his right
knee on the play, was sent to the sideline, and Matt Alviti stepped in
to quarterback the remainder of the game. An MRI later confirmed that
Thorson tore his ACL and will require surgery in January.
With the (Purple) 'Cats positioned at the Kentucky five-yard line,
Jackson plowed past the goal to give NU a 10-3 lead, and the team kept
that lead for the rest of the game, though with considerable
difficulty. The game's refs became a significant part of the
story, and a chaotic one at that, ejecting players on both sides and
unloading a series of questionable calls against both teams. The
wildest penalty came during the second quarter of the game, when an
official offered to help Kentucky running back Benny Snell, Jr., back
to his feet after a tackle. Snell, declining the help, moved the
officials hands out of the way, and was promptly flagged for
"initiating contact with an official," which removed him from play.
Soon afterward, NU linebacker Paddy Fisher got ejected for targeting,
despite all replays of the play apparently showing a perfectly legal
tackle. The loss of Fisher, combined with the earlier loss of
linebacker Nate Hall (to injury), put the Northwestern defense on its
heels, joining the offense-- now led by Alviti, who had not thrown a
pass in competition since early October.
Fortunately, both Alviti and the defense stepped up, trusted themselves, and kept NU in the lead.
By the middle of the third quarter, Kentucky was again down by just
three, 17-14, and was driving. However, Kyle Queiro took a Stephen
Johnson pass the other direction, notched a pick six, and provided
arguably the most important play of the day for Northwestern.
The ten-point lead almost proved insufficient. With less than five
minutes to go, Kentucky made a 48-yard field goal. NU's next drive
stalled at its own 39 yard line. With fourth down and one yard to go,
the Purple Wildcats rolled the dice, Alviti attempted to haul the ball
across, and NU was stopped on downs in its own territory. Kentucky
moved the ball to the nine, at which point Johnson kept the ball and
raced in for what appeared to be the tying score with 37 seconds left.
Kentucky, at the tail end of a wild game and a slug-fest of a second
half, decided to end the game then and there, going for two, rather
than playing for overtime. Johnson fired a pass that fell to the turf,
and NU white-knuckled its way to its third bowl victory in the Fitz
era. Jackson, NU's all-time rushing leader, cracked the top-ten
all-time rushing leaders in NCAA history during the game, picking up
157 yards and a pair of touchdowns along the way.
Music City Party Page
NU - Kentucky Series (NU Led 1-0)
The
two Wildcats have played each other only once before, in 1928. 2-0
Kentucky came to Dyche Stadium to take on 1-1 NU in an early-season
non-conference match. It was Northwestern's third season in its new
stadium and the first season wearing a new uniform with what would come
to be known as "Northwestern Stripes."
The match was highly-anticipated. Kentucky's state governor accompanied
the university's team to Evanston. Kentucky, reveling in playing
another Wildcat team, brought its own, live, wildcat mascot to the
game, along with the school marching band. WBBM and WMAQ both broadcast
the game on local radio. The game was preceded by a matchup between NU
and Notre Dame's reserve squads.
NU was concerned with injuries coming into the game. Star tackle Harry
Kent was sidelined, hurt in the previous game against Ohio State.
However, the Purple 'Cats needn't have worried. NU captain Walt Holmer
accounted for 81 of NU's 168 yards rushing, which were enough to upend
Kentucky, 7-0. During the second quarter, NU drove to the Kentucky
20-yard line. The NU 'Cats began a rushing play, but the carrier
fumbled behind the line of scrimmage. Holmer recovered and threw a pass
to Henry Bruder, who raced into the endzone for the day's only score.
Northwestern would go on to have a decent 5-3 season. The other Wildcats would finish 4-3-1.
Program from the '28 NU-Kentucky game
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