***** Northwestern will face Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 23. ***** The Las Vegas Bowl will be a rematch of the 2018 Holiday Bowl, in which Northwestern defeated Utah. ***** For breaking news and updates, visit the HTP Twitter Feed *****



 
E X T R A
Dec. 3, 2023





The Crown Tower
Clock should be:
PURPLE








 




















EXTRA-- Northwestern will appear in the 2023 Las Vegas Bowl on December 23. The Wildcats will face Utah.

Much more to come...




NU Bowl Announcement
Imminent



Northwestern's postseason destination will be made public midday today, during the Big Ten selection show. HTP's final projection: no change for the last two weeks...




Wildcat History

NU's Long Association with Black

Is Northwestern guilty of wearing "black for black's sake"? Let's take a look...



NU Hangs On to Beat Illinois


Northwestern and Illinois combined to produce the highest-scoring game in the history of the series, which dates back to 1892. The 'Cats hung 45 points on the Illini, abusing the team down south through a passing attack for which Illinois had no answer. Illinois, down by eight in the last minute of the game, tore apart the NU defense and scored, only to have the tying two-point conversion play descend into chaos and an incomplete pass. 

With the win, NU finishes fifth in the Big Ten, with a winning record in the conference, a far cry from preseason expectations. The season has been a total triumph for the players and for Coach Braun.

Bowl projections have been updated...



Ryan Field Demolition Might Be Delayed
As NU Gets State Approval

Just days after the Evanston City Council narrowly approved the Ryan Field rebuild project, we learned that Ryan Field's historic status might require state authorization for its demolition-- and that authorization might take months to get.

NU must apply to the state for a review of its plan to demolish a structure that is "eligible" for historic status, even though the stadium is not on the state's-- or any other governing body's-- list of historic sites. Even though the university has been preparing for Ryan Field's rebuild for a couple of years now, the city's planning office claimed that "Both NU and the city’s community development staff found out about this state requirement sometime in October." If that is true, it represents a breathtaking lack of planning and research by the university and its legal and development staff.

The full article that reveals the issue, from the Evanston Round Table, can be found here...




The final moments of the purple banners waving high at Ryan Field


NU Attendance Dives in '23

Not a shocker: the annual average attendance for NU's home games was dramatically lower in 2023...



Wildcat Preview and Prediction

The Lowes Line: Purdue

The Lowes Line staff has posted its pick for NU's Senior Day and Wildcats vs. Boilers...



DAVID BRAUN NAMED
PERMANENT HEAD COACH


Northwestern made the obvious official Wednesday afternoon, announcing that it had elevated Coach David Braun from Interim to full Head Coach of the NU football team...



Northwestern's 2023 season is its 138th playing football. Now, you can read about NU's very first season and how it all began. The school's first football game was during the 1875-'76 season, making NU the oldest existing football team of any sort in the American Midwest.

Gus Hornsby's Gamble tells the story of Augustus Hornsby, the maverick English army officer who formed the Chicago Foot-Ball Club and taught the game to Northwestern students. Hornsby's story, relayed here for the first time anywhere, is a wild ride: he was a pioneer journalist, an explorer, and eventually a fabulously wealthy real estate tycoon. But his gambling addiction led to financial ruin and a stunning string of crimes that made Hornsby a nationally-hunted fugitive.

My new book provides a new glimpse into life at Northwestern at the school's infancy and describes its first football team in detail. It is a must for any fan of Northwestern and NU history. Click here to learn more about the book. You can order it directly from Amazon.


Other pages updated this week (Nov. 26):

Uniform History




Archived

Updated 11/17/23

Archived




DAYS HOURS MINS SECS







Next for the Wildcats:

 
Utah

Las Vegas Bowl
December 23, 2023
6:30 pm CST
ABC


2023 Results
(7-5; 5-4 B1G)

L
Rutgers- Sunday 7-24
W UTEP
38-7
L
Duke 14-38
W Minnesota*
37-34
L Penn State
13-41
W
Howard - FCS; HC
23-20
L Nebraska*
9-17
W Maryland
33-27
L Iowa* - @ Wrigley
7-10
W Wisconsin*
24-10
W Purdue* - Ryan Finale
23-15
W Illinois*
45-43
N Utah - Las Vegas
Dec 23
 
2022 Results
(1-11; 1-8 B1G)
 
W Nebraska* (Dublin) 31-28
L Duke 23-31
L
So. Illinois - FCS 24-31
L Miami, O 14-17
L Penn State 7-17
L Wisconsin* (HC) 7-42
L Maryland 24-31
L Iowa* 13-33
L Ohio State 7-21
L Minnesota* 3-31
L Purdue* 9-17
L Illinois* 3-41





"...It will always be my school, our school."
--Gary Barnett, as quoted by Teddy Greenstein


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