'Cats Survive South Dakota State Opener
Northwestern unveiled its new offense under Chip Kelly, and Kelly's squad delivered a win, beating FCS powerhouse South Dakota State 34-18 in Evanston. New NU quarterback Aiden Chiles performed as advertised, busting out terrific pass and rush plays to lead the squad.

The 'Cats did have some issues, particularly with injuries. A possible neck injury to starting center and co-captain Jackson Carsello provided a sobering scare. The most recent available reports are that Carsello has been hospitalized. The young Wildcat defensive line also faced injuries in the night opener.

More to come Sunday, including the first update to HTP's Wildstats and an update to our bowl odds.

***** 'CATS WIN! ***** 'CATS WIN! ***** 'CATS WIN! ***** The Wildcats were 13.5-point favorites vs. South Dakota State coming into tonight's game. ***** For the 2026 preseason, NU was unranked by the two major polls. ***** CBS Sports ranked the Wildcats 48th, just ahead of Arkansas, Cal, and Mississippi State. ***** CollegeFootballNews.com placed NU at 45th, ahead of Virginia Tech and Duke. ***** For breaking news and updates, visit the HTP Twitter Feed *****




'Cats Win!
Sept. 5, 2026


The Crown Tower
Clock should be:
PURPLE



 

















The finishing touches are being added to NRF.
Wildcat Preview and Prediction
The Lowes Line: S. Dakota St.
Here is the Line's pick for NU's season opener...
Preseason Bowl Projections
Here are the final HTP preseason odds that the Wildcats will return to a bowl game...
New Ryan Field Progresses
Updated images from the construction work on the New Ryan Field...
NU Unveils Purple Gothic Unis
For 2026, NU will sport a new Gothic uni...
Wildcat History
Capt. Andrew Johnson
Thanks to a Northwestern alumnus, we can share a photo montage of NU's 1912 football captain...
Wildcat History
NU's First Football Game
As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Northwestern's first football game, HailToPurple.com has posted a series of articles about that first game. These four posts are part of the site's expanded section featuring NU's first game.






Introducing HailToPurple.com's
WildStats
A new feature linked in HTP's 'Cat Data Extra section, WildStats is a Power BI app report that shows interactive NU football statistics, including win / loss records dating from 1876 and team stats dating back to 2001.

The WildStats platform will be updated after every game this fall. Click here to open WildStats (will open in a new window).


Northwestern's 2025 season was the school's 140th playing football. Now, you can read about NU's very first season and how it all began.

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 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 (Aug. 16):

No other pages updated.


Archived
Updated 9/5/26
Archived




DAYS HOURS MINS SECS








Next for the Wildcats:

Colorado
Martin Stadium
Sat., Sept. 19
6:30 p.m. CDT
TV: FOX or FS1

2026 Results
(1-0; 0-0 B1G)
W
 S Dakota St-FCS, M
 34-18
H Colorado - M Sep 19
A
 Indiana - FRI Sep 25
H Penn State - FRI, R Oct 2
H Ball State - H.C., R Oct 10
A
 Michigan State
 Oct 17
H Rutgers - R Oct 24
A Oregon
 Oct 31
H Iowa - R Nov 7
A Ohio State Nov 14
A Minnesota Nov 21
H Illinois - R Nov 28
- -
 -
(M=NM Field. R=New Ryan Field)
  
 2025 Results
(7-6; 4-5 B1G)
L Tulane 3-23
W Wstrn Ill - M 42-7
L
 Oregon - M 14-34
W UCLA - M 17-14
W ULM - HC - M 42-7
W Penn State 22-21
W Purdue - M 19-0
L Nebraska 21-28
L USC 17-38
L Michigan - W 22-24
W Minnesota - W 38-35
L Illinois 13-20
W Cent. Mich. - Bowl 34-7
(M=NM Field. W=Wrigley Field)



Medicine Ball Is Now Administered Lakeside!




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


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