Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/883296
P R E G A M E R E P O R T P E N N S T A T E @ N O R T H W E S T E R N T I M E N O O N , O C T . 7 | T V A B C NORTHWESTERN FACTS COACH Pat Fitzgerald (North- western, '97) COACH'S RECORD 79-64, 41-49 Big Ten, in 12 seasons at North- western; career record: same 2017 RECORD 2-2, 0-1 Big Ten RECORD VS. PSU The Lions lead the all-time series, 13-5. MOST RECENT MEETING Penn State rallied back after falling be- hind by 13 points but came up short when Jack Mitchell hit a 35- yard field goal with nine seconds left to give the host Wildcats a 23-21 victory in November 2015. Saquon Barkley finished with 170 all-purpose yards – 120 rushing and 50 receiving – and scored two touchdowns. GOOD NEWS Senior running back Justin Jack- son is on the verge of becoming Northwestern's all-time leading rusher. He has 4,402 yards in his career, only 83 yards short of Damien Anderson's school record. BAD NEWS Jackson is trying to bounce back from a leg injury he suffered against Bowling Green on Sept. 16. He wore a brace against Wis- consin and carried only nine times for 25 yards. Jackson said he came out of the game feeling good and "should be much better this week." DID YOU KNOW? The brothers of two Penn State players – punter Blake Gillikin and quarterback Billy Fessler – are members of Northwestern's team. Tyler Gillikin is a redshirt freshman long snapper for the Wildcats, while Charlie Fessler is a sophomore wide receiver. M A T T H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M The text messages started popping into Pat Fitzgerald's phone not long after Northwestern's 33-24 loss to Wisconsin last Saturday. A number of undoubtedly well-meaning people wanted to let the coach know that they appreciated how hard his Wildcats had fought back against the 10th- ranked Badgers, shaving 14 points off a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit be- fore finally succumbing when quarterback Clayton Thorson was sacked in his own end zone in the final minute for a drive-killing safety. But for all the good intentions behind those messages, they only served to intensify Fitzgerald's anger over the loss. He still sounded angry when he was asked at a news conference on Monday to assess the Wildcats' per- formance in Madison. 1 O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Of the three bowl victories in Northwestern's history, Fitzger- ald has been their head coach for two: a 34-20 win over Mississippi State in the 2013 Gator Bowl and a 31- 24 upset of 23rd-ranked Pitt last season in the Pinstripe Bowl. Photo by Bryan Fuller/ MGoBlog