EVANSTON--Northwestern and its seniors went out in style on Saturday, posting a hard-fought 33-31 over Wisconsin in the regular season finale to improve their bowl positioning. Mike Kafka led the Wildcats to their third straight win in his final game at Ryan Field, going 26-of-40 for 326 yards and two touchdowns]]> Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:32:00 GMT Northwestern's top priority on Saturday will be to contain Wisconsin running back John Clay, the Big Ten's rushing leader. But how do the Wildcats stack up to the Badgers on offense, defense and special teams? WildcatReport talked to Tom Lea of BadgerBlitz.com to bring you the inside scoop on the Badgers, who sit just one game ahead of NU in the conference standings]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:16:00 GMT EVANSTON, Ill.(AP) On a good night, it's going to be tough to beat No. 11 Butler. When a team is as short-handed as Northwestern is, it's almost not a fair fight. Butler overpowered Northwestern 67-54 in the Wildcats' first game since announcing Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan will miss the season with injuries. Michael Thompson led the Wildcats (1-1) with 16 points]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:44:00 GMT Three-star prospect Jimmy Hall became the third wide receiver in Northwestern's Class of 2010 when he committed to coach Pat Fitzgerald. The Sylvania (Ohio) Southview product chose Northwestern over Boston College and talks to WildcatReport about the reasons for his decision in this exclusive stor]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:01:00 GMT Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald is happy his Wildcats have won two games in a row, and now he has more to be excited about because he received a verbal commitment from the 14th member of the Class of 2010. Who is the mystery commit? Go to The Rock, WildcatReport's premium message board, where this breaking news is posted.]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:33:00 GMT Northwestern, looking to finish up its Class of 2010, is now targeting Houston (Texas) St. Pius X product Venric Mark, a three-star athlete that will address the Wildcats' need to inject some speed into their wide receiver corps. The question is whether Mark is interested in NU. Find out what he had to say in this WildcatReport recruiting updat]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:41:00 GMT Northwestern will try to make the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time in school history without leading scorer Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan, one of the players that was going to help replace him. Coble will miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury, and Ryan tore his ACL in NU's season opening win over Northern Illinois]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:51:00 GMT Pinned at their own 1-yard line and clinging to a 7-3 third-quarter lead, Mike Kafka and Northwestern mounted a 99-yard touchdown drive that can best be described as a thing of beauty in an otherwise ugly game. WildcatReport looks at how NU used four big plays on their march to change the complexion of the game]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:42:00 GMT CHAMPAIGN, Ill.-Northwestern built a 21-3 fourth-quarter lead and then hung on for a 21-16 win over Illinois on Saturday to capture the first Land of Lincoln Trophy. Mike Kafka threw for 305 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score as the Wildcats solidified their bowl resume with their seventh win of the season]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:48:00 GMT Jeremy Nash did his best Kevin Coble impression in Northwestern's opener, starting for the injured star and scoring a game-high 20 points to lead the Wildcats to a 77-55 whipping of Northern Illinois at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Nash added four steals, four rebounds and three assists as the Wildcats outrebounded the Huskies and outscored them 34-13 at the free-throw line.]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:02:00 GMT Northwestern opens its most-anticipated season in decades tonight but instead of writing about the Wildcats' chances of making its first-ever NCAA Tournament this year, the focus is on how Bill Carmody will replace the injured Kevin Coble. So, what will Carmody do to replace his star and leading scorer? WildcatReport looks at the options]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:13:00 GMT Illinois was being left for dead in the Big Ten just a couple weeks ago, but two straight wins has coach Ron Zook and the Illini on an upswing as Northwestern heads to Champaign. What is responsible for the sudden surge? Who will play quarterback for Illinois? Those are just two of the questions we posed to Jeff Johnson of OrangeandBlueNews.com to bring you the inside scoop on the Illin]]> Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:18:00 GMT EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University senior forward Kevin Coble (Scottsdale, Ariz./Scottsdale Christian Academy) suffered an injury to his left foot during Tuesday's practice session. The extent of the injury is unknown at this time and he is slated to undergo further examination Friday morning]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:21:00 GMT Northwestern is still filling its final slots for the Class of 2010, but the Wildcats are already looking to 2011 and have offered junior running back Justice Hayes of Grand Blanc (Mich.). The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder was in Evanston on an unofficial visit to watch the Wildcats take on Penn State on Oct. 31, and he talks about his impressions of NU in this recruiting updat]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:23:00 GMT Just hours after the Florida High School Athletic Association stripped away Orlando (Fla.) Olympia's first-ever district title, quarterback Trevor Siemian put the Titans on his back and carried them to a 38-20 win over Clermont East Ridge to earn a playoff berth. Get the latest on all of NU's Class of 2010 commitments in this recruit roundu]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:49:00 GMT Austin Hill went on an official visit to Nebraska over the weekend, and the wide receiver from Corona (Calif.) Eleanor Roosevelt was impressed by everything he saw. But Northwestern will get a chance to make a final impression, as the 6-foot-3, 192-pounder says he will take an official to Evanston after the season. Get the latest on this top target in this update]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:59:00 GMT Coach Pat Fitzgerald was proud of his team's 17-10 upset of Iowa last Saturday, but he knows that arch-rival Illinois represents a big challenge this week. Find out what Northwestern's head man had to say about the status of his quarterbacks, the play of his defensive line and more in this transcript of his weekly press conference]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:28:00 GMT After taking two official visits in October, three-star wide receiver Jimmy Hall says he will be making a decision soon. The Sylvania (Ohio) Southview product visited Northwestern on Oct. 24 and watched the Wildcats come back to beat Indiana. Find out what Hall had to say about his visit and more in this recruiting updat]]> Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:20:00 GMT Northwestern's stunning 17-10 win on Saturday did more than stick a banana in the tailpipe of No. 4 Iowa's season. It also gave coach Pat Fitzgerald the signature win of his young career. Up until Saturday, the gap on Fitzgerald's resume was a big-time win against a big-time opponent -- a hole he filled with a stirring victory over the previously undefeated Hawkeyes]]> Sun, 8 Nov 2009 04:26:00 GMT Associated Press photos from Northwestern's 17-10 upset of No. 4 Iowa. ]]> Sat, 7 Nov 2009 21:17:00 GMT