Sitting at 1-10, this season has not been the swan song Northwestern's seniors envisioned. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald said that it will be sad to see the seniors depart, but sending them out with a rivalry win over Illinois on Senior Day would be a way to send them out on a high note.
This senior group has ridden a rollercoaster over the course of their careers. The fifth- and sixth-year non-transfer seniors have been a part of two Big Ten West Championships and successfully navigated a global pandemic. They've also been a part of the three worst records of Fitzgerald's tenure.
"They've been through a lot," Fitzgerald said. "It'll be a really interesting chapter in their life-book when they get done with college, with playing ball, just what they went through in their college experience. From COVID to the championships and everything in between. It's been a pretty unique experience."
Fitzgerald praised the seniors' ability to keep the team together despite losing 19 of their last 23 games. It might seem like meaningless praise from a coach trying to find a positive as the program finds a new to way define rock bottom every week, but Northwestern hasn't quit on the season yet, and that shows on Saturdays.
Two of those leaders are cornerback AJ Hampton and wide receiver/special teams ace Ray Niro III. Both guys are making it a point to focus on all the positives from their journeys in purple as they approach their final game.
"It's a lot of love, and it's sad, too, especially all these faces, all the people I've met over the years." Hampton said. "I'm never going to forget it. It's all about connections. Personally, for me, I'm a very social guy, so I'm very grateful for every relationship I've made at Northwestern, all the opportunities they've given me."
Fitzgerald said the seniors have a large variety of personalities, which makes them a fun group to be around. There probably isn't a bigger personality in that group than Hampton, who is never at a loss for words.
Niro III, on the other hand, is a much more understated individual. The team bringing all kinds of different people is what Niro III will remember most about his time at Northwestern.
"Definitely a lot of emotions, seeing that I've been here for a really long time," Niro III said. "Just staying five years, you learn so much about the culture here."
The elements of Northwestern's culture that Niro III will take with him is needing everyone to be successful and the family atmosphere that helped the Cats make a pair of Big Ten Championship appearances during his tenure.
NU's seniors haven't let the struggles of the last two years taint their memories of their careers in Evanston.
"I have nothing but love for Northwestern and I always will," Hampton said.
Cats focusing on slowing down Brown. It's no secret that Illinois' offense runs through running back Chase Brown. Brown is the nation's leading rusher with 1,582 yards on the season so far. He averages over five yards per carry and has found the end zone a total of 12 times.
"They do a really good job running the ball," Hampton said of the Illini. "No. 2, that guy, turn on the film, he does it week in and week out."
Brown has rushed for over 100 yards in 11 of his last 12 games, dating back to his 112-yard performance in Illinois' win over NU in Champaign last November. Northwestern's 116th-ranked rushing defense will certainly have their work cut out for them.
NU hoping for revenge. Northwestern had beaten their in-state rivals six times in a row when they faced off with Illinois at Memorial Stadium last year.
That streak came to a screeching halt, with the Illini beating the Wildcats up and down the field for 60 straight minutes en route to a 47-14 victory. Northwestern is eager to get that taste out of their mouths and get back to their winning ways against the Illini.
"I think the way we played is enough motivation," Fitzgerald said. "We didn't execute well at all, in any phase of the game. I hope I can get the guys to play clean and play consistent one last time here."
It will be a battle of losing streaks at Ryan Field on Saturday. Illinois is reeling a little bit coming into the game as losers of three straight, while NU, of course, has lost 10 straight contests, the program’s longest losing streak in 33 years.
United front behind Freeman. NU walkon quarterback Cole Freeman made his first career start against Purdue on Saturday, and, while he had some bright spots, overall it didn’t go particularly well. The redshirt freshman from New Jersey completed less than 50% of his passes for only 78 yards while turning the ball over twice.
Despite those results, Freeman's coaches and teammates still believe in the signal caller who will make his second straight start on Saturday, with Brendan Sullivan and Ryan Hilinski both done for the season.
"Cole's got a demeanor and a mindset about him where he thinks about everybody before he thinks about himself," Fitzgerald said. "Just an incredible, unselfish teammate. He learned a lot of valuable lessons on Saturday. I was really proud of him; I think he stepped up for everybody, and I'm sure he's going to step up again this week."
Niro III is a former walkon himself, and he saw a lot of positives in the young QB’s performance. Freeman had the Wildcats within one score of the Boilermakers, with the ball, in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
"Everybody talked about it, the receivers, he was just calm out there," Niro III said. "He played a good game and fought hard to try to get us a victory. So, really proud of him as a young guy stepping up. He handled it really well and avoided all the outside noise."
