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2012 Northwestern Wildcats football team

2012 Northwestern Wildcats football
NorthwesternWildcats.png
Gator Bowl champion
Gator Bowl, W 34–20 vs. Mississippi State
Conference Big Ten Conference
Division Legends Division
Ranking
Coaches No. 16
AP No. 17
2012 record 10–3 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach Pat Fitzgerald
Offensive coordinator Mick McCall
Offensive scheme Spread
Defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz
Base defense Multiple 4–3
Captain Brian Arnfelt
Captain Kain Colter
Captain Brian Mulroe
Captain David Nwabuisi
Home stadium Ryan Field (Capacity: 47,130)
Seasons
« 2011 2013 »
2012 Big Ten football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Legends Division
#25 Nebraska x   7 – 1         10 – 4  
#24 Michigan   6 – 2         8 – 5  
#17 Northwestern   5 – 3         10 – 3  
Michigan State   3 – 5         7 – 6  
Iowa   2 – 6         4 – 8  
Minnesota   2 – 6         6 – 7  
Leaders Division
#3 Ohio State* x   8 – 0         12 – 0  
Penn State*   6 – 2         8 – 4  
Wisconsin $   4 – 4         8 – 6  
Purdue   3 – 5         6 – 7  
Indiana   2 – 6         4 – 8  
Illinois   0 – 8         2 – 10  
Championship: Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • Ohio State and Penn State ineligible for conference championship game and post-season bowl games due to NCAA sanctions.
Rankings from AP Poll
1 2 3 4 Total
• Northwestern 7 14 14 7 42
Syracuse 6 7 14 14 41
  • Sources:
1 2 3 4 Total
Vanderbilt 7 3 0 3 13
• Northwestern 3 0 3 17 23
  • Sources:
1 2 3 4 Total
Boston College 3 7 0 3 13
• Northwestern 6 6 3 7 22
  • Date: September 15
  • Location: Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
  • Game start: 2:43 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:19
  • Game attendance: 32,597
  • Game weather: 75°F, sunny, 8mph-NE wind
  • Referee: Gary Patterson
  • TV announcers (BTN): Josh Lewin (Play-by-play), Jon Jansen (Color) & Evan Fitzgerald (Sideline)
  • Sources:
1 2 3 4 Total
South Dakota 0 0 7 0 7
• Northwestern 14 14 7 3 38
  • Date: September 22
  • Location: Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
  • Game start: 2:42 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 2:58
  • Game attendance: 28,641
  • Game weather: 55°F, mostly sunny, 15mph-WNW wind
  • Referee: Todd Geerlings
  • TV announcers (BTN): Wayne Larrivee (Play-by-play), Jon Jansen (Color) & Evan Fitzgerald (Sideline)
  • Sources:

The 2012 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Pat Fitzgerald, in his seventh season at Northwestern, was the team's head coach. The Wildcats home games were played at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. They were members of the Legends Division of the Big Ten Conference. The Wildcats won their first bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl against California by defeating Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl 34–20. They finished the season 10–3 (5–3 Big Ten).

In 2011 the Wildcats had a 6–7 record, ending the season with a 33–22 loss to Texas A&M in the 2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.

Northwestern signed 21 recruits to letters-of-intent on National Signing Day on February 1, 2012.

Wide receiver Kyle Prater transferred to Northwestern from USC on January 28, 2012, after being injured during most of the 2011 season and redshirting in 2010. The Wildcats requested a waiver to allow Prater to play immediately in 2012, as he transferred to a school close to home in order to care for a family member. Sophomore running back Adonis Smith, who was thought to be a candidate for the starting running back job in 2012 after rushing for 266 yards in 2011, announced his intent to transfer from Northwestern on February 22. He decided to transfer to UNLV.Defensive back Quinn Evans transferred to Northwestern after graduating from Stanford in June 2012. After missing the entire 2011 season because of injury, he chose to attend Northwestern as a graduate student with a year of college football eligibility remaining.


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