Harold Shelton III, BTN Studio Researcher, August 23, 2016
It's time for the BTN summer bus tour to head to Evanston, Illinois, to check out Pat Fitzgerald's 11th Northwestern team.
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Before we head out to the practice field Tuesday, here are five fun facts about the Wildcats entering the 2016 season.
1. Pat Fitzgerald, who owns a 70-55 record in 10 seasons in Evanston, is Northwestern's all-time winningest coach.
2. Northwestern has won a program-record 10 games four times, and Pat Fitzgerald has been a part of three (2012 & 2015 as coach; 1995 as a player).
3. With 1,282 yards rushing in 2016, Justin Jackson, who ran for 1,418 in 2015, would move into second place on the program's all-time rushing list, paced by Damien Anderson (4,485).
4. The Wildcats struggled on offense and dominated on defense last fall; here's a look at where Northwestern ranked in major categories among FBS teams:
- PPG: Offense, 114th; Defense, 12th
- Pass YPG: Offense, 119th; Defense, 23rd
- Total YPG: Offense, 115th; Defense 13th
- Yds per play: Offense 121st; Defense 7th
5. Northwestern's 2016 crossover games are daunting: vs. Indiana, at Michigan State and at Ohio State, teams that combined to go 30-10 (.750) last season.
