1995 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 1995 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the 1995 NCAA Division I-A college football season. The 1995 season was a highly memorable one for the Northwestern program, as the Wildcats went 10–2 overall and 8–0 in the Big Ten Conference, earning their first winning season since 1971, their first conference championship since 1936, and their first 10-win season since 1903.^[2] They also broke several long-standing losing streaks to regular opponents, including a 22-game losing streak to Iowa, a 19-game losing streak against Michigan, and a 14-game losing streak to Notre Dame.

1995 Northwestern Wildcats football
Big Ten champion
Rose Bowl, L 32–41 vs. USC
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 8
Record	10–2 (8–0 Big Ten)
Head coach	Gary Barnett (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Ron Vanderlinden (4th season)
Captains	William Bennett[1] Rob Johnson Sam Valenzisi
Home stadium	Dyche Stadium
Seasons ← 1994 1996 →

1995 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Northwestern $	8	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 6 Ohio State	7	–	1	–	0			11	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Penn State	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 17 Michigan	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	4	–	0
Michigan State	4	–	3	–	1			6	–	5	–	1
No. 25 Iowa	4	–	4	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Illinois	3	–	4	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Wisconsin	3	–	4	–	1			4	–	5	–	2
Purdue	2	–	5	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
Minnesota	1	–	7	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Indiana	0	–	8	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

"Expect Victory" was the motto even as Northwestern began the season as 28-point underdogs against Notre Dame, whom they upset 17–15, propelling into the AP poll at #25. An upset loss to the Miami Redhawks in the second game of the season caused the Wildcats to drop out of the rankings. However, subsequent wins over ranked Michigan (19–13), Wisconsin (35–0), and Penn State (21–10) pushed the Wildcats into the top-10 while making them national media darlings.

Nine consecutive wins (including eight against Big Ten opponents) brought Northwestern their highest ranking since 1962 (#3), a conference title, and their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1949. In the Rose Bowl, the Wildcats' Cinderella season came to a conclusion with a 41–32 loss to the USC Trojans, and they finished the season at #8.

Northwestern was coached by Gary Barnett, who won multiple coach of the year awards for leading the dramatic turnaround of the program. Star players included the trio of quarterback Steve Schnur, running back Darnell Autry, and linebacker Pat Fitzgerald, who was named Big Ten and national defensive player of the year.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	1:30 pm	at No. 9 Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 17–15	59,075
September 16	11:00 am	Miami (OH)*	No. 25	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	ESPN2	L 28–30	26,352
September 23	11:30 am	Air Force*		Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	ESPN	W 30–6	26,037
September 30	1:00 pm	Indiana		Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		W 31–7	29,223
October 7	11:30 am	at No. 7 Michigan	No. 25	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	W 19–13	104,642
October 14	1:00 pm	at Minnesota	No. 14	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN		W 27–17	50,504
October 21	11:30 am	No. 24 Wisconsin	No. 11	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	ESPN2	W 35–0	49,256
October 28	11:00 am	at Illinois	No. 8	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	SCC	W 17–14	65,425
November 4	2:30 pm	No. 12 Penn State	No. 6	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	ABC	W 21–10	49,256
November 11	11:00 am	Iowa	No. 5	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (College GameDay)	Creative	W 31–20	49,256
November 18	2:30 pm	at Purdue	No. 5	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ABC	W 23–8	47,172
January 1	3:30 pm	vs. No. 17 USC*	No. 3	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	ABC	L 32–41	100,102
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

1995 Northwestern Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 32 Adrian Autry So RB 24 Darnell Autry So WR 5 D'Wayne Bates Fr WR 86 Dave Beazley Jr FB   Levelle Brown Fr G 61 Justin Chabot Jr TE 83 Darren Drexler Jr TE 85 Brian Harpring Sr FB 46 Matt Hartl Jr QB 8 Tim Hughes Jr OT 74 Paul Janus Jr C 57 Rob Johnson Sr OT 78 Brian Kardos WR 22 Brian Musso So G 75 Ryan Padgett G 77 Chad Pugh QB 10 Steve Schnur Jr WR 25 Jeff Swenson So	Defense Pos. # Name Class FS 20 William Bennett Sr FS 54 Gabriel Moor Fr SS 33 Eric Collier Jr DE 36 Casey Dailey Jr LB 51 Pat Fitzgerald  Jr LB 55 Barry Gardner Fr LB 53 Don Holmes Jr CB 3 Hudhaifa Ismaeli So LB 44 Keith Lozowski Jr LB 59 BT Franklin Sr CB 16 Chris Martin Sr CB 15 Rodney Ray Sr DL 89 Larry Curry Sr DL 94 Joe Reiff Jr DL 95 Matt Rice DL 96 Ray Robey LB   Tim Scharf Jr LB 47 Geoff Shein LB 50 Danny Sutter	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 14 Paul Burton Jr K 13 Brian Gowins So K 27 Sam Valenzisi  (C) Sr	Head coach Gary Barnett Coordinators/assistant coaches Ron Vanderlinden – Defensive coordinator Gregg Brandon – Wide receivers Jerry Brown – Defensive backs Jeff Genyk Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Rankings

Further information: 1995 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	—	—	—	25	—	—	25	14	11	8	6	5	5	4	3	3	8
Coaches	—		—	—	—	—	—	17	11	8	6	5	5	4	3	3	7

^[3]

Game summaries

Notre Dame

See also: 1995 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and Northwestern–Notre Dame football rivalry

Northwestern Wildcats at #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	7	3	7	0	17
Notre Dame	0	9	0	6	15

at Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana

• Date: September 2, 1995
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. CST
• Game attendance: 59,075
• TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Bob Trumpy, John Dockery
• Box Score

Game information
Scoring summary Q1 6:15 NW Dave Beazley 6-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Valenzisi kick) NW 7–0 Q2 ND Kevin Kopka 35-yard field goal NW 7–3 Q2 NW Sam Valenzisi 37-yard field goal NW 10–3 Q2 2:35 ND Robert Farmer 5-yard run (kick failed) NW 10–9 Q3 NW D'Wayne Bates 26-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Valenzisi kick) NW 17–9 Q4 6:15 ND Randy Kinder 2-yard run (conversion failed) NW 17–15 [4] [5] [6] [7]

Miami (OH)

See also: 1995 Miami Redskins football team

The Wildcats surrendered a 21-point 4th quarter lead in their first game as a nationally ranked team since 1971. Miami of Ohio's Chad Seitz booted a 20-yard field goal as time expired to give the Redskins the victory. The opposing team was led by future Northwestern head coach Randy Walker and his offensive coordinator was Sean Payton. This would be the lone regular season blemish on the Wildcats' schedule.^[8][9]

Miami (OH) Redskins at #25 Northwestern Wildcats

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami (OH)	0	7	0	23	30
Northwestern	14	7	7	0	28

at Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois

• Date: September 16, 1995
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• Game attendance: 26,352
• Box Score

Game information

Scoring summary Q1 10:50 NW D'Wayne Bates 27-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Valenzisi kick) NW 7–0 Q1 3:40 NW Darnell Autry 13-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Valenzisi kick) NW 14–0 Q2 4:06 NW D'Wayne Bates 36-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Valenzisi kick) NW 21–0 Q2 1:55 M-OH Dee Osborne 5-yard blocked punt return (Seitz kick) NW 21–7 Q3 14:09 NW Rodney Ray 20-yard interception return (Valenzisi kick) NW 28–7 Q4 11:14 M-OH Jay Hall 5-yard pass from Sam Ricketts (Seitz kick) NW 28–14 Q4 8:36 M-OH Jeremy Adkins 9-yard pass from Sam Ricketts (Seitz kick) NW 28–21 Q4 2:22 M-OH Ty King 2-yard run (conversion failed) NW 28–27 Q4 0:00 M-OH Chad Seitz 20-yard field goal MIAMI 30–28

Air Force

See also: 1995 Air Force Falcons football team

Air Force Falcons at Northwestern Wildcats

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Air Force	0	6	0	0	6
Northwestern	10	6	0	14	30

at Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois

• Date: September 23, 1995
• Game time: 11:30 a.m. CST
• Game attendance: 26,037
• ^[10]

Game information

Scoring summary Q1 7:21 NW Sam Valenzisi 46-yard field goal NW 3–0 Q1 4:19 NW Darnell Autry 1-yard run (Valenzisi kick) NW 10–0 Q2 13:09 AF Randy Roberts 26-yard field goal NW 10–3 Q2 9:36 NW Sam Valenzisi 26-yard field goal NW 13–3 Q2 7:16 NW Sam Valenzisi 35-yard field goal NW 16–3 Q2 0:31 AF Randy Roberts 39-yard field goal NW 16–6 Q4 14:57 NW Darnell Autry 6-yard run (Valenzisi kick) NW 23–6 Q4 8:37 NW Adrian Autry 5-yard run (Valenzisi kick) NW 30–6

Indiana

See also: 1995 Indiana Hoosiers football team

Indiana Hoosiers at Northwestern Wildcats

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Indiana	0	7	0	0	7
Northwestern	3	7	11	10	31

at Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois

• Date: September 30, 1995
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• Game attendance: 29,223
• ^[11]

Game information

Scoring summary Q1 0:01 NW Sam Valenzisi 40-yard field goal NW 3–0 Q2 9:26 IND Chris Dittoe 2-yard run (Manolopoulos kick) Indiana 7–3 Q2 5:27 NW Darnell Autry 42-yard run (Valenzisi kick) NW 10–7 Q3 7:04 NW Sam Valenzisi 34-yard field goal NW 13–7 Q3 4:24 NW Darnell Autry 6-yard run (Beazley pass from Schnur) NW 21–7 Q4 9:06 NW Casey Dailey 43-yard fumble return (Valenzisi kick) NW 28–7 Q4 6:30 NW Sam Valenzisi 32-yard field goal NW 31–7

Michigan

See also: 1995 Michigan Wolverines football team

#25 Northwestern Wildcats at #7 Michigan Wolverines

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	6	3	10	19
Michigan	3	3	7	0	13

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Date: October 7, 1995
• Game time: 11:30 a.m. CST
• Game attendance: 104,642
• TV: ESPN
• Box Score

Game information

Scoring summary Q1 9:33 Mich Remy Hamilton 41-yard field goal Mich 3–0 Q2 12:43 Mich Remy Hamilton 21-yard field goal Mich 6–0 Q2 4:15 NW Sam Valenzisi 29-yard field goal Mich 6–3 Q2 0:01 NW Sam Valenzisi 28-yard field goal Tied 6–6 Q3 8:02 Mich Brian Griese 3-yard run (Hamilton kick) Mich 13–6 Q3 3:48 NW Sam Valenzisi 32-yard field goal Mich 13–9 Q4 12:42 NW Matt Hartl 2-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Valenzisi kick) NW 16–13 Q4 8:42 NW Sam Valenzisi 22-yard field goal NW 19–13

Minnesota

See also: 1995 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

After falling behind 14–3 early in the second quarter, the Wildcats scored the next 24 points to take control of the game. Darnell Autry ran for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 73-yard burst early in the fourth quarter.^[12]

#14 Northwestern Wildcats at Minnesota Golden Gophers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	3	11	7	6	27
Minnesota	7	7	0	3	17

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: October 14, 1995
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• Game attendance: 50,504
• Box Score

Game information

Scoring summary Q1 3:49 NW Sam Valenzisi 29-yard field goal NW 3–0 Q1 0:30 Minn Paul Kratochvil 4-yard pass from Cory Sauter (Chalberg kick) Minn 7–3 Q2 13:08 Minn Chris Darkins 6-yard run (Chalberg kick) Minn 14–3 Q2 9:47 NW Sam Valenzisi 29-yard field goal Minn 14–6 Q2 5:42 NW Darnell Autry 18-yard run (D'Wayne Bates pass from Steve Schnur) Tied 14–14 Q3 3:57 NW Darnell Autry 11-yard run (Valenzisi kick) NW 21–14 Q4 12:21 NW Darnell Autry 73-yard run (Valenzisi kick) NW 27–14 Q4 8:51 Minn Mike Chalberg 47-yard field goal NW 27–17

Wisconsin

See also: 1995 Wisconsin Badgers football team

The Wildcats forced 7 Badger turnovers (Wisconsin had 6 total in their first five games) in a triumphant homecoming matchup. The game marked the first sellout at Northwestern since 1984.^{[13] [14]}

#24 Wisconsin Badgers at #11 Northwestern Wildcats

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wisconsin	0	0	0	0	0
Northwestern	10	3	6	16	35

at Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois

• Date: October 21, 1995
• Game time: 11:30 a.m. CST
• Game attendance: 49,256
• TV: ESPN2
• Box Score

Game information

Scoring summary Q1 7:22 NW Steve Schnur 1-yard run (Valenzisi kick) NW 7–0 Q2 2:39 NW Sam Valenzisi 32-yard field goal NW 10–0 Q2 0:56 NW Sam Valenzisi 26-yard field goal NW 13–0 Q3 13:21 NW Darnell Autry 32-yard pass from Steve Schnur (conversion failed) NW 19–0 Q4 13:34 NW Darnell Autry 3-yard run (Valenzisi kick) NW 26–0 Q4 11:03 NW Brian Gowins 40-yard field goal NW 29–0 Q4 7:29 NW Levelle Brown 38-yard run (PAT failed) NW 35–0

Illinois

See also: 1995 Illinois Fighting Illini football team and Illinois–Northwestern football rivalry

#8 Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	10	0	7	17
Illinois	7	7	0	0	14

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

• Date: October 28, 1995
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• Game attendance: 65,425
• TV: SCC
• ^[15]

Game information
Scoring summary Q1 9:41 ILL Weaver 1-yard run (Scheuplein kick) Ill 7–0 Q2 10:32 ILL Robert Holcombe 7-yard run (Scheuplein kick) Ill 14–0 Q2 8:12 NW Brian Gowins 49-yard field goal Ill 14–3 Q2 4:33 NW D'Wayne Bates 43-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Gowins kick) Ill 14–10 Q4 6:14 NW Darnell Autry 1-yard run (Gowins kick) NW 17–14

Penn State

See also: 1995 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

#12 Penn State Nittany Lions at #6 Northwestern Wildcats

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn State	0	7	3	0	10
Northwestern	7	7	0	7	21

at Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois

• Date: November 4, 1995
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
• Game attendance: 49,256
• TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson, Bob Griese, and Lynn Swann
• Box Score

Game information
Scoring summary Q1 8:47 NW Darnell Autry 2-yard run (Gowins kick) NW 7–0 Q2 8:07 NW Darnell Autry 11-yard run (Gowins kick) NW 14–0 Q2 0:48 PSU Olsommer 5-yard pass from Richardson (Conway kick) NW 14–7 Q3 8:32 PSU Conway 24-yard field goal NW 14–10 Q4 11:03 NW Darnell Autry 1-yard run (Gowins kick) NW 21–10 [16][17]

Iowa

See also: 1995 Iowa Hawkeyes football team and College GameDay (football)

Iowa Hawkeyes at #5 Northwestern Wildcats

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Iowa	0	20	0	0	20
Northwestern	3	14	7	7	31

at Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois

• Date: November 11, 1995
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C), Overcast, Wind N 30 mph (48 km/h)
• Game attendance: 49,256
• Referee: David Witvoet
• TV announcers (Creative Sports): Wayne Larrivee, Randy Wright, and Jim Barber
• Box Score

Game information

Scoring summary 1 6:24 NW Brian Gowins 50-yard field goal NW 3–0 2 13:03 IOWA Sedrick Shaw 1-yard run (Bromert kick) IOWA 7–3 2 8:25 IOWA Tom Knight 28-yard interception return (Bromert kick) IOWA 14–3 2 6:44 NW Darren Drexler 21-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Gowins kick) IOWA 14–10 2 5:05 NW Brian Musso 60-yard punt return (Gowins kick) NW 17–14 2 1:31 IOWA Scott Slutzker 39-yard pass from Matt Sherman (kick failed) IOWA 20–17 3 11:08 NW Darnell Autry 3-yard run (Gowins kick) NW 24–20 4 2:56 NW Hudhaifa Ismaeli 31-yard fumble return (Gowins kick) NW 31–20 [18]

Purdue

See also: 1995 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Northwestern got two big scoring plays in the first half – a 76-yard interception return for a touchdown by Chris Martin and a 72-yard touchdown reception by D'Wayne Bates – to take control. Darnell Autry carried the ball 32 times for a career-high 226 yards.^[19][20]

#5 Northwestern Wildcats at Purdue Boilermakers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	7	7	9	0	23
Purdue	0	0	0	8	8

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

• Date: November 18, 1995
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
• Game attendance: 47,172
• TV: ABC
• Box Score

Game information
Scoring summary Q1 7:47 NW Chris Martin 76-yard interception return (Gowins kick) NW 7–0 Q2 3:10 NW D'Wayne Bates 72-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Gowins kick) NW 14–0 Q3 13:53 NW Safety NW 16–0 Q3 13:38 NW Steve Schnur 1-yard run (Gowins kick) NW 23–0 Q4 10:30 PUR Watson 3-yard run (Alstott reception) NW 23–8

Rose Bowl

See also: 1995 USC Trojans football team and 1996 Rose Bowl

#3 Northwestern Wildcats vs. #17 USC Trojans

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	7	3	16	6	32
USC	7	17	7	10	41

at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

• Date: January 1, 1996
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. CST
• Game attendance: 100,102
• Referee: Randy Christal
• TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson, Bob Griese, and Lynn Swann
• Box Score

Game information

Scoring summary Q1 10:02 USC Lavale Woods 1-yard run (Abrams kick) USC 7–0 Q1 6:05 NW Darnell Autry 3-yard run (Gowins kick) Tied 7–7 Q2 13:05 USC Terry Barnum 21-yard pass from Brad Otton (Abrams kick) USC 14–7 Q2 3:29 USC Adam Abrams 30-yard field goal USC 17–7 Q2 2:56 USC Daylon McCutcheon 53-yard fumble return (Abrams kick) USC 24–7 Q2 0:02 NW Brian Gowins 29-yard field goal USC 24–10 Q3 11:01 NW Brian Gowins 28-yard field goal USC 24–13 Q3 8:17 NW Darnell Autry 3-yard run (conversion failed) USC 24–19 Q2 6:08 USC Keyshawn Johnson 56-yard pass from Brad Otton (Abrams kick) USC 31–19 Q3 2:58 NW Steve Schnur 1-yard run (Gowins kick) USC 31–26 Q4 13:01 NW Darnell Autry 2-yard run (conversion failed) NW 32–31 Q4 9:09 USC Adam Abrams 46-yard field goal USC 34–32 Q4 2:55 USC Delon Washington 2-yard run (Abrams kick) USC 41–32

^{[21] [22] [23][24]}

Awards and honors

• Head coach Gary Barnett: Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, Walter Camp Coach of the Year, Big Ten Coach of the Year
• Linebacker Pat Fitzgerald: Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year

1995 team players in the NFL

• Darnell Autry
• D'Wayne Bates