2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team

The 2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 15th-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

2020 Northwestern Wildcats football
Big Ten West Division champion Citrus Bowl champion
Big Ten Championship Game, L 10–22 vs. Ohio State
Citrus Bowl, W 35–19 vs. Auburn
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 10
Record	7–2 (6–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Pat Fitzgerald (15th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Bajakian (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Mike Hankwitz (13th season)
Base defense	Multiple 4–3
Home stadium	Ryan Field
Uniform
Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

2020 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 2 Ohio State xy$^		5	–	0					7	–	1
No. 12 Indiana		6	–	1					6	–	2
Penn State		4	–	5					4	–	5
Maryland		2	–	3					2	–	3
Rutgers		3	–	6					3	–	6
Michigan		2	–	4					2	–	4
Michigan State		2	–	5					2	–	5
West Division
No. 10 Northwestern xy		6	–	1					7	–	2
No. 16 Iowa		6	–	2					6	–	2
Wisconsin		3	–	3					4	–	3
Minnesota		3	–	4					3	–	4
Nebraska		3	–	5					3	–	5
Purdue		2	–	4					2	–	4
Illinois		2	–	6					2	–	6
Championship: Ohio State 22, Northwestern 10
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Note: Due to COVID-19, the Big Ten suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on October 24. In addition to the title game that was played on December 19, the conference seeded all remaining teams for "championship week" games.[1] Rankings from AP Poll.

On August 11, 2020, the Big Ten Conference canceled all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] However, on September 16, the Big Ten reinstated the season, announcing an eight-game season beginning on October 24.^[3]

Schedule

Northwestern had games scheduled against Tulane, Central Michigan, and Morgan State, but canceled these games on July 9 due to the Big Ten Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[4]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 24, 2020	6:30 p.m.	Maryland		Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 43–3	0
October 31	2:30 p.m.	at Iowa		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN	W 21–20	1,432
November 7	11:00 a.m.	Nebraska		Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 21–13	0
November 14	6:30 p.m.	at Purdue	No. 23	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	BTN	W 27–20	886
November 21	2:30 p.m.	No. 10 Wisconsin	No. 19	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ABC	W 17–7	0
November 28	2:30 p.m.	at Michigan State	No. 8	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN	L 20–29	0
December 5	11:00 a.m.	Minnesota		TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN/FS1	No Contest
December 12	11:00 a.m.	Illinois	No. 14	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ESPN2	W 28–10	0
December 19	11:00 a.m.	vs. No. 4 Ohio State	No. 14	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game)	FOX	L 10–22	3,178
January 1, 2021	12:00 p.m.	vs. Auburn*	No. 14	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Citrus Bowl)	ABC	W 35–19	13,039
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 24) released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[5]

Rankings

Further information: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

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

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	RV	none	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	23	19	11	16	15	15		10
Coaches	—	none	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	23	20	13	17	14	14		10
CFP	Not released												8	14	14	14		Not released

Game summaries

Maryland

See also: 2020 Maryland Terrapins football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Terrapins	3	0	0	0	3
Wildcats	14	16	7	6	43

Game information

First Quarter MD – Joseph Petrino 33-yard field goal, 9:09. Maryland 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 56 yards, 5:51. NU – Isaiah Bowser 1-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 4:49. Northwestern 7–3. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 4:20. NU – Peyton Ramsey 12-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 1:31. Northwestern 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 1:58. Second Quarter NU – Charlie Kuhbander 43-yard field goal, 9:04. Northwestern 17–3. Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 2:34. NU – Drake Anderson 37-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 5:43. Northwestern 24–3. Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 2:00. NU – Charlie Kuhbander 23-yard field goal, 3:23. Northwestern 27–3. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 2:16. NU – Charlie Kuhbander 43-yard field goal, 0:00. Northwestern 30–3. Drive: 12 plays, 56 yards, 2:35. Third Quarter NU – Isaiah Bowser 7-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 6:29. Northwestern 37–3. Drive: 17 plays, 75 yards, 8:31. Fourth Quarter NU – Evan Hull 30-yard run (kick failed), 8:25. Northwestern 43–3. Drive: 8 plays, 93 yards, 5:47. Top Passers MD – Taulia Tagovailoa – 14/25, 94 yards, 3 INT NU – Peyton Ramsey – 23/30, 212 yards, TD Top Rushers MD – Jake Funk – 6 rushes, 35 yards NU – Drake Anderson – 10 rushes, 103 yards, TD Top Receivers MD – Nick DeGennaro – 3 receptions, 42 yards NU – John Raine – 5 receptions, 53 yards

Maryland Terrapins vs. Northwestern Wildcats – Game summary

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

• Date: October 24, 2020
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
• Game attendance: 0
• TV: BTN

At Iowa

See also: 2020 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	14	7	0	21
Hawkeyes	17	3	0	0	20

Game information

First Quarter IOWA – Brandon Smith 7-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick), 11:36. Iowa 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 7 yards, 0:06. IOWA – Tyler Goodson 15-yard run (Keith Duncan kick), 8:36. Iowa 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 1:22. IOWA – Keith Duncan 22-yard field goal, 1:43. Iowa 17–0. Drive: 13 plays, 61 yards, 5:04. Second Quarter NU – Kyric McGowan 3-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 10:20. Iowa 17–7. Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 6:23. IOWA – Keith Duncan 47-yard field goal, 7:09. Iowa 20–7. Drive: 9 plays, 37 yards, 3:11. NU – Jesse Brown 1-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 1:25. Iowa 20–14. Drive: 14 plays, 79 yards, 5:44. Third Quarter NU – Jesse Brown 2-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 6:05. Northwestern 21–20. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 3:31. Fourth Quarter No scoring plays. Top Passers NU – Peyton Ramsey – 11/18, 130 yards, INT IOWA – Spencer Petras – 26/50, 216 yards, TD, 3 INT Top Rushers NU – Isaiah Bowser – 25 rushes, 85 yards IOWA – Tyler Goodson – 13 rushes, 43 yards, TD Top Receivers NU – Kyric McGowan – 5 receptions, 63 yards IOWA – Ihmir Smith-Marsette – 7 receptions, 84 yards

Northwestern Wildcats vs. Iowa Hawkeyes – Game summary

at Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, Iowa

• Date: October 31, 2020
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), Clear and Sunny, Wind 15–20 mph (24–32 km/h)
• Game attendance: 1,432
• Referee: Larry Smith
• TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Allison Williams

Nebraska

See also: 2020 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	0	13	0	0	13
Wildcats	7	0	7	7	21

Game information

First Quarter NU – Drake Anderson 41-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 8:29. Northwestern 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:43. Second Quarter NEB – Connor Culp 38-yard field goal, 11:29. Northwestern 7–3. Drive: 14 plays, 56 yards, 5:33. NEB – Connor Culp 36-yard field goal, 8:54. Northwestern 7–6. Drive: 6 plays, 34 yards, 1:57. NEB – Dedrick Mills 3-yard run (Connor Culp kick), 1:25. Nebraska 13–7. Drive: 1 play, 3 yards, 0:07. Third Quarter NU – John Raine 2-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 9:54. Northwestern 14–13. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 4:57. Fourth Quarter NU – Riley Lees 10-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 9:53. Northwestern 21–13. Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 3:13. Top Passers NEB – Adrian Martinez – 12/27, 125 yards, INT NU – Peyton Ramsey – 16/27, 169 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top Rushers NEB – Adrian Martinez – 13 rushes, 102 yards NU – Drake Anderson – 18 rushes, 89 yards, 1 TD Top Receivers NEB – Marcus Fleming – 5 receptions, 75 yards NU – John Raine – 4 receptions, 33 yards, TD

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Northwestern Wildcats – Game summary

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

• Date: November 7, 2020
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• Game weather: Sunny, 66 °F (19 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: Jerry McGinn
• TV announcers (BTN): Cory Provus (play-by-play), Jeremy Leman (analyst), Olivia Harlan (sideline)

At Purdue

See also: 2020 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Wildcats	7	10	7	3	27
Boilermakers	3	7	3	7	20

Game information

First Quarter NU – Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman 8-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 9:00. Northwestern 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 6:00. PUR – J.D. Dellinger 30-yard field goal, 1:20. Northwestern 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards, 2:03. Second Quarter NU – Charlie Kuhbander 46-yard field goal, 12:07. Northwestern 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 4:13. PUR – Garrett Miller 40-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (J.D. Dellinger kick), 7:27. Tied 10–10. Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 2:19. NU – Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman 18-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 3:06. Northwestern 17–10. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 4:21. Third Quarter NU – Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman 5-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 7:39. Northwestern 24–10. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 2:29. PUR – J.D. Dellinger 23-yard field goal, 3:45. Northwestern 24–13. Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 3:54. Fourth Quarter NU – Charlie Kuhbander 42-yard field goal, 12:34. Northwestern 27–13. Drive: 14 plays, 51 yards, 6:11. PUR – Milton Wright 14-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (J.D. Dellinger kick), 7:35. Northwestern 27–20. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 4:59. Top Passers NU – Peyton Ramsey – 23/36, 212 yards, 3 TD, INT PUR – Aidan O'Connell – 28/51, 263 yards, 2 TD Top Rushers NU – Isaiah Bowser – 13 rushes, 27 yards PUR – Zander Horvath – 10 rushes, 21 yards Top Receivers NU – Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman – 8 receptions, 86 yards, 3 TD PUR – Zander Horvath – 9 receptions, 100 yards

Northwestern Wildcats vs. Purdue Boilermakers – Game summary

at Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, Indiana

• Date: November 14, 2020
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C), Overcast, SE 10 mph (16 km/h)
• Game attendance: 886
• Referee: Jeff Servinski
• TV announcers (BTN): Cory Provus (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), Olivia Dekker (sideline)

Wisconsin

See also: 2020 Wisconsin Badgers football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Badgers	7	0	0	0	7
No. 19 Wildcats	7	7	0	3	17

Game information

First Quarter NU – Charlie Mangieri 2-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 10:50. Northwestern 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 2:41. WISC – Chimere Dike 49-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 5:14. Tied 7–7. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:09. Second Quarter NU – Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman 25-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 0:56. Northwestern 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 1:19. Third Quarter No scoring plays. Fourth Quarter NU – Charlie Kuhbander 32-yard field goal, 11:35. Northwestern 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 1:53. Top Passers WISC – Graham Mertz – 23/41, 230 yards, TD, 3 INT NU – Peyton Ramsey – 23/44, 203 yards, 2 TD Top Rushers WISC – Jalen Berger – 15 rushes, 93 yards NU – Drake Anderson – 8 rushes, 13 yards Top Receivers WISC – Jake Ferguson – 7 receptions, 58 yards NU – Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman – 4 receptions, 95 yards, TD

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Northwestern Wildcats – Game summary

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

• Date: November 21, 2020
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
• Game attendance: No in-person attendance
• TV: ABC

I've been watching Northwestern play and honestly, they got a bunch of Rece Davises out there running around.

Joey Galloway, ESPN analyst

At Michigan State

See also: 2020 Michigan State Spartans football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Wildcats	0	6	7	7	20
Spartans	10	7	0	12	29

Game information

First Quarter MSU – Jalen Nailor 75-yard pass from Rocky Lombardi (Matt Coghlin kick), 10:34. Michigan State 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 81 yards, 0:41. MSU – Matt Coghlin 22-yard field goal, 7:06. Michigan State 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:18. Second Quarter MSU – Jayden Reed 15-yard pass from Rocky Lombardi (Matt Coghlin kick), 14:55. Michigan State 17–0. Drive: 13 plays, 85 yards, 5:44. NU – Charlie Kuhbander 42-yard field goal, 11:02. Michigan State 17–3. Drive: 13 plays, 51 yards, 3:53. NU – Charlie Kuhbander 32-yard field goal, 6:35. Michigan State 17–6. Drive: 9 plays, 42 yards, 1:45. Third Quarter NU – Peyton Ramsey 1-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 10:39. Michigan State 17–13. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:21. Fourth Quarter NU – Cam Porter 3-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 13:54. Northwestern 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 3:34. MSU – Matt Coghlin 44-yard field goal, 10:11. Tied 20–20. Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 3:04. MSU – Matt Coghlin 48-yard field goal, 3:35. Michigan State 23–20. Drive: 7 plays, 19 yards, 2:47. MSU – Kalon Gervin 0-yard fumble recovery, 0:00. Michigan State 29–20. Top Passers NU – Peyton Ramsey – 21/43, 210 yards, 2 INT MSU – Rocky Lombardi – 11/27, 167 yards, 2 TD, INT Top Rushers NU – Drake Anderson – 10 rushes, 41 yards MSU – Connor Heyward – 24 rushes, 96 yards Top Receivers NU – Riley Lees – 4 receptions, 59 yards MSU – Jalen Nailor – 3 receptions, 99 yards, TD

Northwestern Wildcats vs. Michigan State Spartans – Game summary

at Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, Michigan

• Date: November 28, 2020
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Sunny, light clouds • Temperature: 45 °F (7 °C) • Wind: SW 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: M. Kluczynski
• TV announcers (ESPN): Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman

At Minnesota (Cancelled)

See also: 2020 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Gophers	0	0	0	0	0

Northwestern Wildcats vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers – Game summary

at TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: December 5, 2020
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• TV: BTN/FS1

Illinois

See also: 2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football team and Illinois–Northwestern football rivalry

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	3	0	0	7	10
No. 14 Wildcats	0	14	14	0	28

Game information

First Quarter ILL – James McCourt 39-yard field goal, 1:49. Illinois 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 59 yards, 7:29. Second Quarter NU – Charlie Mangieri 2-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 14:56. Northwestern 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:53. NU – Cam Porter 2-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 0:24. Northwestern 14–3. Drive: 17 plays, 64 yards, 7:02. Third Quarter NU – Cam Porter 18-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 10:53. Northwestern 21–3. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:07. NU – Evan Hull 32-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 4:02. Northwestern 28–3. Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 6:04. Fourth Quarter ILL – Brian Hightower 46-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick), 8:47. Northwestern 28–10. Drive: 7 plays, 86 yards, 1:38. Top Passers ILL – Isaiah Williams – 4/8, 86 yards, TD NU – Peyton Ramsey – 7/12, 82 yards, TD Top Rushers ILL – Chase Brown – 14 rushes, 70 yards NU – Evan Hull – 13 rushes, 149 yards, TD Top Receivers ILL – Brian Hightower – 2 receptions, 60 yards, TD NU – Kyric McGowan – 4 receptions, 72 yards

Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Northwestern Wildcats – Game summary

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

• Date: December 12, 2020
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• Game attendance: 0
• TV: ESPN2

Vs. Ohio State

See also: 2020 Big Ten Football Championship Game and 2020 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Wildcats	7	3	0	0	10
No. 4 Buckeyes	3	3	7	9	22

Game information

First Quarter OSU – Blake Haubeil 41-yard field goal, 6:34. Ohio State 3–0. Drive: 16 plays, 51 yards, 8:26. NU – Cam Porter 9-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 4:02. Northwestern 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:32. Second Quarter NU – Charlie Kuhbander 47-yard field goal, 8:46. Northwestern 10–3. Drive: 14 plays, 65 yards, 6:00. OSU – Blake Haubeil 43-yard field goal, 5:23. Northwestern 10–6. Drive: 8 plays, 49 yards, 3:23. Third Quarter OSU – Trey Sermon 9-yard run (Blake Haubeil kick), 2:41. Ohio State 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 2:23. Fourth Quarter OSU – Blake Haubeil 26-yard field goal, 12:07. Ohio State 16–10. Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 2:19. OSU – Trey Sermon 3-yard run (pass failed), 4:03. Ohio State 22–10. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:46. Top Passers NU – Peyton Ramsey – 24/37, 224 yards, 2 INT OSU – Justin Fields – 12/27, 114 yards, 2 INT Top Rushers NU – Cam Porter – 16 rushes, 61 yards, TD OSU – Trey Sermon – 29 rushes, 331 yards, 2 TD Top Receivers NU – Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman – 8 receptions, 103 yards OSU – Julian Fleming – 4 receptions, 53 yards

Northwestern Wildcats vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Championship game) – Game summary

at Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, IN

• Date: December 19, 2020
• Game time: 11:18 a.m. CST
• Game weather: Overcast (game played indoors)
• Game attendance: 3,178
• Referee: Mark Kluczynski
• TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), and Jenny Taft (sideline)

Vs. Auburn

See also: 2021 Citrus Bowl and 2020 Auburn Tigers football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Auburn	0	6	7	6	19
No. 14 Wildcats	14	0	7	14	35

Game information

First Quarter NU – Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman 35-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 11:32. Northwestern 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:28. NU – John Raine 6-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 3:14. Northwestern 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:21. Second Quarter AUB – Anders Carlson 50-yard field goal, 6:03. Northwestern 14–3. Drive: 8 plays, 20 yards, 2:36. AUB – Anders Carlson 27-yard field goal, 0:17. Northwestern 14–6. Drive: 15 plays, 72 yards, 3:45. Third Quarter AUB – Elijah Canion 57-yard pass from Bo Nix (Anders Carlson kick), 8:32. Northwestern 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:10. NU – Peyton Ramsey 30-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 1:34. Northwestern 21–13. Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 2:10. Fourth Quarter NU – Cam Porter 1-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 12:13. Northwestern 28–13. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 2:16. NU – Riley Lees 8-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 7:49. Northwestern 35–13. Drive: 6 plays, 24 yards, 3:35. AUB – D.J. Williams 2-yard run (pass failed), 4:41. Northwestern 35–19. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:08. Top Passers AUB – Bo Nix – 25/42, 292 yards, TD NU – Peyton Ramsey – 24/35, 291 yards, 3 TD Top Rushers AUB – Bo Nix − 10 rushes, 32 yards NU – Cam Porter – 33 rushes, 98 yards, TD Top Receivers AUB – Elijah Canion – 3 receptions, 80 yards, TD NU – John Raine – 6 receptions, 76 yards, TD

Northwestern Wildcats vs. Auburn Tigers (Citrus Bowl) – Game summary

at Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL

• Date: January 1st, 2021
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Mostly Sunny
• Game attendance: 13,039
• Referee: Jerry Magallanes
• TV announcers (ABC): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), Paul Carcaterra (sideline reporter)

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2021 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	13	Rashawn Slater	OT	Los Angeles Chargers
1	26	Greg Newsome II	CB	Cleveland Browns
5	174	Earnest Brown IV	DE	Los Angeles Rams

Undrafted players

Player	Position	NFL Club
Blake Gallagher	LB	Baltimore Ravens
Riley Lees	WR	Cincinnati Bengals
Gunnar Vogel	OT	Chicago Bears
J.R. Pace	CB	Atlanta Falcons
John Raine	TE	Atlanta Falcons
Paddy Fisher	LB	Carolina Panthers

Source:^[6]

References

1. Stevens, Matthew. "Big Ten To Play A "Championship Weekend" 9th Game Of 2020 Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
2. "Big Ten Statement on 2020-21 Fall Season". Big Ten Conference. August 11, 2020. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
3. "The Big Ten Conference Adopts Stringent Medical Protocols; Football Season to Resume October 23-24, 2020". Big Ten Conference. September 16, 2020. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
4. Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
5. "2020 Northwestern Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
6. Bible, The NFL Draft (May 11, 2021). "2021 NFL Draft undrafted free agent tracker: Rookie UDFA signings from all 32 teams". The NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated: The Leading Authority on the NFL Draft. Retrieved May 27, 2021.