We pit writers against each other to pick the best roster of four NUFB victories in the 21st century.
This summer, Inside NU will be holding weekly “Mount Rushmore” drafts across various categories of Northwestern athletics. There are two teams made up of four writers each, and the goal is to select the best four-pick squad for each category. You can vote on which team you think is best on @InsideNU on X and in a poll at the bottom of this article until 12:00 p.m. CST on Wednesday, July 2. Also, a big shoutout is in order to the Pardon My Take podcast for the idea/entire format.
Team 1: Harris Horowitz, Brendan Preisman, Matt Campbell and Calvin Kaplan
Team 2: Miguel Muñoz, Yanyan Li, Sai Trivedi and Ascher Levin
This week’s category is: Best Northwestern football wins since 2000
1.01: Team 1 selects 2021 Citrus Bowl win over Auburn
Northwestern’s highest-profile bowl victory in program history is a no-doubter for the number one overall pick. The No. 14-ranked ‘Cats entered Orlando as 4.5-point favorites over Auburn, who was led by current Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. Nix finished with a respectable stat line (25-for-42 with 292 yards and a touchdown), but his Tiger offense mustered just 19 points against a Northwestern defense that allowed the fifth-fewest points in the country during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
Northwestern led this one wire-to-wire, jumping out to a 14-0 first quarter lead behind two passing touchdowns from Peyton Ramsey. Auburn cut the lead to 14-13 early in the third after a 57-yard passing touchdown from Nix, but the ‘Cats would go on to score the next 21 points in a blowout victory. Northwestern finished the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll, its highest ranking since the Rose Bowl season in 1996.
Chalk the Citrus Bowl down as the signature win for the best Wildcat team since the 1990s.
— Harris Horowitz
1.02: Team 2 selects 2018 win over Iowa to win first-ever Big Ten West title
In one of the most memorable seasons in recent memory, Northwestern’s victory over Iowa was more than just a single win. NU looked dead in the water to begin its 2018 campaign, starting 1-3 — including a home loss to Akron — and appearing to be the same-old underwhelming Wildcats. But a string of wins, including over ranked Michigan State and Wisconsin, helped the ‘Cats slingshot themselves back into Big Ten contention. And thanks to a weaker Big Ten West (R.I.P.), the 5-4 Wildcats had a chance to clinch the division and a trip to the Big Ten Championship against No. 21 Iowa. And despite a rough two-interception day from starting QB Clayton Thorson, Northwestern pounded its run game down the Hawkeyes’ defense, using Isaiah Bowser (31 carries, 165 rushing yards and a touchdown on the day) to propel itself to an upset win. A miraculous season was capped with an unexpected win on the road to redeem all the struggles of NU football and mark history.
— Miguel Muñoz
2.01: Team 2 selects 2020 upset win over No. 10 Wisconsin
In one of the greatest defensive performances in school history, No. 19 Northwestern shut down No. 10 Wisconsin 17-7 to make history on two fronts: its first 5-0 Big Ten start since 1966, and its first win over a top-10 team since 2011.
While NU quarterback Peyton Ramsey was solid, finishing with 206 yards and a passer rating of 106, the defense stole the show in this one. The ‘Cats forced five turnovers and three interceptions off Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz, while also holding Wisconsin scoreless in the final three quarters. Star performers included Paddy Fischer, who forced his 11th fumble of his career, the most in program history at that point. Redshirt first-year Brandon Joseph also shined, hauling in two interceptions, while cornerback Greg Newsome II capped off the night with his first career pick. While the defense was the headliner, the game also featured NU’s fifth straight opening-drive touchdown and a trick play involving wideout Riley Lees, which marked the first time a non-NU quarterback completed a pass since 2017.
This win punctuated NU’s status as a legitimate threat not just in the Big Ten, but also in the country. Newsome said it best in the postgame press conference: “We woke up the country now, and we need our damn respect.”
— Sai Trivedi
2.02: Team 1 selects 17-10 win on the road over No. 4 Iowa in 2009
The Wildcats walked into Kinnick Stadium on a cold November morning as massive underdogs. Northwestern was splitting quarterback reps between Mike Kafka and Dan Persa, coming off a 21-point loss to Penn State (dropping the team to 5-4) on the season and playing against a 9-0 Hawkeyes squad that had dreams of a Rose Bowl berth. Iowa went up 10-0 just over five minutes into the first quarter, and any hopes of a Wildcat upset seemed extinguished.
But the game shifted about a quarter later, when Corey Wootton flattened Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi in the end zone. Northwestern’s Marshall Thomas recovered the fumble for the Wildcats’ first score, and to add injury to insult for Iowa, Stanzi was knocked out of the game. His replacement, James Vandenberg, completed just nine of his 27 passes in the game. Perhaps inspired by the defense (and set up in plus territory thanks to an interception), the offense snatched the lead thanks to a four-yard scoring strike from Persa to Drake Dunsmore. The closest Iowa would be to the end zone after that was a missed field goal from Northwestern’s 29-yard line midway through the third quarter. The Wildcats earned a 17-10 victory through grit, toughness and a whole lot of turnover luck — a winning formula that’s responsible for a lot of the victories on this list.
— Brendan Preisman
3.01: Team 1 selects 54-51 win over No. 12 Michigan in 2000
This offensive masterclass was not only one of the best NU games ever, but it was also arguably one of the best games to watch — period — in the entire 21st century. The ‘Cats helped put the now-famed spread offense on the map, running an up-tempo offense in an attempt to stun the powerhouse Wolverines, who had just won a national title in 1997. NU trailed by 13 in the third quarter at one point, and it held a 51-46 deficit and the ball with little time remaining in the fourth, trying desperately for a game-winning drive. After a 10-play sequence, the ‘Cats turned it over on downs with 1:38 to go.
Still, they weren’t done. On second-and-3, Sean Wieber knocked the ball out of the hands of Anthony Thomas, forcing a fumble and giving his squad the ball back. Thanks to an improbable game-winning touchdown from wide receiver Sam Simmons with just 20 seconds remaining, the ‘Cats clawed their way back to an unbelievable victory. Did someone say CARDIAC???
— Calvin Kaplan
3.02: Team 2 selects 2018 Holiday Bowl win over Utah
Speaking of heart-attack inducing victories, Northwestern’s 31-20 win over No. 17 Utah in the 2018 Holiday Bowl featured perhaps the most dizzying sequence of Wildcat football in recent memory. The ‘Cats trailed 20-3 at the half but came out of the locker room with a passion for vengeance. Clayton Thorson connected with Riley Lees for a four-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive of the third quarter to cut the lead to 10. Seven minutes later, safety Jared McGee took a fumble back 82 yards to put Northwestern within three. The ‘Cats forced another Utah turnover on the ensuing drive, and it took Thorson all of 31 seconds to give his guys the lead. Utah followed that up by going three-and-out in a drive that lasted just 25 seconds. Two minutes and another Wildcat touchdown later, and Northwestern led 31-20. When it was all said and done, Northwestern outscored the Utes 28-0 in the third quarter, scoring 21 of those 28 points in just five minutes.
In a way, the Holiday Bowl mirrored Northwestern’s 2018 season. The ‘Cats dropped three of their first four games — including a home game against Akron — before ripping off wins in eight of their last nine to win the Big Ten West for the first time in program history.
— Harris Horowitz
4.01: Team 2 selects 2023 Las Vegas Bowl win over Utah
Northwestern’s 14-7 Las Vegas Bowl win over Utah was more than just a chance to lift up a trophy. It was the culmination of an entire season where the Wildcats beat the odds. After an offseason marred by hazing controversies that led to the firing of longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald, following a season where NU did not win a single game in the United States, it came into 2023 with low standards. Those standards only went down when the ‘Cats were blown out by Rutgers to start the season. But David Braun and Co. slowly but surely turned the tide in conference play, leading to a 8-5 season that made Northwestern bowl-eligible after two previously lackluster years and gave Braun Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. The Utah win was the cherry on top, but the gritty defense-filled battle where a Ben Bryant touchdown pass to Bryce Kirtz sealed the deal was emblematic of the entire season.
— Yanyan Li
4.02: Team 1 selects 2013 Gator Bowl win over Mississippi State
NU’s first bowl win since 1949 was the cherry on top of a dominant 10-3 season where the Wildcats ended the year as the 20th-best team in the nation.
This game was no thriller — it was all ‘Cats from the start. On the very first drive of the game, defensive lineman Quentin Williams dropped back into coverage, picked off Bulldog QB Tyler Russell, and returned the interception 29 yards for a Northwestern touchdown on the third play from scrimmage.
Field goals on back-to-back Northwestern offensive possessions made the score 13-0 early in the second quarter, creating an seemingly insurmountable mountain for Mississippi State. However, the Bulldogs briefly knotted up the score at 13 in the third before being outscored by NU 21-7 in the final 25 minutes of the contest.
Russell was terrorized by the ‘Cats secondary, as they forced four interceptions — tying a program record for most INTs in a bowl game — and held Bulldog quarterbacks to a 41.3% completion rate. Safety Jared Carpenter was all over the field for Northwestern, logging one of those four picks while recording a game-high 10 tackles en route to being named Gator Bowl MVP. Trevor Siemian put on a offensive clinic — going 12-for-20 in the passing game — and converted 10 third downs throughout the afternoon.
If there’s one game that embodies Pat Fitzgerald’s coaching genius at its best, it’s most definitely this one.
— Matt Campbell
Final rosters
Team 1:
- 2021 Citrus Bowl win over Auburn
- 17-10 win on the road over No. 4 Iowa in 2009
- 54-51 win over No. 12 Michigan in 2000
- 2013 Gator Bowl win over Mississippi State
Team 2:
- 2018 win over Iowa to win first-ever Big Ten West title
- 2020 upset win over No. 10 Wisconsin
- 2018 Holiday Bowl win over Utah
- 2023 Las Vegas Bowl win over Utah
Vote on X at @InsideNU, and let us know anything you think we missed in the comments. Also, please add suggestions for future categories. For next week’s Mount Rushmore, we’re going a little more broad with “Best Northwestern athletes of all time.”