The 2016 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by Pat Fitzgerald who is in his 11th season as the team's head coach. The Wildcats home games were played at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. They were members of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference.
Schedule
Northwestern announced its 2016 football schedule on July 11, 2013. The 2016 schedule consists of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. The Wildcats will host Big Ten foes Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, and will travel to Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Purdue.
The team will host all three non–conference games which are against the Duke Blue Devils from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Illinois State Redbirds from the Missouri Valley Conference, and the Western Michigan Broncos from the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
Date |
Time |
Opponent |
Site |
TV |
Result |
Attendance |
September 3 |
11:00 a.m. |
Western Michigan*
|
|
ESPNU |
L 21–22 |
30,635 |
September 10 |
2:30 p.m. |
No. 10 (FCS) Illinois State*
|
|
BTN |
L 7–9 |
30,748 |
September 17 |
7:00 p.m. |
Duke*
|
|
BTN |
W 24–13 |
34,464 |
September 24 |
6:30 p.m. |
No. 20 Nebraska
|
|
BTN |
L 13–24 |
40,284 |
October 1 |
11:00 a.m. |
at Iowa
|
|
ESPNU |
W 38–31 |
67,047 |
October 15 |
2:30 p.m. |
at Michigan State
|
|
BTN |
W 54–40 |
75,625 |
October 22 |
11:00 a.m. |
Indiana
|
|
BTN |
W 24–14 |
35,417 |
October 29 |
2:30 p.m. |
at No. 6 Ohio State
|
|
ESPN |
L 20–24 |
107,296 |
November 5 |
11:00 a.m. |
No. 8 Wisconsin
|
|
ABC |
L 7–21 |
42,016 |
November 12 |
11:00 a.m. |
at Purdue
|
|
BTN |
W 45–17 |
30,548 |
November 19 |
2:30 p.m. |
at Minnesota
|
|
BTN |
L 12–29 |
38,162 |
November 26 |
11:00 a.m. |
Illinois |
|
BTN |
W 42–21 |
30,022 |
December 28 |
1:00 p.m. |
vs. No. 23 Pittsburgh*
|
|
ESPN |
W 31–24 |
37,918 |
- *Non-conference game
-
Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game
- All times are in Central time
|
-
Schedule Source:
Game summaries
Western Michigan
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Broncos
|
0
|
6
|
10
|
6 |
22 |
Wildcats
|
7
|
0
|
7
|
7 |
21 |
Illinois State
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
#10 (FCS) Redbirds
|
0
|
6
|
0
|
3 |
9 |
Wildcats
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
7 |
7 |
Duke
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Blue Devils
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
6 |
13 |
Wildcats
|
7
|
0
|
10
|
7 |
24 |
Nebraska
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
#20 Cornhuskers
|
0
|
10
|
14
|
0 |
24 |
Wildcats
|
0
|
7
|
6
|
0 |
13 |
At Iowa
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Wildcats
|
10
|
7
|
14
|
7 |
38 |
Hawkeyes
|
7
|
14
|
3
|
7 |
31 |
At Michigan State
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Wildcats
|
7
|
12
|
21
|
14 |
54 |
Spartans
|
14
|
3
|
14
|
9 |
40 |
Indiana
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Hoosiers
|
3
|
0
|
9
|
2 |
14 |
Wildcats
|
14
|
10
|
0
|
0 |
24 |
At Ohio State
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Wildcats
|
0
|
10
|
7
|
3 |
20 |
#6 Buckeyes
|
10
|
7
|
0
|
7 |
24 |
Wisconsin
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
#8 Badgers
|
0
|
10
|
3
|
8 |
21 |
Wildcats
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
At Purdue
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Wildcats
|
7
|
7
|
21
|
10 |
45 |
Boilermakers
|
10
|
0
|
7
|
0 |
17 |
At Minnesota
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Wildcats
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
6 |
12 |
Golden Gophers
|
6
|
6
|
3
|
14 |
29 |
Illinois
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Fighting Illini
|
0
|
14
|
7
|
0 |
21 |
Wildcats
|
14
|
7
|
14
|
7 |
42 |
Pittsburgh–Pinstripe Bowl
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
#22 Panthers
|
3
|
7
|
7
|
7 |
24 |
Wildcats
|
0
|
14
|
7
|
10 |
31 |
Roster
Awards and honors
Weekly Awards
Player
|
Award
|
Date Awarded
|
Ref.
|
Ifeadi Odenigbo
|
Co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
|
October 3, 2016
|
|
Justin Jackson
|
Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week
|
October 17, 2016
|
|
Solomon Vault
|
Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week
|
October 17, 2016
|
|
John Moten IV
|
Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week
|
November 12, 2016
|
|
John Moten IV
|
Big Ten Freshman of the Week
|
November 29, 2016
|
|
Austin Carr
|
Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year
|
November 30, 2016
|
|