5 Numbers to Know: Northwestern

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Published May 27, 2018

5 Numbers to Know: Northwestern

Jonathan Mills • BadgerBlitz

Staff Writer

@therealJMlLLS

College football can be a numbers game. Up next in BadgerBlitz.com's preseason numbers-centered analysis are the Northwestern Wildcats.

Miss a preview? Catch up below:

Number to Know: 27

That's how many games the Wildcats have the last three seasons. In 2017, NU finished its campaign on a high note, winning its last eight games en route to a 24-23 victory over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. In fact, the team's recent string of success doesn't stop off the field. Last season marked Northwestern football's second straight year ranking first in NCAA Academic Progress Rate. The team earned a 997 score, but why does this matter? By definition, the APR serves as a tie-breaker if there aren't enough bowl-eligible teams. Thus, the higher the APR, it becomes probable that a program with a low-win total has a chance to play in a bowl game.

Number to Know: 425,000

That's how many square feet Northwestern's new athletic development facility occupies on the shores of Lake Michigan. Although the price wasn't cheap ($270 million), the Walter Athletics Center and Ryan Fieldhouse combination is arguably the nicest athletics complex in all of college football. Some amenities include: virtual reality training areas, remote barriers that divide the team room based on position, joystick-controlled video cameras for drills and a hot tub that fits up to 40 athletes. Indeed, the new state-of-the-art athletic complex means it is fair for fans to expect a lot more of the Wildcats in 2018. Yet, only time will tell if the facility produces better results and truly sells recruits.

Number to Know: 5,440

That's how many career yards the Wildcats will have to replace with the departure of running back Justin Jackson. Northwestern's all-time leading rusher, Jackson cemented himself as one of the best to wear the purple in Evanston. However, time waits for no man.

Come fall, NU has depth to work with at the position. Jeremy Larkin totaled 503 yards and five touchdowns as Jackson's backup last season, and will get the first crack at securing the feature rusher spot. Behind Larkin, John Moten IV, Jesse Brown and Isaiah Bowser wait. It will be difficult to replace 41 career yards (Jackson’s production) with an inexperienced back, but with an offensive line returning four starters, perhaps the transition won't be too difficult.

Number to Know: 10

That's the number of known verbal commits in NU's Class of 2019. Friday, in-state talent Duke Olges verbally announced his decision to be a Wildcat via Twitter. The three-star defensive tackle held 26 scholarship offers and was planning to make summer visits to other BIG Ten schools (Wisconsin was one of them) before his commitment to Northwestern. Although these players will not make an impact next season, recruitment for the 2019 class is ahead of schedule when comparing the team's 2018 efforts this time last spring.

Number to Know: 44

That's how many touchdown passes Clayton Thorson has thrown as the quarterback for the Northwestern Wildcats, a mark tied for the school record. In 2017, Thorson started all 13 regular season games and became the program's all-time winningest quarterback with his 27th career victory. Adding more to his impressive resume, Thorson ranks second in program history in passing yards (7,513) and completions (688).

However, his production-and 2019 NFL Draft stock- might have taken a step backwards after Thorson suffered an ACL injury in the 2017 Music City Bowl. If he isn't available by early August, NU will likely decide between redshirt sophomore TJ Green or redshirt freshman Andrew Marty to fill Thorson's starting spot.

Jonathan Mills covers Wisconsin football and basketball for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @therealJMlLLS.

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