Your favorite play since 1995 - a tournament

[SmellyCat]

On the 100 days string, we talked about Drake Dunsmore's long catch-and-run in the Outback Bowl as an all-time favorite of NU fans, and it got me thinking - let's make this scientific (note: not really scientific at all). If I were to amass a list of 64 nominees of your favorite NU plays since 1995, can I count on your guys to vote on all of them? I figure we can just have a bracket. The thing is, I need help with the plays, as I won't be able to think of all of them off the top of my head.

My only rule is it has to be exactly one play in a game and not something like "the first five minutes of the Sun Bowl" or "making it to the Rose Bowl" or whatever. I'll get us started with the first few that popped into my head:

Dunsmore in the Outback Bowl, 2010
Skowronek's catch against Iowa, 2018
Herron's winning TD against Ohio State, 2004
Victory Right against Minnesota, 2000
A-Train's fumble against Michigan, 2000
Beazley's TD into the band against Notre Dame, 1995
Hartl's TD against Michigan, 1995
Gowins' last field goal against Michigan, 1996
McGee down the sideline against Utah, 2018
Brendan Smith's game-clinching interception against Minnesota, 2008

 

[eastbaycat99]

Darnell Autry’s go ahead touchdown in the 4th quarter of the 1996 Rose Bowl. For a moment, the world was perfect. They had come all the way back from the 24-7 deficit.

 

[Overly_Invested_Cat]

Here are a few recent favorites:

Colter to Ebert @ Nebraska
Justin Jackson juking the Io a defender
Joe Gaz laying Lewerke for a safety
Thorson run against Stanford
Kyle Queiro’s one-handed interception.
Justin’s amazing 4th down catch and run against Iowa
Persa’s pass against Iowa prior to blowing out his Achilles.
Jack Mitchell’s touchdown Jesus field goal for the win at ND.
Warren Long’s long touchdown run at Duke.
Gaz forced fumble that ended with Nate Hall’s interception of Lewerke.

 

[zbag51]

Justin Jackson’s catch and run for a first down on 3rd down in OT vs Iowa.

 

[timbfischer]

Moten TD in championship game

 

[timbfischer]

Gaz's strip and Thomas's scoop and score v. Utah

 

[timbfischer]

Schnur to Bates to beat Wisconsin in 1996

 

[SmellyCat]

Keep 'em coming!

Wootton's sack of Stanzi.
Queiro's clinching interception against Stanford
Quentin Williams pick six in first bowl win.

 

[TheC]

AWalk's pick 6 against PSU
Venric Mark's punt return TD against PSU (hmmm... I seem to have a theme)
Kustok's incredible 12 yard scramble for TD against Michigan in 2000

 

[phatcat]

Hartl for me, but I also have a semi-playful one.

Late into an Illini blowout I am contentedly watching by myself in the stands. My family had long ago left.

Suddenly I see #1 come onto the field in a goal line situation, and and an involuntary scream of "BO!!!!!!!!!!" came out of me. I still get chills when I think of it

 

[Hungry Jack]

So many choices! My fave is probably the scoop and score vs Utah--my first bowl game on the day my father passed (I'd like to think he intervened in the third quarter).

But in the Duke game a few years back, The Vault took the 2nd half kickoff to the house. About 60 yards into the return, WML steamrolled some poor Duke defender, sending him barrel-rolling down the field. That image is indelibly etched in my mind.

 

[SmellyCat]

So many choices! My fave is probably the scoop and score vs Utah--my first bowl game on the day my father passed (I'd like to think he intervened in the third quarter).

But in the Duke a few years back, The Vault took the 2nd half kickoff to the house. About 60 yards into the return, WML steamrolled some poor Duke defender, sending him barrel-rolling down the field. That image is indelibly etched in my mind.

I was actually looking for that Warren Long play in particular for the "100 days" thread just a few hours ago, but couldn't find it. If you find it, please post it there!

 

[SmellyCat]

Kustok's incredible 12 yard scramble for TD against Michigan in 2000

Colter had a lot of good scrambles, but I don't think he ever had one as good as Kustok's best one - my favorite NU QB scramble ever.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

Some amazing and memorable plays above. The trio that stand out from the above listings for me have to be three I got to watch in person, and two of which I was able to capture on "film."

In chronological order:

Victory Right in 2000 at Minnesota

Kyle Queiro's One-handed Catch while wearing a cast

The Holiday Bowl Fumble followed by the scoop, field long run and score


Kyle's Catch:

The 2016 Indiana game provided fans with one of the greatest plays in Northwestern history, a play that ranks with the 2000 Victory Right hail Mary and the 2001 Victory Right II play. Kyle Queiro, wearing a cast on his left hand, made one of the most astounding interceptions ever. The play would go on to be the #1 feature on ESPN's SportsCenter show that night. In this photo by Alaskanwildcat, Queiro eyes the Hoosier pass...

...And here is Queiro's stunning one-handed catch, captured in an instant of Wildcat glory.

The Holiday Bowl Fumble, Scoop, Run and Score:

#2: Wildcats swarm and devour the ball carrier.

#3: If you love something, set it free.

#4: Scoop...

#5: ...and score!

(Caption credits to GoUPurple at HailtoPurple.com)

 

[Hungry Jack]

I was actually looking for that Warren Long play in particular for the "100 days" thread just a few hours ago, but couldn't find it. If you find it, please post it there!

 

[Catreporter]

How about all of the above!

 

[drewjin]

Trey Klock's TD! After the first defender bounced off of him like a pea shot off a Panzer Tank, the other defenders seemed to want nothing to do with tackling him! Wasn't laughing at them but with them. Nobody in the stadium would want a piece of that action!

 

[GOUNUII]

How about all of the above!

I agree. Lots of great contributions here. How about 10 more?

1. Napo's full field chase down to prevent the TD in our Victory Right game at Minny. CATS WIN!
2. Phillips' stone cold stop of sledge hammer Shaun Green at Iowa. Knocking Green out of the game. CATS WIN!
3. Matt Rice's stone cold stuff of the entire ND OL (the play gets better as each year passes) when Little Lou made the mistake of playing smash mouth on 4th and 2. Irish lose. CATS WIN!
4. Fitz' stone cold stuff of Timmy B. on the goal line and in the Big House. CATS WIN and beat Michigan for the first time since when? Since Cadilacs had fins.
5. From the vault of Wildcat lore. Marcel Price leaps the LOS in 1995 to sack pretty boy Ron Paulos on the 2 point conversion attempt. CATS WIN!
6. The perfectly executed onside kick at the beginning of the third quarter of the Rose Bowl. Vintage Barnett.
7. Cain Colter at Nebraska heading to the pylon -- the spyder stretch -- the SCORE. Who says NU doesn't have athletes? CATS WIN!
8.Cam Ruiz' picture perfect punt block vs the Irish. Watch the replay in slow motion. PICTURE. PERFECT.
9. The Dayne fumble. Alvarez' look of awkward humiliation. CATS WIN!
10. From the belief that not all game changing plays are made on the field. Fitz says yes to Barnett and years later he says no to Michigan.

GOUNUII

 

[SmellyCat]

I'm up to 37. Added a few more -

Burton's 90-yard punt
The tackle by "Marcel Price" - (Looks like GOUNUII beat me to the punch on this one by two minutes).
Simmons' game-winner in the 54-51 game
Flynn Nagel's 61-yarder against Nebraska last year

 

[PurpleNUCat]

1995 NU @ MI - Hamdorf comes in for a shaken up Schnur and hits Drexler down the middle for about 25 yards when EVERYONE knew that the back-up QB would just hand the ball to Autry.

While the 4Q go ahead TD in the Rose Bowl by Autry was already mentioned, I believe that the lead block by Matt Hartl who pancakes a linebacker trying to fill the hole might be the best block any Wildcat has executed over the past 25 years.

1995 WI @ NU - The last play of the game when the 3rd and 4th string guys on defense preserve the 35-0 shutout of a ranked Badger team at Dyche Stadium with a swarming team tackle inside the 10 yd line as time expires.

 

[SmellyCat]

I've got 47 plays now. Strangely enough, almost nothing between 2001 and 2007 (just Herron's TD).

1995+Rose Bowl has 10 of the 47 and might need more - nothing for Penn State or Purdue there. 2000 only has the Minnesota and Michigan games represented. Feel like we may need more there as well. Rose Bowl, Outback Bowl, Gator Bowl, and Holiday Bowl are only bowls. I'm going to go ahead and add the Anthony Walker goal-line stand for the Pinstripe Bowl as well as JJTBC's nearly 99-yard run. Anything from the Kentucky game good?

 

[Hungry Jack]

I've got 47 plays now. Strangely enough, almost nothing between 2001 and 2007 (just Herron's TD).

1995+Rose Bowl has 10 of the 47 and might need more - nothing for Penn State or Purdue there. 2000 only has the Minnesota and Michigan games represented. Feel like we may need more there as well. Rose Bowl, Outback Bowl, Gator Bowl, and Holiday Bowl are only bowls. I'm going to go ahead and add the Anthony Walker goal-line stand for the Pinstripe Bowl as well as JJTBC's nearly 99-yard run. Anything from the Kentucky game good?

The best play in the Kentucky game was Snell getting booted.

Seriously, the Queiro pick 6 was the play.

https://www.btn2go.com/video/music-city-bowl-highlights-northwestern-vs-kentucky[URL]https://www.btn2go.com/video/music-city-bowl-highlights-northwestern-vs-kentucky[/URL]

 

[SmellyCat]

When did Xavier Washington have that great tackle?

 

[Catreporter]

I'll add some more: Trevor Siemian to Demetrius Fields in the final minute at Syracuse for a 42-41 win to start the 2012 season.
Jordan Mabin game-clinching INT vs Scott Tolzein in 33-31 regular season ending win over Wisconsin in 2009.
Soloman Vault's 97 yard kickoff return at Michigan State in 2017 when the Spartans had just scored twice to cut the lead to 33-31 in the fourth quarter, silencing Spartan Stadium!

 

[NUCat320]

Do we have the 2008 game-winning pick 6 v Minnesota? That was the game Kafka ran for like 250 yards. Gave my sleeping, pregnant wife whiplash jumping to celebrate.

Thorson’s long run v Stanford in his debut.

 

[NURoseBowl]

Dave Wasilewski's 49 yd. FG to beat Michigan State at the gun after Sparty had taken the lead on kickoff return TD with under a minute to play in '01. And Jon Schweighardt's improbable catch that just preceded it and made that kick possible in the first place.

Anwaun Jones preserving the win over MSU with a blocked FG in the final seconds, in, I think, '97.

Tim Long's 47 yd FG to send the 2000 game in Madison to OT.

 

[NURoseBowl]

Brian Musso's bobbling catch to convert a 4th-and-10 on the game-winning drive against Michigan in '96.

 

[NURoseBowl]

Hudhaifa Ismaeli's scoop and score to seal the Iowa game in '95.

 

[Catreporter]

Brian Musso's 60-yard punt return to tie that 1995 game against Iowa after the Hawkeyes had taken an early lead in that game.

 

[SmellyCat]

BTW, nothing yet for Sutton, Larkin or even Damian Anderson.

 

[phatcat]

Any play where Venric Mark touched the ball.

fuzzy memory. 1983 v Minn. we somehow get a safety in a rainstorm, and Ricky Edwards runs the free kick back for a TD. Anyone can corroborate? Long time ago

 

[LACatFan]

Here's a few more for the list...

NU vs. Wiscy - 2005
Sutton hurdles a Wiscy defender for a long score
@ 3:39 mark

NU vs. Ohio State - 2004 (tie)
Jeff Backes picks off Zwick
@ 7:13 mark

Bubble Screen pass to Philmore for a leaping TD
@ 4:14 mark

NU vs. Ohio State - 2013
Venric Mark trucks OSU defender
@ 3:07 mark

 

[Hungry Jack]

BTW, nothing yet for Sutton, Larkin or even Damian Anderson.

DA2 dropping the sure TD vs. Michigan. The Wolverine fans got to die twice that day.

 

[rwhitney014]

When did Xavier Washington have that great tackle?

Slobberknocking Hackenberg in the backfield and forcing a fumble? I wanna say 2013 or 2014. That was gonna be my pick after reading halfway through the thread and not seeing it.

 

[NUThump]

Two 2005 Iowa game plays. Onside kick recovery, then Ross Lane touchdown. A very improbable victory.

 

[SmellyCat]

Slobberknocking Hackenberg in the backfield and forcing a fumble? I wanna say 2013 or 2014. That was gonna be my pick after reading halfway through the thread and not seeing it.

Yeah I found it earlier. Was in the same game as Walker’s coming out party.

 

[Cat Fan in Buckeye Land]

Trey Klock's TD! After the first defender bounced off of him like a pea shot off a Panzer Tank, the other defenders seemed to want nothing to do with tackling him! Wasn't laughing at them but with them. Nobody in the stadium would want a piece of that action!

Almost as great as the play was the name that they had for it! I believe the play was called: Can a fat guy get a 6 piece! Classic!

 

[Gladeskat]

The Holiday Bowl Fumble followed by the scoop, field long run and score

The Holiday Bowl Fumble, Scoop, Run and Score:

#2: Wildcats swarm and devour the ball carrier.

#3: If you love something, set it free.

#4: Scoop...

Almost a carbon copy of Demetrious Eaton's scoop and score after Mims forced Drew Stanton to fumble against MSU in 2005.

 

[Medill '03]

BTW, nothing yet for Sutton, Larkin or even Damian Anderson.

For Damien you can include his game-winning run vs. Wisconsin in 2000.

 

[Medill '03]

BTW, nothing yet for Sutton, Larkin or even Damian Anderson.

Sutton's long run for a TD vs. Wisconsin in the fourth quarter as a freshman in 2005. That offense was amazing.