Sept. 14--Northwestern experienced a series of firsts in Saturday's 41-0 thrashing of Eastern Illinois. Most notably, the Wildcats prevented the Panthers from scoring a touchdown, marking two straight games NU has kept an opponent out of the end zone. That's the first time that has happened since 1958.
Offense
A-. The Wildcats rushed for 344 yards, led by Justin Jackson with 78 yards and Warren Long with 72. Each ran for a touchdown, as did quarterback Clayton Thorson.
Defense
A. The Wildcats enjoyed their largest margin of victory since Oct. 10, 1970, when they beat Illinois 48-0. They held the Panthers to 138 total yards. Linebacker Anthony Walker had seven tackles, two for a loss.
Special teams
B+. Jack Mitchell, who was awarded a scholarship last week, converted a pair of field-goal attempts, making him 5-fo-6 in the first two games. Hunter Niswander punted twice for a 36.5-yard average.
Coaching
A. Coach Pat Fitzgerald didn't let his players take EIU for granted during preparations last week with pointed criticism and elevated expectations.
