Sept. 11--TV/radio: 3 p.m. Saturday; ESPNews, WGN-AM 720.
Line: None.
Records: Eastern Illinois 0-1; Northwestern 1-0.
Last meeting: Northwestern won 42-21 on Sept. 10, 2011, at Ryan Field.
On the offensive: The Wildcats want a more consistent effort from the line to protect QB Clayton Thorson and help spring RB Justin Jackson, who rushed for 134 yards against Stanford.
Getting defensive: LB Anthony Walker is coming off a monster game in the opener, and the veteran secondary benefitted from a strong push up front. Walker was named Big Ten defensive player of the week.
The number: 17. Wins for the Wildcats in September, against only two losses, since the start of 2010.
The talk: Fitzgerald was critical of a few aspects of the 16-6 upset of then-No. 21 Stanford. It will be interesting to see if his tactic protects his team from complacency.
Fred Mitchell's pick: The Panthers, 0-7 all-time against the Big Ten, were blown out 33-5 in their opener at Western Illinois and appear overmatched against an ascending NU team at home. Northwestern 34, EIU 9.
