2026 Northwestern Wildcats football team

2026 Northwestern Wildcats football
2026 Northwestern Wildcats football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	2–0 (0–0 Big Ten)
Head coach	David Braun (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Chip Kelly (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Tim McGarigle (3rd season)
Home stadium	Martin Stadium; Ryan Field
	Seasons ← 2025 2027 →

2026 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 12 USC	1	–	0	4	–	0
UCLA	1	–	0	3	–	0
No. 5 Indiana	0	–	0	3	–	0
No. 17 Iowa	0	–	0	3	–	0
No. 18 Michigan	0	–	0	3	–	0
Nebraska	0	–	0	3	–	0
No. 13 Penn State	0	–	0	3	–	0
Washington	0	–	0	3	–	0
Northwestern	0	–	0	2	–	0
Illinois	0	–	0	2	–	1
Maryland	0	–	0	2	–	1
Michigan State	0	–	0	2	–	1
Minnesota	0	–	0	2	–	1
No. 7 Ohio State	0	–	0	2	–	1
No. 20 Oregon	0	–	0	2	–	1
Wisconsin	0	–	0	2	–	1
Purdue	0	–	1	1	–	2
Rutgers	0	–	1	0	–	3
Championship: December 5, 2026
As of September 24, 2026 Rankings from AP poll

The 2026 Northwestern Wildcats football team will represent Northwestern University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They are led by fourth-year head coach David Braun. The team will play its first two home games at a temporary facility constructed at the university's Martin Stadium, while playing their final five home games at Ryan Field after construction is finished, debuting on October 2.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	7:00 p.m.	No. 2 (FCS) South Dakota State*	Martin Stadium Evanston, IL	BTN	W 34–18	9,574
September 19	6:30 p.m.	Colorado*	Martin Stadium Evanston, IL	FOX	W 41–7	12,023
September 25	7:00 p.m.	at No. 5 Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	FOX
October 2	7:00 p.m.	Penn State	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	FOX
October 10		Ball State*	Ryan Field Evanston, IL
October 17		at Michigan State	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI
October 24		Rutgers	Ryan Field Evanston, IL
October 31		at Oregon	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR
November 7		Iowa	Ryan Field Evanston, IL
November 14		at Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH
November 21		at Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN
November 28		Illinois	Ryan Field Evanston, IL (rivalry)
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll - Released prior to game All times are in Central time Source: ^[2]^[3]

Game summaries

vs. No. 2 (FCS) South Dakota State

No. 2 (FCS) South Dakota State Jackrabbits (1–0) at Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 (FCS) Jackrabbits	0	6	6	6	18
Wildcats	7	3	7	17	34

at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois

Date: September 5
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: NE at 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)
Game attendance: 9,574
Referee: Tim O'Dey
TV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington, Tanner Morgan and Natalie Kerwin

Game information

First quarter

NU – Alex Honig 11-yard pass from Aidan Chiles (Jackson Kleather kick), 11:42. Wildcats 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 82 yards, 0:44.

Second quarter

SDST – Tristan Alvano 21-yard field goal, 10:50. Wildcats 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 77 yards, 6:12.
NU – Jackson Kleather 36-yard field goal, 6:32. Wildcats 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:18.
SDST – Tristan Alvano 33-yard field goal, 1:16. Wildcats 10–6. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 2:32.

Third quarter

SDST – Tristan Alvano 27-yard field goal, 9:56. Wildcats 10–9. Drive: 7 plays, 17 yards, 3:23.
NU – Caleb Komolafe 7-yard run (Jackson Kleather kick), 7:13. Wildcats 17–9. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:43.
SDST – Tristan Alvano 26-yard field goal, 2:16. Wildcats 17–12. Drive: 13 plays, 69 yards, 4:51.

Fourth quarter

NU – Jackson Kleather 38-yard field goal, 13:32. Wildcats 20–12. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:44.
SDST – Josiah Johnson 2-yard run (pass failed), 8:16. Wildcats 20–18. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:16.
NU – Aidan Chiles 14-yard run (Jackson Kleather kick), 4:34. Wildcats 27–18. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 3:37.
NU – Joseph Himon II 80-yard run (Jackson Kleather kick), 1:15. Wildcats 34–18. Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:12.

Statistics	SDST	NU
First downs	27	19
Plays–yards	88–432	55–497
Rushes–yards	40–147	31–224
Passing yards	285	273
Passing: comp–att–int	23–48–1	14–24–0
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	34:08	25:52

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota State	Passing	Chase Mason	23/48, 285 yards, INT
	Rushing	Josiah Johnson	19 carries, 79 yards, TD
	Receiving	Grahm Goering	9 receptions, 117 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Aidan Chiles	14/24, 273 yards, TD
	Rushing	Joseph Himon II	4 carries, 87 yards, TD
	Receiving	Griffin Wilde	3 receptions, 104 yards

vs. Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes (2–0) at Northwestern Wildcats (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	0	0	7	0	7
Wildcats	7	14	14	6	41

at Martin Stadium • Evanston, Illinois

Date: September 19
Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C)
Game attendance: 12,023
Referee: Henry Johns
TV announcers (FOX): Noah Reed (play-by-play), Devin Gardner (analyst) and Josh Sims (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(0:43) NWEST – Aidan Chiles 1-yard run, Jackson Kleather kick (Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 4:15; Northwestern 7–0)

Second quarter

(7:59) NWEST – Joseph Himon II 18-yard pass from Aidan Chiles, Jackson Kleather kick (Drive: 2 plays, 18 yards, 0:37; Northwestern 14–0)
(0:59) NWEST – Aidan Chiles 3-yard run, Jackson Kleather kick (Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 4:19; Northwestern 21–0)

Third quarter

(10:24) COLO – Joseph Williams 50-yard pass from Julian Lewis, Elliot Arnold kick (Drive: 4 plays, 66 yards, 1:26; Northwestern 21–7)
(6:27) NWEST – Joseph Himon II 25-yard pass from Aidan Chiles, Jackson Kleather kick (Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:52; Northwestern 28–7)
(3:15) NWEST – Joseph Himon II 3-yard pass from Aidan Chiles, Jackson Kleather kick (Drive: 4 plays, 47 yards, 1:16; Northwestern 35–7)

Fourth quarter

(13:09) NWEST – Jackson Kleather 36-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 3:07; Northwestern 38–7)
(3:06) NWEST – Jackson Kleather 21-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 7:13; Northwestern 41–7)

Statistics	COLO	NU
First downs	18	21
Plays–yards	62–348	73–423
Rushes–yards	33–180	51–182
Passing yards	168	241
Passing: comp–att–int	19–29–2	17–22–0
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	23:07	36:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado	Passing	Julian Lewis	19/29, 158 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	JaQuail Smith	8 carries, 91 yards
	Receiving	DeAndre Moore Jr.	7 receptions, 56 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Aidan Chiles	17/22, 241 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Caleb Komolafe	11 carries, 49 yards
	Receiving	Griffin Wilde	5 receptions, 85 yards

at No. 5 Indiana

Northwestern Wildcats (2–0) at No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers (3–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0
No. 5 Hoosiers	0	0	0	0	0

at Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, Indiana

Date: September 25
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
TV announcers (FOX): Connor Onion (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), and Alexa Landestoy (sideline)

Statistics	NU	IU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Indiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions (0–0) at Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Nittany Lions	0	0	0	0	0
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

Date: October 2
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
TV announcers (FOX): TBD

Statistics	PSU	NU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Penn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Ball State

Ball State Cardinals (0–0) at Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

Date: October 10

Statistics	BALL	NU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Michigan State

Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) at Michigan State Spartans (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0
Spartans	0	0	0	0	0

at Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, Michigan

Date: October 17

Statistics	NU	MSU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Michigan State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Rutgers

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0–0) at Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	0	0	0	0	0
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

Date: October 24

Statistics	RUTG	NU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Rutgers	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Oregon

Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) at Oregon Ducks (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0
Ducks	0	0	0	0	0

at Autzen Stadium • Eugene, Oregon

Date: October 31

Statistics	NU	ORE
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Oregon	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Iowa

Iowa Hawkeyes (0–0) at Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	0	0	0	0	0
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

Date: November 7

Statistics	IOWA	NU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Ohio State

Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) at Ohio State Buckeyes (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0
Buckeyes	0	0	0	0	0

at Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio

Date: November 14

Statistics	NU	OSU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Ohio State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Minnesota

Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Gophers	0	0	0	0	0

at Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: November 21

Statistics	NU	MINN
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Minnesota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) at Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	0	0	0	0	0
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

Date: November 28

Statistics	ILL	NU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	—	—	—	—
Coaches	—	—	—	RV
CFP	Not released																Not released

References

↑ Bando, Zain. "Northwestern opens 'greatest college football stadium' with iconic Big Ten opponent". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
↑ Zacks, Yoni. "Football: Northwestern's 2026 schedule revealed, home venue to be announced Feb. 3". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
↑ "2026 Northwestern Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved 21 February 2026.

[1] Bando, Zain. "Northwestern opens 'greatest college football stadium' with iconic Big Ten opponent". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 21 February 2026.

[2] Zacks, Yoni. "Football: Northwestern's 2026 schedule revealed, home venue to be announced Feb. 3". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved 21 February 2026.

[3] "2026 Northwestern Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved 21 February 2026.

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v t e Northwestern Wildcats football
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