Here’s the way Northwestern’s bowl picture stacks up:
The Rose Bowl remains a possibility. If the Cats beat Iowa and Purdue and finish 10-1, 8-0, they can go to Pasadena if somebody, probably Michigan on Nov. 25, beats Ohio State.
Otherwise, the Cats appear headed toward a Jan. 1 date in Florida, either in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando as the Big Ten’s No. 2 selection or to the Outback Bowl in Tampa as the league’s No. 3 selection.
The other team in the Citrus Bowl will be the SEC’s runner-up or top-ranked team. The Outback opponent would be the SEC’s third selection.
“The Rose Bowl is our ultimate,” said center and tri-captain Rob Johnson, “but we don’t have total control over that. We just have to take care of business.”
NU plays on Saturday against Iowa, the No. 1 team on the schedule that the Cats have wanted to beat all season because of real or imagined embarrassments, such as run-up scores, they believe coach Hayden Fry inflicted on them.
Autry’s records: Here are some of the NU records Darnell Autry set Saturday:
– Most rushing yards per season: 1,339, breaks record of 1,291 set by Bob Christian in 1989.
– Most rushing touchdowns in a season: 13, breaks record of 12 set by Ron Burton in 1958.
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– Most points in a season: 84, breaks record of 77 set by John Duvic in 1986.
– Most consecutive 100-plus rushing games: 10, breaks own record.