Northwestern at Auburn

Outback Bowl - Raymond James Stadium - Tampa, FL. Northwestern closed the season strong by winning two of their last three games with two of those wins coming against nationally ranked teams. The Wildcats started slow at 2-2, but finished strong going 6-2 in their final eight game, improving steadily as the season progressed. The season got off to a roaring start for Auburn as they logged wins in each of their first five games, but the wheels fell off from there. They finished an un-Bowl-like 1-5 down the stretch against FBS teams, and were out-scored by 8 points per game in the process. A team that scored 41.4 ppg in their first five games finished the last six scoring 24 or less in five of them! The defense allowed at least 20 points in all of their last 11 games including 31 to a non-FBS team in Furman. On the road this season, the Tigers defense has been bad. They are 1-3 in road games, allowing 32 points per game. It will be difficult for a team that had much bigger Bowl aspirations, starting off 5-0 but having since fallen off dramatically on both sides of the ball, to cover a big number vs. an improving team that has knocked off top 25 teams. Northwestern is playing with confidence and is excited to be here, with the prospects of their first Bowl win since 1948 hanging in the balance.