CHICAGO — The 78th meeting between Michigan and Northwestern was the first in Chicago in more than a century. To be exact, their “Big Noon Saturday” matchup at iconic Wrigley Field was 100 years and eight days after the Wildcats beat the Wolverines 3-2 in heavy rain at Soldier Field on Nov. 7, 1925. That loss cost Michigan a chance at a national championship.
It almost happened again on Saturday. Though Michigan has dominated Northwestern recently, winning 14 of their past 15 meetings, five of the past eight games have been decided by less than one score. That includes Michigan’s 24-22 last-second victory on a field goal by kicker Dominic Zvada, who was carried off the field after saving his team’s College Football Playoff chances.
Let’s take a look back in photos.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
It was a beautiful day at Wrigley Field, literally. After the sun peaked through the early clouds, the temperature reached the mid-60s. The Cubs should be so lucky in mid-April, sometimes even mid-May.
In the shadow of Statue Row, Gallagher Way was decked out for the Cubs’ annual Winter Wonderland. The gathering spot adjacent to the ballpark features an ice rink, overlooked by Sweet Swinging Billy Williams, among other Cubs legends etched in bronze. Alas, no one would be skating on this unseasonably warm day.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Michigan is playing six road games this season for just the second time in school history. But with so many Wolverines fans descending upon the 111-year-old ballpark on Chicago’s North Side, it must have felt like a home game.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
What Northwestern fans may have lacked in numbers, they made up for in flag-waving enthusiasm.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Bryce Underwood, who became just the fourth true freshman to start at quarterback in a Michigan season opener, was out early doing passing drills while wearing his custom Beats headphones.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
The “Barstool Sports College Football Show” and “Big Noon Kickoff” were staged at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield avenues, wedged between the el tracks and the iconic Wrigley Field scoreboard.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
With Brady Quinn awaiting a hit for “Big Noon Kickoff,” Matt Leinart (right) worked on his batting stance on the center-field warning track in front of the ivy, which, like the Cubs, has gone into hibernation.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
An hour before game time, Underwood stepped out of the first-base dugout onto the field where legends such as Red Grange, Jim Thorpe, Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers once played. Though Wrigley Field is known for baseball, the ballpark has also hosted hundreds of NFL games. In fact, though the Chicago Cubs have never clinched a championship there, the Chicago Bears have.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
The Friendly Confines have been downright unfriendly to Northwestern, which is 0-6 since it began hosting games at Wrigley in 2010. That inaugural game, against archrival Illinois, was downright confining. The east-west field configuration was so tight that Big Ten officials decided to run all offensive plays toward the west end zone to avoid the brick wall in right field. To provide more room in subsequent games, the Cubs’ dugout is now removed, along with several rows of seats along the third-base side.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
With just over two minutes left in the first half, Northwestern defensive lineman Anto Saka’s (No. 4) big hit separated Michigan receiver Andrew Marsh from the football. Wildcats linebacker Braydon Brus recovered the fumble at midfield for the first of five Wolverines turnovers on the day.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Despite all his team’s miscues, running back Jordan Marshall (No. 23) ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns to help the Wolverines take control of the game. It was the sophomore’s fourth straight 100-yard outing as Michigan’s main man, carrying the load with Alabama transfer Justice Haynes sidelined by a foot injury.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Just because this was a football game doesn’t mean a few of Wrigley Field’s baseball traditions weren’t honored. From the bleachers, balls came flying back onto the field.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
A beer snake made an appearance in the center-field bleachers, or at least the start of one. In 2021, Cubs fans constructed a snake so long that it was estimated to be worth $30,000 in beer sales.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
In another grand baseball tradition, the crowd of 38,223 sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” led by former Northwestern quarterbacks Clayton Thorson, Dan Persa and C.J. Bacher from the press box.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Down 21-9 early in the fourth quarter, Northwestern QB Preston Stone found receiver Hayden Eligon II (No. 80) down the sideline for a 22-yard gain. Two plays later, the Wildcats scored to cut Michigan’s lead to 21-16.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
An Underwood interception led to another Northwestern fourth-quarter touchdown and a 22-21 Wildcats lead, flipping the game. Defensive back Robert Fitzgerald then ended Michigan’s subsequent drive by picking off Underwood at the Northwestern 20-yard line.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
With the Wildcats taking a late lead, NU fans started to believe an upset was in the making. It would have been the team’s sixth win, making the Cats bowl eligible.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Still down by a point with just over two minutes remaining, the Wolverines started an 11-play, 50-yard drive that featured this acrobatic reception by tight end Zack Marshall.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
After his two fourth-quarter interceptions, Underwood made a key play on the final drive with his legs, breaking loose for nine yards on third-and-five with just over a minute to play.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
The Wolverines advanced to the Northwestern 18-yard line and drained the clock to two seconds before sending Dominic Zvada out for a 31-yard attempt. In the first quarter, he had missed from 34 yards out.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
When the football split the uprights and carried into the Northwestern student section, Zvada’s teammates swept him up, knowing that he had preserved their CFP chances. A third loss would surely have knocked Michigan out. As Underwood, who threw for 280 yards but was picked off twice, told FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft after the game: “I can’t do nothin’ but thank my teammates.”
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