Cole Paxton
Daily Northwestern
Evanston, IL, United States
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Past articles by Cole:
Football: Northwestern roars back thanks to massive third quarter, defeats Utah 31-20 in wild, historic Holiday Bowl Northwestern uses massive comeback to defeat Utah in Holiday Bowl
Football SAN DIEGO — This coastal, tropical city seemed an unlikely locale for a driving deluge on New Year’s Eve. Northwestern’s depleted defense seemed an unlikely unit to suddenly scoop up takeaways like it made tackles. The Wildcats’ offense, all but left for dead in the first half, showed few signs of getting hotter than... → Read More
Holiday Bowl preview notebook: Fitzgerald swats down Green Bay Packers rumors; Utah quarterback situation remains unclear Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald bats down Green Bay Packers rumors
Football SAN DIEGO — Pat Fitzgerald didn’t appear to spend much time on Twitter on Sunday morning. As stories popped up reporting that the Green Bay Packers want to interview Fitzgerald for their head coaching vacancy, the Northwestern coach, speaking alongside Utah coach Kyle Whittingham ahead of Monday’s Holiday Bowl, expressed surprise about the latest... → Read More
Rapid Recap: No. 6 Ohio State 45, No. 21 Northwestern 24
INDIANAPOLIS — The Wildcats entered Saturday 60 minutes against Ohio State from the Rose Bowl. They would get no closer than that. Despite a valiant third-quarter barrage, No. 21 Northwestern failed to keep up with the No. 6 Buckeyes and lost 45-24 in the Big Ten Championship Game here, leaving the Cats (8-5, 8-1 Big... → Read More
Football: Northwestern mentally ready to face Ohio State in Big Ten title game
Football INDIANAPOLIS — As Pat Fitzgerald stepped off the bus at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday afternoon, it didn’t take long for him to realize that the spotlight here is brighter. “When I walked in a few minutes ago here … saw the Big Ten folks getting ready to probably have their big meeting,” Fitzgerald... → Read More
Paxton: Enjoy the recent highs, Northwestern fans. They’re special.
When I first got into Northwestern sports, the Wildcats were pretty putrid. It was winter 2015, and I, a second-semester high school senior recently admitted to Northwestern, wanted a taste of Cats sports and something to do. So I watched a lot of basketball. I liked it. I relaxed and learned about the NU team.... → Read More
Football: Fitzgerald named Big Ten Coach of the Year Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald wins Big Ten Coach of the Year
Pat Fitzgerald was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by both coaches and the media, the conference announced Tuesday. The distinction is the first for Fitzgerald in his 13 years at the helm of the Wildcats. He broke that streak this season by leading Northwestern to its first-ever Big Ten West title and a... → Read More
Football: In attracting in-state standouts, Northwestern blows past rival Illinois Northwestern football blows past Illinois in recruiting in-state prospects
Most people in Jacksonville, Illinois — population 18,454 — are University of Illinois fans. After all, Champaign is just 120 miles from the town. The two places share some similarities, as small population outposts dotting agricultural downstate Illinois. Some residents even know former Fighting Illini athletes. Five years ago, a high school tight end named... → Read More
Football: Northwestern spurts past Minnesota, 24-14, winning sixth straight Big Ten game
Football MINNEAPOLIS — Pat Fitzgerald was insulted. To start the week, he faced a barrage of questions about whether his Wildcats would stay focused in their final two conference games. Then the line on Saturday’s game at Minnesota shifted so heavily that No. 22 Northwestern went from 2-point favorites to 2-point underdogs. He stewed over... → Read More
Paxton: When the stakes are high, Pat Fitzgerald has a tendency to rise
Football Pat Fitzgerald has taken some ugly losses in recent years. Consider the one-two punch of Western Michigan (not so bad after all, since the Broncos went to the Cotton Bowl that year) and Illinois State (horrifyingly bad) in 2016. In 2017, Northwestern lost to Duke by 24 in a game far more lopsided, then... → Read More
Football: Wildcats’ fourth-quarter comeback attempt thwarted by Notre Dame
Football All of a sudden, Northwestern had returned from the dead. A long touchdown drive turned a 17-point deficit into a 10-point margin. A blocked punt led to a short scoring drive a moment later, and Notre Dame’s lead was cut to a measly 3 points. Then, the No. 4 Fighting Irish (9-0) rolled four... → Read More
Northwestern offensive line in good form after September issues
Football Two days after Northwestern escaped lowly Rutgers with an 18-15 win, Pat Fitzgerald called out his offense in a team meeting. The Wildcats’ offensive line took the message to heart. In its next outing a week ago, the NU front pummeled Wisconsin en route to a 31-17 upset win, powered by a line that... → Read More
Football: Northwestern rolls past No. 20 Wisconsin in 31-17 upset, continuing upward trend in Big Ten West
Football Entering Saturday, Northwestern had played everyone close. The Wildcats lost to Michigan by only a field goal. They needed overtime to defeat then-winless Nebraska. Even lowly Rutgers lost to NU by a single possession. Then, perennial Big Ten West juggernaut Wisconsin rolled into Ryan Field. And the Cats cruised, dominating every aspect of the... → Read More
Northwestern running back Isaiah Bowser sparks win over Rutgers
Football PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Northwestern needed something, anything, to work offensively. So the Wildcats turned to a freshman running back with two career yards — and it worked. With Clayton Thorson off his game, the Wildcats’ top several veteran running backs out injured and receivers struggling to make impact plays, Isaiah Bowser shined. He rushed... → Read More
Rapid Recap: Northwestern 18, Rutgers 15
Football PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Northwestern, by most measures, played very poorly. But it was still, barely, enough to win. Despite trailing for long stretches of the second half and failing to score for multiple quarters in succession, the Wildcats (4-3, 4-1 Big Ten) managed to make enough plays to defeat lowly Rutgers (1-7, 0-5) 18-15... → Read More
Northwestern receiver Flynn Nagel continues sterling season
Football Things haven’t always gone smoothly for Flynn Nagel. He didn’t get his Northwestern scholarship offer until the brink of National Signing Day. His freshman campaign was truncated by injury. He fell into a funk at the start of his junior year, costing him a key role on special teams. On each occasion, however, the... → Read More
Football: Young receivers stand out with big-play ability, consistency
Football Kyric McGowan flies past defenses by translating his film study to gameday schemes. JJ Jefferson sneaks past opposing players, getting just the necessary separation. Northwestern’s young receivers make their marks in different ways, but they have two things in common. First, they have come alive of late, providing the Wildcats with more options on... → Read More
Football: Explosive plays key Northwestern’s offense in upset win
Football EAST LANSING, Mich. — It took Northwestern more than 50 minutes of game time to run a play in the red zone. It wasn’t for offensive failure. Instead, the Wildcats (2-3, 2-1 Big Ten) bypassed the final 20 yards to the end zone entirely, connecting on their first three touchdowns on long passing plays... → Read More
Northwestern football doomed by collapse in 20-17 loss to Michigan
Football The equation, once again, had all the components. Northwestern raced out to an early lead, even scoring a touchdown on its opening drive. The offense, after a while, came to a complete, maddening stop. The defense could hold on only so long, until the Ryan Field visitors pulled ahead for good and walked away... → Read More
Football: As Jeremy Larkin leaves the field, running backs scramble to fill void Inside the retirement and replacements of Northwestern running back Jeremy Larkin
Football Were Jeremy Larkin more soft with his speech, more reticent to chat, more close to the vest about how he was feeling, he might still be the forerunner of Northwestern’s ground game, a powerful offensive weapon as the Wildcats face a daunting home test against No. 14 Michigan. More significantly, he might continue to... → Read More
Football: Jeremy Larkin retires from football due to cervical stenosis Jeremy Larkin retires from Northwestern due to cervical stenosis
Football Sophomore running back Jeremy Larkin, Northwestern’s leading rusher and a bright spot in this season’s sluggish start, was forced to retire Friday after being diagnosed with cervical stenosis. The decision was announced Monday, roughly two weeks after Larkin first went to trainers to discuss occasional numbness. After being diagnosed with the neck condition, which... → Read More