On Saturday, Northwestern and Army will meet on the football field for the fifth time in history. The ‘Cats have dominated the series, winning three out of the four games played so far — but home field advantage seems to be a key factor, as NU’s victories have all come in Evanston while the single loss came in West Point. And Northwestern may be dominating the series in the win column, but they only lead 85 to 75 in total points scored. Here’s a look at the brief history of Northwestern and Army’s gridiron matchups throughout history.
Oct. 6, 1951 (Evanston, Ill.): Northwestern 20, Army 14: After a win against the University of Colorado in Evanston, Northwestern defeated Army at home to add as part of a four-game winning streak to start off the season. Army wasn’t the only armed forces school NU defeated as they beat Navy two games later in Evanston. Led by head coach Bob Voigts in his fifth season at NU, the ‘Cats were not able to continue their winning ways once conference play began, and ended the season 5-4.
Oct. 3, 1953 (Evanston, Ill.): Northwestern 33, Army 20: Coming off of a two-win losing season in 1952, Northwestern won its first two games of the 1953 season. The second victory was in Evanston against Army in Bob Voigts’ seventh season as Northwestern head football coach. Beside victories over Army and two other non-conference opponents, the ‘Cats were unable to find any other wins, finishing the season 3-6.
Sept. 20, 1986 (Evanston, Ill.): Northwestern 25, Army 18: After three decades without an Army-Northwestern football game, the ‘Cats defeated Army for their first win of the 1986 season after a loss to Duke in their first game. That season, Northwestern welcomed in new head coach Francis Peay, after 14 losing seasons in a row. The ‘Cats were not able to snap that streak in Peay’s first season, as they ended the season 4-7.
Sept. 24, 1988 (West Point, NY): Army 23, Northwestern 7: Under Francis Peay’s leadership, the ‘Cats continued their losing ways in West Point when Army defeated Northwestern for the first time in the history of the matchup. Army’s victory over Northwestern was part of an 0-4 start for the ‘Cats, culminating in a 2-6 season. Although Northwestern struggled in 1988, Army actually did quite well: The Black Knights’ win over the ‘Cats started an eight-game winning streak. Army finished the season 9-3.