Martin Stadium, the temporary lakeside home of the Wildcats, buzzed with anticipation for the home opener. On a cool night in Evanston, Northwestern’s offense felt antsy to return to the gridiron after mustering only three points a week earlier at Tulane. After getting crushed by Illinois last week, Western Illinois came in hoping to avoid a second blowout loss to an instate Big Ten team.
The Friday night crowd shuffled in slowly, but filled up the bleachers on Lake Michigan’s shoreline. It wouldn’t be long before they had something to cheer about. Led by QB Preston Stone, two touchdowns on the first two possessions restored confidence in the offense. The opposing Leathernecks couldn’t keep up as they watched Northwestern build an insurmountable lead eventually disposing of WIU with a 42-7 final.
These lakeside victories are to be savored. While makeshift in nature and far too low in capacity, the uniqueness of this venue has brought it much nationwide interest. Next season, the Wildcats move into their state-of-the-art Ryan Field, which will attract even more eyes and cameras. But, this celebration of Northwestern football on the lake will be a blip in history that radiates with memories.
as seen from Martin Stadium
