Northwestern has one thing on its mind: Victory

When Sidney Stewart was 7 years old, Northwestern's senior wide receiver needed one more trip around the sun to become eligible for youth-league football.

But his older brother, Charles, got to play for the Southfield (Mich.) Falcons. Stewart spent much of that autumn longing to be him.

“I would sneak into his room and throw on his pads,” Stewart said. “And it was disgusting, but I would put on his helmet and put in his mouthpiece and all that nasty stuff.”

Now Stewart is 22 years old. He's the owner of a Northwestern degree and a plan to make his mark in Chicago's commodities trading world.

Though he's a two-year starter with 97 career catches, Stewart understands Saturday's TicketCity Bowl against Texas Tech could well be the last time he'll put on a helmet and shove in a mouthguard.

That's what ran through Stewart's head Sunday night when NU coach Pat Fitzgerald asked each of the team's 12 seniors to stand up and address the rest of the guys.

What's No. 1 on his and the other seniors' agenda? The same thing that gets discussed every year at this time: Trying to join the 1949 Rose Bowl team as the only NU units to finish with a postseason win.

“Mainly getting that 50-year, 60-year monkey off our back,” Stewart said. “I think it would be something to put a cherry on top of our careers.”

“To me, it will (be as big as a BCS win),” said senior defensive tackle Corbin Bryant. “I don't think the rest of the world will think that, but we will.”

The fifth-year seniors such as Stewart and Bryant and middle linebacker Nate Williams and outside linebacker Quentin Davie are the first NU class to enjoy four .500 or better seasons since Ara Parseghian's run from 1959-63.

But they talk about a bowl win as the chance to leave a legacy in Evanston.

Davie, who welcomed his son, Quentin Jr., into the world on Dec. 16, ranks the home win over Iowa on Nov. 13 as the best moment of his career. For now.

“Just because of the stage it was on,” Davie said. “My senior day. Last game at Ryan Field. Family running on the field after the game.

“My mom was out there, my fiancée (Alexandra Richardson) was out there and ‘Little Q,' he was still in her belly, so that was nice. I got a picture, too, so that lasts forever.

“But our objective on our goals list is not ‘Beat Iowa,' it's to win a bowl game. So this is bigger than any game we've played this season. We'll celebrate all after the game and all night.”

Davie, who has endured repeated shoulder stingers this year, says he hasn't been this healthy since the season opener at Vanderbilt, though he'll continue to wear a protective neck roll.

Williams, who also played through a shoulder injury and other miseries throughout the regular season, has thrown his body around during bowl practices even when it hasn't been necessary.

Long after the whistle at Monday's practice, Williams dove on the ground to recover a fumble nobody else chased. He walked off favoring a part of his body, but shrugged it off afterward.

Throughout the senior class, there's the stated desire to leave it out there on the field one final time.

And, yet, there's also the sense the mission has been accomplished regardless of what occurs on New Year's Day at Cotton Bowl Stadium.

“I've done what I wanted to do,” Stewart said. “I didn't sacrifice any of my morals or anything along that ride.

“By sacrificing morals, I mean everything this program has taught me, my parents would have taught me. Coach Fitz does a great job making sure we're not the guys scrolling across the bottom of the screen on ESPN.

“This was the right place for me.”