NU at Wrigley: Traveling Wildcats reflect on changing venues

No team in college football history has gone through the kind of venue shuffle Northwestern has endured the past two seasons.

Needing one more victory to become bowl eligible, the Wildcats return to Wrigley Field on Saturday to face No. 18 Michigan.

This is the team’s sixth game at the Friendly Confines since 2010 and NU is still looking for its first victory. The Cats will host Minnesota at Wrigley next Saturday.

At the temporary lakefront stadium, which sits just steps away from the team's practice facility, Northwestern went 6-4 over the past two seasons.

Next year, the Wildcats will move into the new Ryan Field, which is supposed to be a state of the art, nothing else like it in college football type of stadium. The Cats are scheduled to host South Dakota State on Sept. 12, 2026, which could be the opening game, but there's room to put a Big Ten opponent in front of it, so we'll have to wait for the official schedule announcement.

Will this be the end of Northwestern's Wrigley Field residency? Hard to say, but games at Clark and Addison will surely be less frequent once the new stadium opens.

What has it been like to play home games at three different stadiums? We asked three local Wildcats to describe the experience — kicker Jack Olsen from Wheaton Warrenville South, guard Jackson Carsello from Glenbrook North and tight end Hunter Welcing from Lake Zurich.

All three are grad students in their final year of eligibility, so they won't be making the trip to Ryan Field II next season. But they all played at old Ryan Field.

Q: What's the best part of playing in Wrigley Field?

Carsello: “I've gone to the games there since I was a little kid and getting to go play on that field, probably the most historic field in sports, is pretty awesome. We're really, really lucky to get the opportunity to play there.”

Welcing: “I think the coolest part, for starters, when you first get there, you're walking through the clubhouse, (seeing) everything in there. Then taking the field for warm ups, it's a surreal atmosphere being in Wrigley Field, really cool.”

Olsen: “I think it's awesome just being a local guy growing up a Cubs fan, playing in the stadium that I watch every week in the offseason; playing in the stadium that I've always grown up going to games.”

Q: Any downside to playing at a stadium not built for football?

Olsen: “For kickers, at least, everything's the same. You've got uprights; snap, hold, kicks — so everything's there. Going into the bullpen (at halftime) is a little different, but other than that, it's a pretty smooth operation.”

Carsello: “I've liked it every time I've played there. It's a nice grass field, the grounds crew there does a great job. They usually put the offensive line in the temporary lockers, so we haven't gotten the chance (to use on the Cubs players lockers). But it's always really cool to go around and see where (Cubs players) are.”

Q: How about playing in the temporary stadium on the lakefront?

Carsello: “Probably the most picturesque stadium in all the country, which is pretty awesome. Right there on the shore of Lake Michigan, you get the (Chicago) skyline. I loved it.”

Welcing: “I thought it was one of the coolest atmospheres. It's not often you get to play right on the lake. Then the way we filled it with all of our fans. Students were coming to the games, so I thought that was really cool.”

Q: What about dealing with the wind right on the lake?

Olsen: “Practicing out there made it a lot easier. I think it gave us a big home field advantage. The Kellogg building is right here, the wind kind of plays a little different off it. Sometimes you'll feel like the wind's not too bad when you're standing there, then once the ball goes in the air, it'll move a little bit.

“It's going to be nicer kicking at Wrigley with a little bit less wind there, hopefully. Knock on wood.”

Q: When old Ryan Field was knocked down, what were your feelings?

Welcing: “I'll have good memories there. But ultimately, I've seen some of the designs for the new stadium and what they project for that. I think it's going to be really special.”

Olsen: “It was sad to see it go. There's so much great history there. I went to Northwestern games (growing up) and watched the Vitale boys. I'm from Wheaton, and those are some other Wheaton South alums. I liked it. I mean, it's not a huge stadium. I went to a ton of Bears games at Soldier Field, we used to be season ticket holders, and our seats were always way up there. At least at Ryan Field, we always had great seats.”

Carsello: “I loved Ryan Field. Local guy, so I grew up going to the games there. I've been a Cats fan since I was a little kid. So it was truly a dream come true getting to play there. There are bigger stadiums, newer stadiums, but it was a historic stadium. The towers were amazing.

“This new project, the new Ryan Field, is truly amazing. I'm so, so jealous for the guys who will get to play there. It's truly going to be incredible.”