 Northwestern's win in the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl and the 2017 Music City bowl marked the first time in program history that Northwestern had won back-to-back bowl games and is the only time that has been accomplished in consecutive seasons.The 2018 season began with uncertainty and challenge.Senior quarterback Clayton Thorson was returning from off-season ACL surgery and it was unclear how much he would play in the 'Cats early season games.