August 29, 1997 — Donovan Reifinger runs for three touchdowns and Josh Snyder catches two scoring passes as Northwestern opens its season with a convincing 48-0 rout of visiting Palisades. Reifinger reaches the end zone on carries of one, 14 and 10 yards while Snyder hauls in TD tosses of 67 and 45 yards from quarterback Steve Schaffer. Snyder also rushes eight times for 79 yards. Jon Suter gets Northwestern off to a good start with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The winners, coached by Bob Mitchell, also receive an 11-yard scoring run from Mike Masiko. On defense, Daryal Hall and Mike Galdieri both register interceptions.