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Towel thief: Northwestern DB admits to hilarious weekly tradition
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Northwestern senior safety JR Pace made waves when ABC cameras appeared to capture him swiping Wisconsin Badgers redshirt freshman tight end Hayden Rucci’s towel following an interception during the Wildcats’ 17-7 victory in Evanston on November 21.
Speaking to the media on Monday, however, he shared this was not a one-time incident.
In one of the funniest / strangest player traditions:
NU safety JR Pace got caught on camera taking a towel out of a Wisconsin player's waist. But he says he's actually stolen a towel in every game because it flusters the opponent. Winds up giving the towel away after the game
— Shannon Ryan (@SRyanAthletic) December 7, 2020
A product of Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia, Pace has appeared in 38 games over the last four seasons, recording 156 tackles (six for loss), eight interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Surrendering just 322.5 yards per game, Northwestern’s (5-1) defense ranks 14th among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and second in the Big Ten Conference, behind only Wisconsin.
Having already clinched the Big Ten West Division championship, the Wildcats, who were placed at No. 15 in the December 1 College Football Playoff Rankings, are scheduled to round out their regular season against the Illinois Fighting Illini (2-4) at Ryan Field on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.