[NU Sports] WILDCAT WRAP - NU 28, Iowa 27!

[Michael Vance]

At 11/6/2005 05:23 AM, SjT \(Stephen J. Truog\) wrote:
>Both philosophies were put to the test Saturday as for
>the first 57 and a half minutes of the game, the
>Wildcats seemed to be playing a repeat of the Michigan
>game. The offense was lifeless

I have a minor disagreement with this assessment.  The touchdown drive that 
opened the second half was very well-executed and many of us in the stands 
thought at that point that we would see the second-half 'Cats of the 
Wisconsin and MSU games.  And we did have the one first-half TD as well.  I 
would say that they were inconsistent, but not lifeless.

>Entering Ryan Field on Saturday was a world apart from
>entering the stadium last week for the Michigan game.
>The excitement in the air for homecoming was gone and
>it was if the air had been let out of the place.

Weather, 11am kickoff, season fatigue (it was the sixth home game and 
people get tired), the letdown after last week, and the very real and 
warranted fear of a Ferentz-coached team with two weeks to prepare.  It was 
my fifth game in a row and, combined with the first two factors, even I was 
not as "up" as usual.

>The Wildcats did score in the second quarter on a nice
>third and long pass from Basanez to Shawn Herbert

>Tyrell Sutton mustered a little offense in the third
>and it was 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter when
>things got wild.

I like the "passing of the torch", with Herbert having the first TD and 
Philmore having a big day despite not seeing the end zone, but the young 
guys, Sutton and Lane, getting the rest of the scoring.  The only things 
missing were an early Philmore TD and some catches from Peterman.  He was 
not a factor yesterday for the first time in a while.

>And when
>Basanez threw his second interception with just over 5
>minutes left in the game

Someone who saw this on TV or has it on TiVO/tape: Where the heck was Baz 
throwing this one?  From the stands it looked like he underthrew the 
nearest receiver, the guy heading into the end zone, by at least ten 
yards.  It didn't look like a blown route to me, and I don't remember Baz 
taking a hit to cause the low pass.  I'd like to think that he didn't make 
that horrible a decision (although his first INT was pretty bad, 
too.)  What's the scoop?

>Final
>score, 28-27, CATS WIN!

This win was huge.  I've said before and I'll say it again: I did *NOT* 
want to go into Champaign needing a win to be bowl eligible.  (And yes, I 
would have assumed that if we couldn't beat Michigan or Iowa at home that 
we wouldn't have much of a chance against OSU in the 'Shoe.)  And even if 
we did win, a three-game skid before beating one of the more pathetic teams 
in Div I-A wouldn't exactly make a good impression on the bowl reps.

>Any season that has wins over Iowa and Wisconsin (our
>two REAL rivals)

I agree with you on Wisconsin, but I've had a hard time mustering up much 
hatred for Iowa since Hayden left.  You can't help but admire how Ferentz 
has brought the program back

There was one thing yesterday that stoked my fires against him.  My wife 
had told me by cell phone during the game about Baz' accusations of cheap 
shots by the Iowa D and the penalties and injury report support that 
contention.  Iowa got called for three personal foul penalties: roughing 
the passer, roughing the kicker, and the late hit on the final drive.  Plus 
Frederic Tarver left the game early because of a finger in the eye that 
left him with blurred vision.  You can only take a finger to the eye if a 
guy has his hands on or in your facemask.  I realize there is a lot of 
incidental contact of this variety in football, but there seemed to be a 
pattern in yesterday's game.

>And the legacy these seniors leave? The Cats are now
>eligible for the sixth bowl appearance in school
>history ­ the third in Randy Walker’s tenure as coach.
>And for the third straight season, Northwestern will
>have at least six wins and no worse than a .500 record
>in the Big Ten conference. Those are BIG steps on
>which to build a program.

And they are hopefully enough to quiet the anti-Walker crowd for at least 
another year.  Even though RW's numbers would have gotten him fired by now 
at most big-time programs, the realistic assessment is that NU isn't a 
big-time program by those standards yet.  I expect general improvement 
year-over-year, with no major steps backward, but I don't think that we're 
to the point as a program where we can demand 8+ wins every season.  We're 
one more season away -- four consecutive seasons -- from where a winning 
non-conference record, being high in the second-tier of the conference, and 
the bowl eligibility that comes with those should be considered the norm, 
not the exception.

>* Special teams ­ Even before the rain came, the
>punting was brutal and kickoffs weren’t much better.
>Our kickoff returns never got past the 20 and we lost
>the battle of field position all day.

You almost have to give a game ball to Iowa's kickoff unit.  Despite 
booting only one touchback, they never let us get beyond the 21 on kick 
returns.  I was amazed by their speed getting downfield and disrupting our 
blocking.

Also on the way home to Indy, I was listening to some ESPN radio pre-game 
coverage of Miami at VaTech, and they were talking about VaTech's special 
teams.  The things they were saying about Beamer's approach to special 
teams reminded me a lot of Barnett's days at NU, the last time that our 
special teams were very special.  Beamer and Barnett both coach (I assume 
GB is still doing this at CU) special teams themselves instead of having an 
assistant do it, and they create a culture where playing on special teams 
is a privilege that is earned by practicing and playing hard.  Considering 
how much of an effect special teams can have on momentum, I've always 
wondered why more coaches don't take that approach.

>* Get Sutton started ­ Yes, I know defenses are
>stacking the box and keying on #19, but we have to
>find ways to get him touches and get him going in the
>game early and stick with the run even if we get
>behind.

One of the hallmarks of NUs past stud running backs is that they have 
gotten better as the game has gone on and they wore the opposing defense 
out.  It may be that Sutton doesn't have the strength to do that yet, being 
only a freshman, or it may be that the scheme this year coupled with the 
game situations we've been in have forced us to get away from the run 
more.  I'll be interested to see how much weight TS puts on in the off-season.

-Michael