[NU Sports] actually, alan

[Tom Maycock]

Enjoyed the comments from everyone--and I have to agree it was a great
day of college football yesterday.

Some random thoughts:

* Baz has matured wonderfully, and is really playing at a very, very
high level right now. He's always had tools, but now has more accuracy,
great zip and the ball, and is truly seeing the whole field. 

Kudos to the O-line for giving him the time to do that. I think we all
feared a weakness there, and they have turned out to be a strength. Are
they ready for an Ohio State caliber defense? Maybe--we'll see.

* The defense--well, they're still pretty bad. But I have to say, they
are busting their butts on every single play. And they do seem to be
getting better, albeit slowly. To some extent, that's all we can ask,
although I'm getting sore from slapping myself in the forehead after
every converted 3rd down. :-)

>  It was great to see the Wildcats throwing on first down. As
> explosive as the NU offense is, the run-first, pass-second thing had
> become predictable.

I think this was mostly a matter of a perceived weakness in the Purdue
D--they definitely looked stronger against the run and very vulnerable
to the pass.

The exciting thing about that, is that we have so many weapons and ways
of using them that we can attack whatever the perceived weakness may
be. You have to love a team that can rely heavily on the run, heavily
on the pass, or run a balance of the two depending on the situation.

Huge tip o' the hat to Dunbar--I've loved watching the play calls all
year. Power running, 'inside' option, 'outside' option, screen passes,
deep balls, and on and on. 

Also, some GREAT calls in cases in crucial 3rd down situations--they've
regularly called pass plays that pop a receiver open just far enough
downfield to get the first down (kind of the anti-John Shoop approach).

No illusions here--this team could easily have just 1 win, or just 1
loss, so we're fortunate to be where we are. But it's been a hell of a
lot of fun to watch!

Tom