[NU Sports] WILDCAT WRAP: Northwestern 31, Indiana 28

[johnadeg at comcast.net]

I don't know if Indiana had more fans at the game than NU did, but the stadium looked like it was half empty.  That sure doesn't help in trying to get a bowl bid.

John DeGroat
 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "SjT (Stephen J. Truog)" <sjtruog at yahoo.com>
> WILDCAT WRAP – NORTHWESTERN 31, INDIANA 28
> 
> There are a lot of ways you could look at
> Northwestern’s 31-28 season home finale win over
> Indiana. It could be a team finally getting over that
> hump and learning to win games they need to finish
> when they have leads in the fourth quarter. It could
> be the Cats almost blowing another game they should
> have easily won with turnovers and mistakes. It could
> be a case of some gutsy performances from seniors and
> team leaders for the home finale. Or it could be just
> another exciting finish to a Northwestern football
> game in Ryan Field by the comeback Cats.
> 
> But it might just be that Saturday’s game will go down
> as the Replay Bowl. Several key plays – including two
> touchdowns (and what probably should have been a
> third) – were held up while officials upstairs took an
> extra look to get the call right. And when a fumble
> appeared to end Indiana’s final drive and give NU the
> victory, the Evanston crowd had to hold their breath
> while replay officials went to work before they could
> confirm the call on the field and celebrate the Senior
> Day victory.
> 
> Northwestern came into the game after a heartbreaking
> home loss to Iowa last week in a game where NU
> dominated the first quarter and played well most of
> the game, but for the second straight week, a 17-14 NU
> lead at the end of three evaporated into a Wildcat
> loss. In fact, of the five Wildcat defeats this year,
> they were leading Michigan, Purdue and Iowa in the
> fourth and had four chances to win at the end against
> Duke. Only the Ohio State debacle was out of reach. So
> while no one doubted the Cats ability to comeback,
> their ability to finish out games they’re leading was
> definitely called into question.
> 
> The weather was a brisk Midwestern autumn day, perfect
> for the pigskin, and the Hoosiers brought quite a bit
> more fans than they usually do to Evanston. No doubt
> they were anticipating this game being win No. 7 that
> would make a long-awaited bowl bid all but certain.
> The IU Marching Hundred band was also in attendance,
> making for a spirited afternoon. Though I must say,
> between their little march song for IU first downs
> (complete with odd hand gestures) and that blasted
> whistle for Purdue, you’re gonna need to bring some
> earplugs to the old bucket game next week to leave
> with a sense of sanity. C’mon Marching Hundred, you
> have the INDIANA Jones march to play, why are you
> milking cows?
> 
> The first quarter against started much like last
> week’s first quarter except with different results.
> Once again, Northwestern dominated the opening 15
> minutes, controlling the clock, moving it up and down
> the field and dominating the total yardage on offense.
> But the Cats had to settle for a field goal on their
> opening march and the Hoosiers didn’t even need to put
> their offense on the field as the ensuing kick was
> returned 91 yards for a touchdown.
> 
> Coming into the game, most purple-clad fans knew that
> Northwestern needed to finish the drive with “6 not 3”
> and I was even willing to print up shirts saying “I
> HATE FIELD GOALS” given how kicks have been an, um,
> adventure this year. But the first 16 minutes of the
> game just made the point all the greater. Northwestern
> had the ball for 31 of the game’s first 35 plays. The
> defense even forced a 3-and-out after an interception
> where C.J. Bacher woefully underthrew a deep pass. But
> with IU’s kick return and NU’s drives stalling for a
> field goal and a missed field goal, the Cats were down
> 3-7 at the start of the second quarter despite
> dominating every phase of the game outside of special
> teams.
> 
> Things looked even worse when the Hoosiers finally
> woke up and drove down for a touchdown on their second
> possession. And despite a great burst up the middle by
> Tyrell Sutton, showing flashes of the No. 19 NU fans
> know and love, moved the ball deep into IU territory,
> the Cats promptly squandered yet another scoring
> chance when a touchdown pass by Bacher bounced out of
> Ross Lane’s hands and into an IU defender in the end
> zone.
> 
> The Wildcats had had four offensive series, all
> marching to midfield or beyond, and had only three
> points. Two ended in field goal tries, while two ended
> in interceptions. NU fans were wondering what they had
> to do to score when something almost unheard of in
> recent Wildcat history happened.
> 
> Indiana was driving off the turnover when quarterback
> Kellen Lewis was knocked out for a play. When backup
> Ben Chappell came in and made one throw, the NU
> defense made the interception and senior Eddie Simpson
> ran it back 40 yards for the touchdown. The teams
> exchanged punts until halftime and the Cats headed to
> the locker room down only 10-14, thanks to their
> defense.
> 
> At halftime, the NU Marching Band put on a great show
> – once again bringing out “Rhapsody in Blue” for
> “American Airlines Day” at Ryan Field in a wonderfully
> sly slam on corporate sponsorship. Sadly, though, the
> usual “olde plus four” and senior recognition was
> rushed by time and the teams coming back on the field
> a bit early. In fact, the alma mater was performed at
> a brisk pace – quicker than the fight song is most
> days – to rush off the field in time. After all their
> hard work to make Saturdays special, the seniors in
> NUMB deserve a better send-off!
> 
> Another quick editorial comment: The Wildcat defense
> played much better this game than in the past – more
> aggressive and more pressuring. Our front four were
> able to get consistent pressure on IU all day, and
> even if their line isn’t as good as I thought, they
> still have one of the more mobile quarterbacks in
> Hardy who can scramble out of most jams. I am NOT
> trying to say Colby deserves to stay as defensive
> coordinator, though. For some reason, he refused to
> give Sherrick McManus any help all day on James Hardy.
> I love McManis’ enthusiasm and aggression, but Hardy
> is indeed every bit as good as advertised and had a
> huge height advantage all day. By putting McManus
> one-on-one and having no inside help when McManis had
> to play the fade down by the end zone, Hardy easily
> cut one in for a wide open score and could have done
> so all day if the Hoosiers had gone to him more.
> Overall, he only had a quiet 100 yards or so – not
> nearly as bad as it could have been with our defensive
> game plan to not double cover the best receiver in the
> league. But we did come with more blitz schemes and
> got good pressure when only rushing the front line.
> 
> But the game started to really get crazy in the second
> half. The officials really hadn’t played much of a
> role in the game – not calling a lot both ways and
> staying out of it for the most part. But that usually
> commendable approach could not be tolerated any more
> on the first series of the second half when a
> scrambling Lewis – running toward the sideline with
> THE MARKER ON IT – took a couple steps over the line
> before hurling a 70-yard touchdown strike to break the
> game open again at 20-10 Indiana.
> 
> To be honest, I didn’t even see who caught it
> downfield or even know it was a TD until a bit later.
> I was too stunned that with an official AND A MARKER
> right by the play, no one had thrown a flag for
> crossing the line. From midfield and sixty rows up, I
> could clearly see two steps past the line of scrimmage
> and pointed in stunned outrage, yelling for replay in
> disbelief that no flag had been thrown. Were these
> officials napping through the game? How could my so-so
> eyesight spot this so obviously while they missed it,
> I incredulously thought.
> 
> Ten years ago, it would have just been an outrage post
> for the message boards afterwards, but thank goodness
> we have instant replay and they buzzed down in the
> nick of time. It was a huge turning point in the game
> as the play came on third down and when the folks
> upstairs finally got it right, it became a 14-point
> swing because the Cats drove down after the ensuing
> punt to take a 17-14 lead on Sutton’s 1-yard plunge.
> 
> After the Wildcat defense again forced a punt (a
> make-up replay reversal had given the Hoosiers one
> first down but they couldn’t get another), the
> situation was all too familiar for NU fans. The Cats
> had the ball, up 17-14 in the second half. Against
> Purdue and Iowa, they had been in this situation many
> times and failed to get that “next score” that would
> put some distance between themselves and their
> opponent. But senior Kim Thompson stepped up this time
> to make sure his home finale would not be the third
> game in a row of blown opportunities. Thompson caught
> two key third down conversions to spur a drive that
> ended in a touchdown when senior Brandon Roberson
> turned a halfback option into a touchdown pass to a
> wide open Thompson in the end zone.
> 
> The play was a great call and Thompson snuck behind
> the defense and could have set up camp in the end zone
> for a couple weeks before being detected. However,
> IU’s defense forced a delay in the pass and tipped it
> enough that it took a fantastic catch by Thompson on
> the side of the end zone to get the score. Of course
> the play was reviewed, but this time the refs had made
> the right call on the lead and the Cats were up 28-17.
> Finally, some breathing distance for Wildcat fans –
> were they learning to finish?
> 
> The other great thing about this drive – and all of
> NU’s possessions in the second half this week – was
> that they did not forget about the running game. In
> the Iowa and Purdue losses, Sutton rarely touched the
> ball. On Saturday, he was fed early and often on NU’s
> drives. He didn’t break any long, but it kept the Cats
> in manageable third downs and kept the defense honest
> against the run and pass.
> 
> With just over a quarter left, however, NU fans knew
> this one was not over. Indiana finally seemed to
> realize that they had the Big Ten’s best receiver in
> single coverage and used a couple big passes to Hardy
> to set up a touchdown to cut the lead back to three.
> The touchdown itself probably should have been added
> to the replay list for the day. I was surprised no one
> challenged it. They didn’t show a replay on the
> jumbotron, but it sure looked like it may have been
> slipping out as he dove for the end zone and barely
> crossed the line.
> 
> In any case, the score stood and instead of being up
> 17-14, NU was now up 24-21 entering the final fifteen
> minutes. Bacher quickly drove the Cats downfield –
> aided by another big Thompson catch – and the Cats
> were facing 3rd and Goal at the Hoosier 3 yard line
> with just over 10 minutes left.
> 
> As soon as they ran the play and before the ball was
> thrown, I yelled out the words I now wanted to print
> on a new T-shirt: “I HATE THE FADE.” You can run a
> fade when you have a huge height edge like Hardy had.
> You can run the fade when you have a great leaper. You
> can run it when you have a perfect throw or the far
> side of the field. Northwestern had none of those
> things. All I thought would happen was an incomplete
> and we’d have to go for it on 4th down (“NO MORE FIELD
> GOALS!” was another T-shirt idea) … but it was worse.
> Indiana intercepted it and with 10:19 remaining in the
> game, Northwestern’s third interception gave Indiana a
> golden chance to take the lead and get that big bowl
> win.
> 
> The Cats brought pressure and sacked Hardy once, but
> the next time he escaped with a big scramble and
> fueled a drive that ended with an easy Hardy
> touchdown. With no inside help and McManis having to
> play the fade, Hardy cut it in for a wide open score
> to put Indiana ahead 28-24 with six minutes remaining.
> 
> Now was when the Cats had folded in the past two
> weeks, but not this time. Everything finally came
> together for play calling, Bacher and the entire
> offense as the Cats gave the home fans and seniors
> another thrilling finish. It’s telling that the Cats
> had four sets of downs on the final drive and on each
> of the four first downs and four second downs, NU
> dialed up a rushing play. Big difference from the past
> couple weeks!
> 
> Not only did the running game keep the defense honest
> and mix up the offense, it took a lot of time off the
> clock and surprisingly, the Hoosiers didn’t empty
> their supply of timeouts to keep more left on the
> clock for a comeback drive. The balance finally paid
> off. On 3rd and 2 from the IU 3, everyone in the house
> was expecting a run. There was almost an audible gasp
> from the crowd when Bacher kept the ball and dropped
> back. Thankfully for the purple-clad fans, he zipped a
> perfect strike to Lane for the touchdown and with 44
> seconds left, NU topped their “magical mark” of 30
> points that seems to determine wins and losses for the
> season to take the lead at 31-28.
> 
> A poor kickoff out of bounds gave the Hoosiers one
> last chance and after a couple first downs moved
> Indiana within range of a couple Hail Mary’s (and that
> was a scary thought for NU with Hardy on the field).
> But the Wildcat pressure continued to be fierce and
> David Ngene came up with perhaps the play of the year
> to knock the ball free on a sack to seal the victory.
> Of course, the play would be reviewed. But after what
> seemed like an endless wait for the fans in Ryan
> Field, the call stood and Northwestern had won its
> sixth game of the season and ended the home slate on
> an high note with a thrilling 31-28 victory.
> 
> The Big Ten has 10 bowl eligible teams heading into
> the final week of play, so six wins likely won’t be
> enough for an extra game this year. This means the
> Cats have to come up with their best game of the year
> to win at rival Illinois – coming off their biggest
> win in years – next week to secure a postseason trip,
> and even then it might not be a sure thing if other
> upsets happen.
> 
> But all that analysis – and the continued beating of
> the heads against the wall for letting Duke and Iowa
> slip away at home – can wait. For now it was a
> wonderful scene for fans to see the Wildcat team head
> over to the students and band to victoriously sing “Go
> U Northwestern” one more time with the sound
> reverberating throughout Ryan Field this year. Always
> nice to go out on a win.
> 
> GAME BALLS
> * Our Seniors. Outside of the O-line and secondary,
> the losses to graduation shouldn’t hurt NU too much
> next year. However, as they were being introduced, I
> reflected on how much this group of seniors have had
> to endure and how much they have meant to this
> program. Two years ago on Senior Day, they were
> celebrating with the rest as the Cats came back to
> beat Iowa en route to a Sun Bowl berth and a bright
> future. But with the tragedy of Coach Walker’s death,
> they had to grow up and become team leaders in a hurry
> as juniors. There were some rough times, but two years
> later they were able to walk off Ryan Field with a
> comeback win  and bowl eligibility for their team.
> It’s important that this group of seniors would not
> let NU’s program slip back to the dark ages, much as
> they would not let NU lose this game. To single a
> couple out …
> * Kim Thompson. Big catches. Clutch catches.
> Especially on third down on the winning drive. We’ll
> have a great group of receivers back next year, but
> we’ll still have big shoes to fill with Thompson’s
> leadership and composure in crunch time.
> * Eddie Simpson. The whole defense was aggressive
> today – nice to see – but this senior’s interception
> and return were a turning point in this game.
> 
> THINGS TO WORK ON
> * Turnovers. One pick wasn’t C.J.’s fault, but the
> other two were. They could have cost us dearly in the
> first half as we squandered many opportunities to blow
> this one open early.
> * No more field goals. Period. From now on, if we get
> it near midfield, it’s four down territory.
> * No more fades. Ever. Until we get a  6-6 wideout.
> Overall the coaches did well today, but you still
> cringed on that fade call or IU’s touchdown where NU
> gave no help on Hardy. Good aggression on D and
> excellent job remembering to run in the fourth on
> offense – but still a long way to go.
> 
> AROUND THE LEAGUE
> * ILLINOIS deserves to be a top 20 team. This was not
> OHIO STATE losing as much as it was ILLINOIS winning.
> Amazing composure in keeping the ball out of OSU’s
> hands in the fourth quarter. Sad for the Big Ten to
> see an extra BCS berth chance fade, but great to show
> folks that like the SEC, we have great depth and
> balance and are not as depleted as people think. Now
> hopefully the Cats can catch the Zookers celebrating
> next week and get a much-needed win to keep Sweet
> Sioux.
> * I had no idea of Mike Hart’s playing or not playing,
> or the time left, but when I saw the updates of
> MICHIGAN at WISCONSIN and saw a 23-7 lead become 23-14
> in the fourth quarter, all I could do was shake my
> head and wonder why good ole Lloyd Carr didn’t go for
> two. Sure, there was a lot of time left, but without a
> lot of starters in the 4th quarter on the road, you go
> for two to make it a one possession game! They could
> have tied it instead of making it 23-21 later – but
> still, nice win by the Badgers to defend home turf and
> show why they’re a top 25 team  as well.
> * PENN STATE had a snoozer this week, but will
> definitely need some style points next week in what
> should be a wild race for the Florida New Year’s bowls
> between the Illini, Badgers, Nits and OSU/UM loser.
> With only one BCS berth, the non-January bowls with
> Big Ten ties are going to get some big-name teams.
> * Was MICHIGAN STATE’s win against PURDUE a cathartic
> showing that they were finally not the old Sparty team
> that folds like a lawnchair in November? Or was it
> just Purdue’s overrated self catching up to it? We’ll
> see next week. But you know that the Motor City Bowl
> will be wearing a lot of green next week.
> * Keep the pig! IOWA quietly has turned around its
> season nicely and should win next week to get to 7
> wins and a bowl berth.
> 
> Always good to end with a win. While we’ll be kicking
> ourselves for weeks against the ones that got away
> against Duke, Iowa and even Purdue and Michigan,
> overall this has been a solid season. Coach Fitz has
> started to leave more of his imprint on the team and
> hopefully that continues with a more aggressive
> defense (and a new DC?) next year. And McGee is
> starting to learn how to best use the weapons he has
> on offense and that will continue to be a lot next
> year, especially if Brewer returns healthy. I smell a
> whole gadget play section of the playbook!
> 
> Like I said with the seniors, it’s important to
> realize that they helped hold this team together
> through some tough times in the past two years and
> after a year of transition last year, we’re back to
> where we need to be this year – in the mix for bowl
> contention. Next year we need to build of that success
> and finish those victories off to get to 8, 9 or 10
> wins consistently. With a  few changes on the
> assistant staff, I think we’re heading in that
> direction.
> 
> Also of note is that Fitz is now halfway to Walker’s
> mark of beating all of the Big Ten teams. He now has
> victories over Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and
> MSU. Of course, those last five look to be a bit
> tougher and whether or not he gets them will really
> show whether or not he’s taken the Cats to that next
> level during his coaching career.
> 
> So good finish to the home season – now let’s finish
> it out on the road. The Illini will hopefully be
> looking ahead to a possible Zooker Bowl in Orlando
> against Florida and celebrating their huge win. It
> will be tough to contain Juice Williams and Mendenhall
> without the turnovers the Illini had at the start of
> the year. But it is a rivalry game, so throw those
> records out, strap on the pads and let’s go hit
> someone. We play our in-state rival for a bowl berth
> on the last weekend of the year – can you ask for much
> more?
> 
> GO CATS!!!
> -SjT
> 
> * * * * * * * * *
> STEPHEN J. TRUOG
> sjtruog at yahoo.com
> GO CATS!!!
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
> http://mail.yahoo.com 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nwu-sports site list
> nwu-sports at tssi.com
> http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/nwu-sports