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

[Jonathan Hodges]

Attendance was listed at 20,466, the lowest attended Big Ten game at Ryan
Field in a long time (most likely into the 70's although I don't have
statistics going back nearly that far) - prior to that last year's Illinois
contest (just over 22,000) was the next lowest.

For reference, NU averaged 24,589 for its 7 home games in 2007, about 2,500
below the previous recent season average low (in 2002), which currently
ranks NU 85th nationally in average attendance on the year.  In fact, the
total attendance is lower than that in 2001, which had 2 fewer home games.
Also, on average, NU has only filled 52.17% of the seats this year.

Sure, winning goes a long way towards filling seats and we've talked the
attendance issue to death, but the final 2007 numbers are definitely
discouraging and show that something needs to be done.

Jonathan

On Nov 12, 2007 12:35 PM, <johnadeg at comcast.net> wrote:

> 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!!!
> >
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-- 
Jonathan W. Hodges
1237 Emerson St Apt 2
Evanston, IL  60201-3577
(847) 736-2449
jonathanwhodges at gmail.com