For the second time in three weeks, Northwestern allowed a three-score first half lead disappear – this time in less dramatic, but utterly submissive fashion. I suppose that it is only appropriate that Joe Paterno’s historic win came in a game where adjustments were made, momentum was shifted, and his team prevailed on the crest of an emotional wave created by the fans and the players that adore him – the hallmarks of college football and his career. Hats off; as much as it kills me to say it.
There is not much else to say about the game. After building a dominating 21-point lead, PSU scored on five consecutive possessions; and NU ran 11 offensive plays in the interim – totaling only 26 yards in that stretch. So this post is only going to touch on a few things about the game itself, and then review some more “big picture” issues.
Although it was all for naught, it is worth reviewing the first 29 minutes for what it really was – the most dominating 29 minutes of Big Ten football that NU has played all season. The offense was clicking and had Penn State back on its heels. PSU actually appeared to be shocked that NU was running the ball so often – and so well. The defense was smothering, and even in McGloin’s first few drives, forced bad passes on top of short runs, leading to a number of third-and-longs.
This really gave a true depiction of what these players are, in fact, capable of – given the correct circumstances. And also, while we are still living in the present, should provide large amounts of confidence for 2011. Northwestern did not have a single offensive player touch the ball who will not be back next year. Keegan Grant, Sidney Stewart, and Josh Rooks were the only NU seniors to line up on the offensive side of the ball. Amazingly, NU will only be recognizing 12 seniors on Senior Day on Saturday. That is a very exciting proposition.
But the youth may have also been the downfall on Saturday. As EVR reader Phil, said in an email:
I also think I've underestimated all year how young we are. Out of the regular contributors, we have as many freshmen as seniors. Think about that. That makes a huge difference, especially given that we've always needed those extra years to mold and develop talent, as opposed to the Florida plug-n-play talent or the JUCO all-stars system (e.g., Illinois' 26-year old convicted felon JUCO transfer). Anyway, you can just see the youth in the penalties and the momentum swings. Look at how fired up the defense and special teams were in the first half. They were killing people and getting pumped up after every play. Then they disappeared….
Unlike the hardened veterans of the NFL, mojo/momentum really matters [in college]. A lot. As soon as PSU got rolling, all the NU players started thinking, "Not this again" and immediately played like scared little girls.
Please do not misunderstand this viewpoint – the youth on the team is not an excuse. But it is an explanation. Hopefully, the trials and tribulations of this season will be valuable lessons for this team as they continue to gain experience for 2011 and beyond.
It is also important to remember that so much of college football is based on motivation and emotion – and more importantly controlling and focusing that emotion. And that falls on the coach. Fitz has done an amazing job over the last few years with road victories, where NU is among the leaders in the nation. But we also have to be mindful that Fitz is a young coach as well. And he is constantly faced with new situations where he must manage the emotions of his players. Not many coaches will ever be faced with a 21 point lead, on the road in front of 109,000 fans, against Joe Paterno, who is coaching for his 400th win – let alone a coach who has been a head coach for only 57 games.
We all expect Fitz to have a long career. But when he looks back on his career, this game will rank along with the New Hampshire loss, the Michigan State comeback, the Duke and Indiana losses, and the Missouri and Auburn Bowl games as teaching moments for himself. He never truly had the opportunity to be mentored along; but has done a damn good job of it, notwithstanding.
Finally, and especially in light of my NU-Illinois post last week, I want to touch on the disastrous implications that this Saturday had on NU’s Bowl assignment hopes. Not only did NU’s loss put them even (at 6-3) with Penn State, but Michigan’s overtime track meet raised their record to 6-3 as well. Had both games gone the other way, NU would have been two games up on both teams – meaning they would only need to keep pace in order to be guaranteed by rule to be selected above them. Now, NU will need to win two more games than PSU (who won head to head) and Michigan (who NU does not play) in order to be picked ahead of them. Given the history, fan base, and coaching side-stories of both teams, the chances of this are basically zero.
But this does not mean all is lost. A win against Illinois (and I am not suggesting that this is a given) or two Big Ten teams in the BCS (also not a given, but likely), will assure that NU is not playing in Detroit on December 26. The Detroit game is against the MAC and played on a NFL Sunday. The readers of this blog may be the only people watching. But given that alternative, the Texas and Insight Bowls are prime time(ish) weeknight games with no TV competition; and the Dallas Bowl game is 11:00 EST on New Year’s Day, with a kickoff an hour before the rest of the games begin. None of these are perfect scenarios, but as NU has shown in the past – put an exciting product on the field, and people will watch.
In the end, Saturday’s game was such a tale of two halves, that it is almost impossible to break it down to X’s and O’s. This was a game that swayed with emotion and momentum – and not necessarily on talent or game-planning. It was also, in many ways, a microcosm of NU’s season so far.
There is a lot of football left to be played, as we are at the final quarter poll of the season. This is where NU has stepped on the gas in 2008 and 2009 – and if the first 29 minutes are any indication, all three of the games are winnable. But Fitz is really going to need to manage the focus and execution of his young team if he wants to avoid a deep downward spiral.
Go Cats!
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