Northwestern Holds on Against Vandy; Free Tacos for Everyone!
In typical Northwestern fashion, the Wildcats made it interesting until the final minute in Nashville Saturday night, holding on to be Vanderbilt 23-21. This was a very sloppy game, with a lot of loose balls (although only two turnovers); bad penalties; and penalties that were critical to the game. All in all, it was a win on the road against an SEC opponent and a nice way to kickoff the season.
It was clearly the opening game for the officials as well, who played a major role in the result. In the 2nd quarter, a questionable late hit call against NU kept a Vandy scoring drive alive. Vandy later scored on a running play that somehow survived replay scrutiny. And Vandy fans will point to the helmet-to-helmet hit on Dan Persa with one minute left as the call that kept the ‘Dores from getting one last chance.
But in the end, most would agree that the best team won. NU’s offense was really moving by the fourth quarter. And the defense, with a few exceptions, was on point until it tired in the fourth quarter. If this was NU’s best performance, this team is in trouble, but there are a lot of things to build on and learn from after Saturday night.
On a side note, Nashville area Taco Bell had a promotion that if Vandy scored 14 points or more, everyone in attendance would get a free taco. 14 Points? Seriously. Either Taco Bell was very willing to shell out $20,000.00 in tacos, or it had no confidence in Vandy’s ability to score. Either way, there is a shortage of taco seasoning in Nashville today.
Highlights and Lowlights
Dan Persa: Beyond my wildest expectations. Persa had the option run going from the beginning and ended up with a nice, effective, 82 yards rushing. Early in the game, he lacked confidence to throw, often resorting to the run under pressure. But by the end of the game, he was making confident throws, standing tall in the pocket, and delivering to his arsenal of receivers. 19-21, 222 yards, 3 TDs, no picks. Yeah, I’ll take that any day. And it’s a good thing because…
The rushing game still struggled. Unless it was running the option, Northwestern struggled to run to the outside all day. When Persa kept the ball it usually worked. But his pitches were pretty disastrous. Also, the sweeps and stretch runs were not successful at all. Vandy’s senior defensive ends ran right over NU’s tackles, forcing the backs outside and giving the linebackers and DBs time to collapse on the runners. At the same time, however, the Cats had success running up the middle and off guard. There was still some problems getting blockers to the next level, but they managed to neutralize Marve and keep the short running game effective at times. This will still be something to watch closely moving forward as Fitz remains committed to trying to run the ball. On the other hand…
The Wildcat Pass Protection was solid. Persa was sacked three times, but was otherwise provided him with a nice pocket to wait for the receivers to get open. Even with the sacks, when the Cats call 24 pass plays and complete 19 passes, it’s a good day. This will have to remain a strength because…
The Cats were Inconsistent on Defense. The front seven contained well, but missed a lot of tackles. There was a lot of pressure put on Vandy QB Larry Smith, but often, no one stayed home, therefore allowing him to scramble for a lot of first downs. The blitz packages were pretty solid. It has been a long time since Cat fans have seen such a clear sack like the hit Ben Johnson put on Smith in the fourth quarter. Smith was rattled quite a bit, but still found ways to keep Vandy in the game. Fortunately…
The Defensive Backs Played Very Well. Not great, but well. Most of Smith’s long completions were the result of his creation, which was primarily the result of strong initial pass protection. They DBs need to stay with their mark and not allow them to stay in the play. Overall, however, the secondary confused Smith, and a less-mobile QB would have been much less successful. This unit had a lot of turnover this season, and it looks like it may be a strength. Speaking of strength…
The Special Teams. Special teams had its typical NU hiccups. But there were some nice things as well. With the exception of the opening kickoff, the kick and punt coverage was excellent (albeit some missed tackles). Williams had some booming punts and looks like he will be a weapon for the Cats. The only major downside was the long snapping, which demonstrated why there was a position battle for the job. There was a low snap, which lead to a blocked FG, and a high snap, which lead to a non-attempt. This could very well have cost the Cats the game in the end. But there is some promise here. And who wasn’t electrified by the 8 seconds that Venric Mark had the ball in his hands.
Final Analysis. In the end, this was not all that different of a team than the 2009 version of the Cats. Similar strengths and weaknesses. Similar answers and questions. There are still a lot of things to work on. But there is a lot of promise here. Until next week. Go Cats!
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