Catching up with EVR

It seems like months since the Wildcats last took the field in Madison -- and even longer since EVR posted here.  So there is a lot of catching up to do before we prepare for the Ticketcity Bowl on Saturday.  Hopefully, this will wet your appetite and get you back in Wildcat football mode.

I realized that I never did a breakdown of the Wisconsin game.  While trying to do an adequate review of a 70-23 beat down is rather pointless, there are a few take-aways from this game to discuss.

• Lost in the blur of seven turnovers was the fact that the NU offense was able to move the ball fairly well against the Badgers.  NU did not punt in the first half and there is something to say about being able to squeeze out 23 points under the circumstances.  Yes, this is really straining for a silver lining; but the offense was not nearly as bad as the final score would suggest.
• Venric Mark is the most electrifying player that Cat fans have seen in Purple since D'Wayne Bates.  It has taken his a little while to get used to the speed of the college game, but with each week, he got closer and closer to breaking a big one.  He almost did it against Illinois and obviously did in Madison.  This is going to be a fun guy to watch for the next three years.
• Stephan Demos really did a nice job of turning around his senior season.  After the Outback Bowl disaster and a nightmarish start to 2010, Cat fans were left wondering after the Purdue game whether it was time to move on.  Demos really tightened up his game during the last six games of the season and should be able leave NU with his head held high.

The Cats have seen a few personnel changes since November -- both on the current team and in the recruiting class.  First, and most significant is the departure of Arby Fields.  Arby was certainly given his chances to be the man, both last year and here in 2010.  But in the end, his fumbling issues as well as his tendency to bounce his runs outside unnecessarily lead to his place on the bench.  Certainly the sophomore saw two freshmen (Trumpy and Smith) ahead of him on the depth chart and the decision was easy.  We wish Arby good luck with whatever he chooses to do with his future.

The Wildcat recruiting class was at 13 players at the end of November; and that is where it stands today.  But not without some player movement.  First, the Cats lost the commitment of linebacker Derek Watt.  Watt is the brother of Wisconsin's all-conference D-Lineman J.J. Watt.  Derek had always been deciding between the Cats and the Badgers and in the end, chose to join his brother in red.  Decommitments to join a brother are not uncommon, and this move should not be seen as a comment on the team's recruiting efforts.

Sean Cotton, a safety from Melrose Park, IL, was forced to decommit because of his ACT scores.  NU remains open to renewing his scholarship offer if Cotton is able to improve his scores -- and he currently only has an offer from Western Michigan.  Cotton received the highest 3-star rating (5.7) that Rival.com offers.  So Sean would be a great addition to the defense.  Good luck Sean.

In the wake of the coaching changes at Indiana, NU was the recent recipient of two of the Hoosiers' decommitments.  First the Cats picked up safety Nick VanHoose to fill the void left by Cotton.  VanHoose is a 2-star DB (Rivals.com; 3-star on Scout.com) and is not ranked as high as Cotton.  But he will be a necessary part of the Wildcat recruiting class that currently has only four defensive players, including...

CJ Robbins, who left the Hoosiers camp in order to play Defensive End for the Cats.  Robbins is a 3-star (Rivals) end with a 5.5 rating, and is larger than Max Chapman, the other DE in the class.  No word on whether VanHoose and Robbins left IU because they would rather be Legends than Leaders.

There are reports that sophomore Roderick Goodlow will be converted from an OLB to a DE.  At 6'2" 215, he will be a speed rusher from the outside and could fill the role that the Cats had been developing with Quentin Davie in the second half of the season.

From an injury standpoint, Dan Persa's recovery is reportedly going very well.  Meanwhile, Mike Trumpy is still hoping to be able to play on Saturday, but his status remains questionable, according to the Wheaton Patch.

A great deal has been made about freshman QB Kain Colter and his brief appearances against Illinois and Wisconsin.  Teddy Greenstien writes a nice piece about Kain and his developing role in the NU offense.  It remains to be seen what his role will be in Dallas on Saturday.  But his play against Tech will tell us a lot about the expectations for the future will be -- both as the backup in 2011 and more importantly, as the future starter in 2012.  As a comparison, Skip Myslenski recently detailed the http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121410aaj.html.  Keep an eye on how this plays out.

The Big Ten Conference recently made a highly-publicized announcement regarding the league's division names, new logo, and annual awards.

• When the Conference elected not to divide the divisions geographically, it was left with a no-win situation when naming them.  At least it is not as bad as the "Atlantic" and "Coastal" Divisions in the ACC.  From a practical standpoint, Big Ten fans will likely refer to them casually as "our Division" and "the Other Division"; and nationally, they will be called "the one with Ohio State" and "the one with Michigan."  Leave the real names for press releases and stat sheets.
• The new logo is pretty weak.  No good explanation has been made for including a "1" but not a "2".  And I understand the use of a color that has not been claimed by a Conference member -- but did it have to go with North Carolina Blue?
• I actually like the awards and the names really fit with the Legends/Leaders monikers.  Using Amos Alonzo Stagg is a nice nod to history; as well as the spared use of Nebraska and Penn State players.  Naming the best Linebacker award after Fitz is quite an honor given the LBs that have been through this League.

Insight Bowl Preview: Iowa vs. Missouri.  Iowa may have been one of the most disappointing teams in the country this year.  After getting back to #9 in the country after its big win against Michigan State, Iowa lost its last three games, including a brutal loss to Minnesota.  The Hawkeyes vaunted defense proved to be a fraud as they continued to fold in the final minutes of games.  All five of the Hawkeyes losses came on last minute drives.

Missouri had a similar path, but avoided the end-of-season slide.  After a monumental win over then #1 Oklahoma, Mizzou lost consecutive games to Nebraska and Texas Tech.  But it recovered to win its last three games on finish 10-2.  On paper, Iowa has the better players, and the Tigers have had the better season.  On the field, this game should be pretty even.  But the Hawkeyes simply have too much going on right now, with their off the field problems.  My pick is 27-24 Mizzou.