wrighters.net

Note to Pat Fizgerald - the saying “Never take points off the board” is true. After watching what is arguably the worst team in college football hang on to beat you, I know this is true. NU had over 500 yards of offense last night in its loss to Duke, but only came away with 14 points. NU kicked a field goal at the end of the first half on a 4th and 7, but there was a running into the kicker 5 yard penalty. Instead of leaving the points on the board, he went for it on 4th and 3 and didn’t make it. Then, in the second half NU was in the red zone twice at the end of the game and had to go for it both times. A field goal would have tied it. Two field goals would have won it because Duke missed a PAT earlier.

Even with 125 yards of penalties, 2 turnovers, and countless other errors, NU still had a chance to win. Too bad the coaches had to kill that chance. Hopefully this is a lesson for him, but it doesn’t seem like he should be learning these lessons at this level.

I just got back from witnessing the sorriest display of football I’ve ever seen in my life. And that’s saying something if you are a Northwestern fan. NU just allowed the biggest comeback in NCAA history. That’s a lot of years, a lot of games, and a lot of circumstances, and I got to see the worst ever. The score was 38-3 in the middle of the third quarter, and they somehow managed to lose 41-38. In that span were two interceptions (one in the end zone), a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and a lot of bad defense.

Arizona Cardinal fans should have nothing to be ashamed of, losing to the Bears last Monday night by giving up two touchdowns late in the game. At least the Bears are a good team, and they gave up the points to the defense which is the strength of the team. MSU should more likely be on the losing side of a game like this after giving up a huge lead to lose to Notre Dame earlier this season.

It seems with Northwestern that when you can’t believe they could lose in a bigger way (see my earlier post for some examples), they always surprise you.

You know the players have the talent to win, but once you are a part of a losing tradition and have seen your team fall apart, it’s really hard to not see it coming as soon as things start to turn. As a fan, I already saw them losing as soon as it was 38-17, and once the punt was returned for a touchdown, I should have just gone home. NU used to be the team making the comebacks (witness the Iowa win last year, which I gave up on early), but I think they are a long way away from that now.

Halfway through the third quarter this felt like a real turning point for the team, they seemed to have found an offense and a real gem of a quarterback in Bacher. The sidelines looked pumped, and the offense was racking up yards. The defense was spirited and had made some big stops. Now, I don’t know where you go from here.

Looks like a 2-10 season to me.

As a Northwestern alumnus, it never fails to amuse me when the sports media seems to be shocked when NU loses it’s annual “shocker”. For example, Mike Downey from the Tribune recently found the NU loss to New Hampshire to be quite a shocker. But as an NU fan since I enrolled in the fall of ‘91, I have seen my fair share of shockers.

Who can forget the 1995 Rose Bowl team losing quite a shocker to Miami, OH (thanks Randy!), where they gave up a three touchdown lead in the fourth quarter, just a week after shocking Notre Dame.

Or how about the 2001 42-43 loss to Bowling Green, where NU gave up touchdowns, two point conversions, and onside kicks in a dizzying array of failures.

How about Brian Huffman missing five field goals in one game where NU had 637 yards of offense (wow!) and still lost the game. That was the same year we beat #7 Ohio State.

Or even better, look at the 2005 Sun Bowl where NU gave up a 22-0 lead, lost 50-38, and gave up 2, yes 2, onside kicks for touchdowns, both of them returned by the same guy. It was like watching an instant replay. Has that ever happened before in college football history? How about high school? Pee wee?

So, no, losing to New Hampshire (ranked #2 in NCAA Division 1-AA) was not a shocker. I was there, and most people didn’t even complain that much.

I don’t want to complain too much, though. I remember when I was in college, the idea that NU would ever be in a bowl, let alone beat Michigan (several times in great games), Ohio State (another all time great game), and Penn State (heck… every single Big Ten team, and lots of them in huge comebacks with last second heroics) in the years since I’ve graduated, win three Big Ten titles, and go to four bowl games was out of the question. I remember tearing down the goalposts after we beat #17 Illinois, running with them all the way to the lake, and tossing them in during a rainstorm. I guess things have changed.