My therapy is finally over and I have come to accept that fact that no, Dan Persa really won't be playing in the TicketCity Bowl, and yes, that makes the +9.5 line likely not generous enough. But, like my life in suburbia, that's in the past (Manhattan, ftw!). Like a crossed-eyed man, its time to change my focus and start thinking about what could be the second greatest thrill ride in NU sports history. This year, the chance of finally making That Which Shall Not Be Named is as real as it has ever been, and for the more "seasoned" fans, maybe as real as it will ever be.
So check back early and often for news and uneducated opinion as the 'Cats of the hard court wrap up their high school-level out of conference slate and move on to the big boys of the Big11TenNow12. As all Northwestern fans know, each game has the potential to be as shocking as a taser to the stomach.
In the madness of conference expansion news that dominated college football headlines during over the summer, a clear dynamic emerged: the power hungry Pac-10 and Big11Ten were dead set on ripping apart and feasting on the poor carcasses of the Big 12 and Big East like they were a delicious Thanksgiving turkey (with the apple pie - ACC - looking on nervously and hoping that dinner alone would satisfy their ravenous appetites).
In the end, the changes to the conference landscape were in fact minor, and eventually the college football world turned its attention towards the 2010 season while things calmed and the dust settled.
That is, until the Big East - slow, "special" child of the BCS conferences that they are - decided they wanted to join the side of the agressors. The conference of 8 football and 1,478 basketball teams has decided to expand its ranks. And in a stunning imitation of the fine batch of QBs populating the conference at the moment, their expansion plans have landed unfathomably far from any predictable target...as word has gotten out they are interested in TCU.
The Big East's 2005 expansion to University of South Florida may have indicated the league's desire to break out of its traditional Northeast shell. And hell, that was a match made in heaven - the school, located in the North Florida city of Tampa was already geographically challenged. But the possible move for TCU defies any sort of logic.
Except for this: joining a BCS conference opens the door for TCU to make a national championship run - something non-BCS schools could never do (I'm looking at you, Boise St). It would also give the Big East conference some small bit of respectability, as TCU has already beaten more BCS conference teams this season than the whole Big East (2 versus 1). Of course, TCU also has one more ranked team, #24 TCU, than the Big East can lay claim to at the moment.
I can only assume there's no videos out there of purple-clad toddlers screaming at the site of a stand selling Illini gear. True rivalry...the south gets it.
Along with the commonly cited issues of special teams and playing down to opponents, one of the major factors holding Northwestern back from taking the "next step" as a program has been their lack of success in out of conference road games. From 1996-2009, the Cats were a very mediocre 10-12 on those road trips (including 0-4 in bowl games). With this history, along with the vivid memories of the team's struggles in the heat and humidity at Duke in '08, many fans of the Cardiac Cats looked at this season's contests at Vandy and Rice with deserved anxiety.
Yet, as the Cats walked off the field last night after dominating their second opponent in as many weeks, even the most skeptical 'Cats fan had to admit that it appears the team may have finally turned that corner. Next week will be the final test - facing a powerful offense at home with a chance to go 4-0 - but the results to date have shown a team ready to shed the ghosts of its past and step up as a top tier football program.
Cats 30, Rice 13.
After some struggles in the first quarter, the Cats dominated virtually every facet of the game, completely shutting down the Rice offense (whose lone TD was against the second and third string D in the waning seconds), and continuing to produce on offense. In a testament to the incredible performance of Dan Persa to date, last night seemed like an "off" night for the QB...in which he still completed 75% of his attempts and had another passing TD with no interceptions.
There are areas to improve, no doubt. While the 'Cats front 4 put unbelievable pressure on Rice's QB and running attack in the second half, some questions still remain in the secondary's ability to limit the opponent's passing game. And though the ground game showed some (slight) improvement, NU has a long way to go in developing a legitimate rushing attack. Still, these concerns are limited when considering the big picture of the Cats performance in 2010.
A few of the particularly strong showings from last night should be noted. Persa, as always, carried the team through the air and on the ground. While his completion percentage dropped to a clearly unacceptable 82%, he still remains tops in the country in that category, and 3rd in QB efficiency overall. WR Jeremy Ebert and superback Drake Dunsmore also put on great performances, combining for 169 yards receiving and a TD. To date, Dunsmore has done a fanstastic job in the superback role, helping to add yet another wrinkle to NU's complex passing offense. Lastly, the one man interception machine, Quentin Davie, had a pick-six for his 3rd INT in this young season - one of Rice's 4 turnovers on the night. There are many others who deserve mention, particularly on defense, including Hunter Bates, Jack DiNardo and Vince Browne.
Dominant and "business as usual" are not terms typically used to describe the Northwestern Wildcat games of the past 15 years. I'm not fully sold yet...but it may be time to start considering this the start of a new age.
After years of experiencing NU games involving last second field goals, goal line stands, and dramatic comebacks, I had a very strange experience watching the Cats Saturday afternoon: boredom. Watching the game at a local restaurant with 30 other purple passionates, I'll admit that most of us spent the better part of the second half talking amongst ourselves...more or less not paying attention to the action unfolding on the screen.
Ladies and gentlemen, we've finally arrived.
Despite a very respectable performance in conference over the past 15 years, (one of) Northwestern's archilles heel has been playing down to their opponents in the out of conference schedule. Losses to Duke, New Hampshire and Syracuse are just a few of the painful moments 'Cats fans have lived through recently. Thus, NU fans were understandably anxious going into a game against a 1-AA team with a apparently potent offense.
By the end of the first quarter, it was clear those fears were misplaced.
The 'Cats first team offense looked simply unstoppable, scoring on their first three possessions and leading 30-3 at the half. Persa picked up right where left off last week, going 19/23 with 3 TDs, and keeping his quarterback rating higher than Snoop Dogg at an after-party.
While the defense gave up yards early to the Redbirds, they too clamped down and held a solid offense to just 3 points, and virtually nothing in the second half. In addition, the D stepped up and had 3 interceptions, giving nervous NU fans some hope that the Vanderbilt performance was not indicative of what to expect this year.
However, despite all of the positives in one of the Cats most dominating wins of late, the biggest concern remains: the Northwestern running continues to flounder. The Cats had 163 yards on the ground, but averaged only 3.3 yards per carry. Northwestern has proven it can win games with a pass-only offensive attack, but the difference between making a bowl and contending for a Big11Ten championship (in any year) is having a solid run game to compliment the passing attack.
Overall though, the complaints were few as the Cats came to play and ran circles around an inferior opponent. Heading down to Rice for another out of conference road contest, fans can only hope this current roll continues.
This week, the 'Cats return to the friendly confines of Ryan Field to take on the Redbirds of Illinois State. Because one cannot conquer an opponent before truly understanding them, the East Coast Wildcat proudly presents Know Your Opponent: Illinois State.
When: Saturday, September 11th at noon EST. BigTen Network (channel 720 Cablevision, 472 Time Warner, 610 DirecTV)
'Dey old: While you may never have heard of Illinois State, it's certainly been there all along. Founded in 1857, Illinois State holds the distinction of being the oldest public university in the state (take that, University of Illinois). In fact, the university was brought into existence by legal papers written up by Abraham Lincoln. Though never having been there, I think its a safe bet that this fact is included in pretty much everything they publish (gotta have your claim to fame somehow). Like many schools back in the day, the university was established primarily as a place to train teachers, giving it the official name of Illinois State Normal University. However, this school has the particular oddity of also being located in Normal, Illinois, meaning that one could reasonably call the place Illinois State Normal University - Normal. I'll stop here.
Be happy: According to Wikipedia, ISU's motto is "Gladly we Learn and Teach" While this reads more like one of the wonderful English translations you'd find on the sign for a Chinese elementary school, it is in fact the actual motto. More dissappointing than the phrasing itself, however, is the fact that they were only two flipped words away from owning the motto GTL. Missed opportunities all around.
The school's alma mater should also be noted for the fact that it is written to the tune of the German national anthem. So, big picture, if they ask you if you are in fact gladly teaching and learning, you say yes and ask no questions. The More You Know *insert flying star and NBC song here*.
So who do I know?: Many of ISU's notable alums populate the world of entertainment, something us Northwestern fans can identify with pretty well. Gary Sinise, Gary Cole (Bill Lumbergh of Office Space) and Carlos Benard (Tony Almeida of 24) all called ISU home. I'll still see all these guys and raise them Charlton Heston...we win!
Who's mascot would win in a fight: A truly underrated piece of winning football games, whose mascot is tougher? As mentioned earlier, Illinois State is the home of the Redbirds, with a logo more or less the same as Louisville and every other cardinal-themed team out there. As any cardinal would realistically fly away from an attacking wildcat, I have my suspicions that this fight would be somewhat less than entertaining, but for posterity's sake, I'm giving this one to Northwestern (we so rarely win!).
So that whole football thing: Illinois State may be a 1-AA school full of the future teachers of America, but their roster is also full of former 1-A players, making them one of the more dangerous 1-AA teams out there.
In their season opener, the Redbirds threw for over 300 yards on route to a 55-54 victory over Central Missouri State. They complimented their arial attack with an additional 187 yards on the ground. While the opponent surely had something to do with these numbers, the Cats D will have their hands full and better come out playing early - the Redbirds scored 40 in the first half of that game.
More positive, however, is how terrifyingly bad a defensive effort Illinois State put up in that match: 33 first downs, 547 passing yards and 5 passing TDs for Central Missouri has to make any 'Cats fan think we'll have a better chance of scoring than Tiger Woods at a local IHOP. This begs the question, though...what does NU do on offense?
The seemingly obvious answer is to let Persa throw all day and tear apart the Redbirds defense. Realistically, Persa should be able to put up a 400+ yard, 3+ TD performance. However, I fear that NU will continue to try and force their ground game to be successful in spite of the passing opportunity in front of them. I can't help but be scared of this situation - if NU tries to force an unsuccessful rushing attack, they'll likely keep ISU in the game until late. As any NU fans knows, if you let a team hang around, you never know what can happen.
Fortunately, I have enough faith in our OC to believe he'll transition to a pass-happy offense by the 4th quarter if things are not going well, letting the 'Cats shut the door on the Rebirds. My call: NU 34 - ISU 17.
Well its time to just give in and admit it - Northwestern is incapable of winning a game in relaxing fashion. After going up 10-0 early in the first quarter, it looked as if all of the fears of laying an egg on the road versus an SEC bottom-feeder would be avoided. Alas, it was not to be. Not until a personal foul penalty in the final minutes gave NU a first down and the ability to run out the clock was there any feeling of comfort for 'Cats fans.
But only one thing counts: a 23-21 victory, 1-0 to start the season. So what'd we learned in this (all too common) nail-biter?
Quarterback Dan Persa entered the season opener with huge shoes to fill following the graduation of Mike Kafka, including the 4TD performance in the Outback Bowl. In what had the potentional to be a disasterous first start on the road, Persa was the brightest spot on a generally lackluster performance for the men in purple. His 19/21, 226 yards, 3TD performance set a NU completion percentage record, and Persa complimented his throwing accuracy with a solid running game as well.
Following a very successful first start, expectations are likely to be sky-high for the Junior QB moving forward. While we aren't likely to learn much more about Persa this week (as the running game will take precedence), the game at Rice in two weeks will be a good test to see if our new phenom can keep rolling.
Running Game As Cee Lo Green would say..."WHHHYYYYYYY!!! WHHHHHY!" Hopes were high going into the game that with an experienced O-line the running game would finally be resurrected from the depths of despair known as 2009. Instead, the ground game may have actually taken a step back...literally. Starting RB Arby Fields finished with -7, yes NEGATIVE SEVEN yards on 10 carries. None of the Cats RBs finished with over 50 yards, and the total rushing yards other than Persa's were a terrifying 61.
How did this happen? First the O-line showed few signs of being the powerful unit fans had expected coming into the season. Throughout the game the line struggled to open up holes and give the backs some room to run. This problem exacerabates the fact that NU's RB's lack the speed required to get to the outside and turn the corner, meaning that opening up holes on dive and draw plays is crucial for the Cats to pick up consistent yardage on the ground. Additionally, while the backs play tough, none possess the talents of former stars Sutton and Wright, in that they can't make their own space with the ball. There are times when the backs need to open their own routes, and so far none of the current corps have shown us much in that area.
Keep the kids away, because this has become a horror movie.
Defense It may be that practicing against the 'Cats running backs has brought the D down as well, but the Cats showed that they have a lot of work to do in stopping opponents rushing attacks. Zac Stacy led the charge for Vandy, gaining only 69 yards but averaging 7 yards per carry. The 192 total rushing yards the Commodores put up is not the end of the world on its own, but when considering that Vandy's top running back gained only 46 yards because he was slowed due to injury, those numbers are far scarier (horror movie, part II).
Under Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern's defenses have traditionally improved as the season goes on, so the hopeful assumption is that this year will be the same. The D will have a serious challenge this week against Illinois St, so the improvement better come quickly...we cannot lose to another 1-AA team.
We have a lot more to learn about the Cats in the next two games, particularly about the running and defensive woes. One this is for certain though - no matter against who and no matter where, the game is always going to be much too close for comfort.
It’s that time again!! After 8 months of wandering through the cold, dark, empty world that is the offseason, college football has returned. With the exception of the Lou Holtz lisp, it’s all sweet music to our ears.
Now, you may be wondering “Hey, we had a breakdown of the offense recently…where’s the defense?” Well my friends, my manager is a football fan, but not quite enough to let me blog during work – so we’ll get to it when we get to it. But the season is finally upon us, so lets roll. Hide the women and children, its about to get wild.
Then grab a couple beers, pull the emergency slide and take the plunge baby – ITS WILDCAT FOOTBALL TIME!!
When we last left our faithful warriors, they were trudging off the Raymond James gridiron following yet another overtime bowl game loss. 78 pass attempts, 4 TDs, 5 INTS, 3 missed field goals and a whole lot of WTF football, ‘Cats fans were forced to end the season knowing the bowl win drought would be extended to at least 61 years.
The 2010 road to the Rose Bowl begins this Saturday, and air is buzzing like a stadium of vuvulzelas. Someone grab Michael J Fox, because Northwestern fans are practically shaking with excitement. Unfortunately, this year’s early season schedule is full of more potential landmines than trying to walk across the DMZ.
What time is it?? Preview time…
Who we playin? Vanderbilt. The shining beacon of hope in the cesspool that is the SEC. They are the Northwestern of the SEC, minus a few small details like football competitiveness and ability to rock the color purple.
Whats their mascot? The Commodores. A fantastic choice, not only for its uniqueness, but for being the name of team that plays in an entirely landlocked state. Want to get in your opponent’s head? Tell ‘em you’re a Navy Admiral 700 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. That’s thinking outside the box, fool.
The line: Northwestern -4.5
Why the Cats will win: We’re better on offense, better on defense, and our special teams can only hurt us so much. Vanderbilt had a woeful run defense last season, which may be exactly what NU needs to get their ground game going in 2010.
Vanderbilt is coached by Robbie Caldwell, a man who took over the team just 6 weeks ago following the abrupt retirement of former coach Bobby Johnson. With so little time to adjust to the head coaching role and prepare, advantage has to go to the ‘Cats.
Another possible break for Northwestern is that the heart of Vandy’s offense, RB Warren Norman, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Wednesday and is questionable for Saturday’s game. How one can be QUESTIONABLE 4 days after knee surgery is a testament to either modern medicine, or to scientists who have created robots capable of fully integrating into society.
Why the ‘Cats will lose: Night game in the south…see Duke, 2008. Fortunately the weather looks to be less unbearable than that fateful night, but season openers are nothing if not unpredictable. The ‘Cats have played well on the road the last two seasons, though they have struggled in out of conference road contests.
Coach Caldwell has generated some excitement around the team, and the squad is looking to bounce back after a rough campaign last season. If the Cats get off to a slow start on the road, Persa may try to do too much to carry the team, which never ends well.
The Prediction: The Cats start the season off right with a 24-14 victory over Vandy. Persa looks like the QB we’re expecting, and the Cats ground game has a respectable – but not confidence inspiring – showing. The first of the landmines is avoided, and the Cats head back to Evanston for their home opener 1-0.
The preview was short and tame this week on account of me needing to leave early tomorrow for a par-tay weekend in Cincinatti. Hoping to be back to the old antics next week. Till then, get excited and GO CATS!
15 years ago today, Northwestern's rise out of the Dark Ages began with the stunning defeat of Notre Dame in South Bend. Coach Barnett's pre-game words of "Don't carry me off the field when we win. Act like you've done this before" kick-started arguably the greatest season in Wildcat history.
28 point underdogs on the road, coming off a 3-7-1 season. A 17-15 victory that shocked the college football world, and in some ways was a pivotal moment in the history of both programs.
In today's college football world parity abounds, and while results such as Appalachian State over Michigan and others are shocking, "unbelievable" upsets are becoming an expected part of a college football season. In 1995, a time in which one couldn't watch 25 games in a weekend, few college football teams had any significant national exposure - leading to a much larger gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" of the college landscape. Notre Dame, ranked #9 at the time, was very much one of the "haves," and in the hours and days after the final seconds ticked off the clock many commentators called the outcome the greatest upset in college football history.
Of course, today, we know that the result was not much of an upset at all - Northwestern would finish the regular season 10-2, winning the Big Ten and getting the chance to play in the Rose Bowl. Yet this takes nothing away from the impact of that day. Northwestern had lead "big" games in the past - even leading Notre Dame at halftime the season before - but this time they closed the deal. Barnett had come in and preached "belief without evidence" as a motivational tool for the 'Cats as they fought against 25 years of futility. At long last, they had their evidence.
Vanderbilt's brand-spankin' new coach Robbie Caldwell may have a warm, inviting drawl of a long-time southerner, but apparently the man can bring the energy. Twitter, the entertainment value you can provide in 140 characters or less never ceases to amaze me.
The common complaint of NU fans of being ignored by the national media has just been discredited in spectacular fashion. With the release of the 2010-11 men's basketball schedule came the announcement that the 'Cats would be facing off at home against Illinois Feb 5th in a nationally televised game on CBS.
C-B-freakin-S! The Radio City Music Hall stage of the college basketball world. If this was cookie cutter comedy film, insert here the oversize lady fanning herself quickly before passing out.
The game will be the first ever game at Welsh-Ryan Arena broadcast on CBS, and only the second time NU has ever been on the network. In continuing the theme of "this is the year we better break through," the 'Cats will be featured on the ESPN family of networks at least 4 times during the season.
Back to football talk for now, but begin your preparations for a very exciting winter.
In 2009, QB Mike Kafka and the Wildcats offense put on a passing clinic for the college football world, ranking 13th in the country passing yards per game, and culminating in with a 532 yd, 4 TD (…oh, and 5 INT) performance in the Outback Bowl. The offense that takes the field against Vanderbilt next Saturday will feature a number of new faces in key roles, most notably at QB. Here are the key questions for the offense as we enter the 2010 season:
-Can Dan Persa step up at QB and replicate Mike Kafka’s success from 2009? -Can the Wildcats establish a legitimate rushing attack, after a woeful ground game in 2009? -Can the WR corps replace the losses of Andrew Brewer and Zeke Markshausen and continue to drive the success of the spread offense?
QUARTERBACK
The story behind NU’s successful 8-4 campaign in 2009 was the emergence of senior QB Mike Kafka. After losing the starting job in 2006 after a posting a 57% completion rate with 1 TD and 6 INTs, Kafka spent most of the next two years as the backup to CJ Bacher, with only 49 pass attempts over that time. Following Bacher’s graduation, Kafka retook the starting spot looking more changed than fellow Chicago icon, Sammy Sosa. 3,430 yards and 19 TDs later, Kafka found himself selected in the 4th round of the NFL Draft and headed to Philly to enter a dogfight with Mike Vick for the back-up role (poor choice of words).
Now, its up to junior QB Dan Persa to take the reigns and lead one of the Big11Ten’s most prolific offenses. Reports from camp this summer have been glowing, leaving ‘Cats fans hopeful for a Kafka-esque improvement year over year. Last season Persa logged significant minutes against both Penn St and Iowa, due to injury to Kafka. In those games, he was 19/32 for 152 yards with a TD and an INT.
Like Kafka, Persa is known for his ability to scramble, though unlike his predecessor, Persa comes to NU as an experienced passing QB. Persa started all four years in high school in a pass-oriented offense, while Kakfa had only one year of high school experience in which he primarily ran out of the QB spot. Still, translating that experience to the college level will be a challenge, and a deciding factor in the ‘Cats success this season will come down to how long it takes Persa to become comfortable in the starting role.
RUNNING BACK
Last year the phones at the Evanston police department were overwhelmed by people filing missing person reports on the ‘Cats running game. On the season, the ‘Cats ranked 95th in the country in rushing yards, with Arby Fields leading the team with a mere 302 yards on the SEASON.
The ground game was limited both by a lack of a breakout running back as well as an inexperienced O-line. In 2009, NU had no senior starters on an O-line that gave up 32 sacks on the year. This year Northwestern returns all of the starting line and looks to have one of the best lines in the Big11Ten. Not only will they be returning experience, but current starters are facing intense competition from a number of highly-regarded underclassmen – which should hopefully raise everyone’s game.
Now, onto the RB’s themselves. NU returns all of the backs who logged significant minutes last year, and the hope will be that with another year under their belt, performance will improve accordingly. Though dinged up during training camp, look for Arby Fields to be the RB that gets the most minutes early in the season. Scott Concannon and Jacob Schmidt will pick up the rest of the reps, both bringing more of a fullback size and style to the position.
WIDE RECEIEVERS
With the lack of production on the ground in 2009, the WR corps were vital to the ‘Cats on-field success. Having graduated the top 2 wide receivers, Andrew Brewer and Zeke Markshausen, the ‘Cats will look to their younger players to step up in 2010.
Junior Jeremy Ebert is likely take over Brewer’s former spot as the deep-threat outside receiver, following an injury-plagued season last year. Despite a bevy of talent, it will be interesting to see how he handles the outside role as he lacks the size NU has typically featured at the position.
Zeke’s spot as the slot receiver is likely to be filled by either senior Sidney Stewart or up and coming sophomore Demetrius Fields. Stewart has been effective at virtually all WR spots over his NU career, so he may more suited to take on the deeper slot spot. This would leave Fields handling the shorter crossing routes for the most part.
The fourth WR spot will most likely alternate between the RB and super-back Drake Dunsmore, much like last season. Along with Fields, this spot will handle the short routes that essentially work as a running game for the ‘Cats.
BIG PICTURE
With the expected improvement in the O-line, the ‘Cats should see better balance on offense in 2010, though passing is still likely to determine the unit’s overall success. Despite accolades at camp so far, it will be very difficult for Persa to replicates Kafka’s success from last season.
An improved running game should help NU better put away opponents in the cases where the ‘Cats have late leads. Additionally, with a legitimate rushing threat, there will be much less pressure on Persa to carry the team early.
Overall, I expect the offense to take a step back from 2009, though continue to be effective through better overall balance. If Persa does prove himself as effective as Kafka in 2009, NU has the potential to be a top 15 offense nationally…but such predictions will be way premature until at least a few weeks into the season.
We've all got to start somewhere. Eric Stonestreet of "Modern Family" fame kicked off his career playing yet another flamboyant character back in 1996...the Purple Pride Guy in a series of NU football commercials. Note to readers: full body paint is not a slimming look. Click to watch the video here. (video courtesy of NUSports.com, info provided by LakeThePosts.com)
Could he be the original inspiration for this man?
Possible leaked photo from Tuesday's team practice
Pat Fitzgerald does not like to see his players fight. Not one bit. So when a pair of players started going at it during the team's practice Tuesday, Fitz did what any man truly in touch with his sensitive side would do: make the offenders walk laps around the field holding hands.
The weather is beginning to cool, kids are enjoying their final days of freedom, and the Mets are in slumps, in jail, and generally generating less interest than the latest release of Now That's What I Call Music (volume 34, at last count).
It can only mean one thing: college football season is here.
So clear your Saturday schedules, break out your dusty purple shirts, and start practicing some new cheers to get under the skin of Hawkeyes fans. This year, we've taken the terrible puns, offensive jokes, and occassional "analysis" to the blogosphere - so check back here for news, predictions and a huge purple bias as we ride the emotional roller coaster that is always Northwestern football.
The East Coast Wildcat - here to prove New Yorkers can care about college sports after all.
