Longtime NFL overlord Bill Parcells has a saying: “You are what your record says you are.” Wildcat skeptics would beg to differ.
For the second consecutive week, the Wildcats have surrendered a fourth-quarter lead to an outplayed opponent. The homecoming weekend loss to Michigan State leaves Northwestern with a 5-2 record, but while bowl eligibility is almost a certainty with five games remaining, many Wildcat fans have been left to wonder just how much more the Wildcats can gamble with fortune and fate. The lamented elephant in the room is that Northwestern is winning in spite of the team’s many flaws, and the ominous horizon is looking less and less certain every week.
The Sisyphean task of diagnosing the errors falls on head coach Pat Fitzgerald and his staff, but Fitz and the gang might be better off consulting the Mystery Machine or a well-referenced shaman. Like a poltergeist on a hot streak, the Wildcats seem to be stricken with problems in different aspects at different times.
Heading into the season, the biggest questions centered on replacing the most successful departed senior class in recent memory, but since the Vanderbilt season opener, the fingers have pointed every which way.
After week one, the focus shifted from the defense and receiving corps to the running game; Illinois State and Rice, again, the run game; Central Michigan, passing defense, kicking game and on-field communication; Minnesota, run defense and offensive play-calling; Purdue, run defense, Demos, return game, lack of a killer instinct and penalties. Northwestern’s just hit rock-bottom.
Yet a strong showing against Michigan State revealed more leaks on the U.S.S. Wildcat — awful pass blocking, porous pass defense and another choke job, a la lack of a death grip. Not even an old war story from legendary coach Ara Parseghian could motivate some fire in the team.
After the game, Fitzgerald seemingly had reached his wit’s end: “I don’t know what the issue is, but I’m going to fix it, and if it is personnel-based, I’m going to fix it because we’re going to find a way to play with some more discipline. We had some issues out there today with some guys really not executing very well, and to me, that might be as disappointing as anything.”
Here’s the real doozy to consider: What if Fitz can’t fix it? What if slipping up on assignments is the norm? What if Persa getting sacked eight times barely raises an eyebrow? What if the ‘Cats truly are toothless in the endgame?
To paraphrase Remember the Titans, what if we can’t be (nearly) perfect in every aspect of the game?