Although Northwestern lost to Army 21-14, it’s pretty clear that Jeff Budzien’s missed 26-yard field goal at the end of the half played a role in helping the Black Knights overcome the Wildcats. Including this past weekend’s defeat at Army, Northwestern’s first losses of the past seasons have each come by seven points or less. In each of those games, mistakes by the ‘Cats on special teams played a significant role in tipping the balance to the opposition. Let’s take a look at these three losses — all games Northwestern was expected to win — and examine what went wrong in the kicking game:
Syracuse 37, Northwestern 34 (Sept. 19, 2009): The Wildcats entered the Carrier Dome a better team than Syracuse, and finished the season a better team. But on that particular September day, the Orange were able to come out on top. How? In part, Syracuse could thank a missed extra point by Northwestern kicker Stefan Demos for its unlikely victory. The Wildcats, up 28-27 in the fourth quarter, extended their lead with a Mike Kafka touchdown pass to Demetrius Fields. But Demos missed the extra point, and Syracuse was able to score a touchdown on the next drive, tying the game with an extra point. Had Demos made the extra point on the Fields touchdown, the Orange would have likely been forced to try a two-point conversion, which obviously has a much lower conversion rate than a standard extra point kick. Syracuse was able to win the game with a field goal as time expired.
Purdue 20, Northwestern 17 (Oct. 9, 2010): Northwestern came in as a big favorite over Purdue, which was missing more than one key starter on offense. But the Boilermakers hung in with the ‘Cats the whole game, and were able to pull out a close victory at Ryan Field. Purdue was able to do this in part because Stefan Demos missed two key field goals, including a 45-yard attempt to tie the game with about a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. The loss was the first stain on Northwestern’s 2010 schedule after a promising 5-0 start.
Army 21, Northwestern 14 (Sept. 17, 2011): Once again, the ‘Cats came into their first loss as a favorite to win. And once again, special teams miscues played a role in Northwestern’s first loss of the year. Although special teams clearly was not the only thing to go wrong for the ‘Cats against Army, a missed Jeff Budzien 26-yard field goal at the end of the first half swung the momentum in favor of Army. Northwestern had just marched down the field with an impressive drive, but was not able to put the ball in the endzone. However, Budzien missed a chip shot field goal, leaving the ‘Cats with nothing after the long drive. The game remained tied at seven points apiece before Army took the lead early in the second half.