How did the Wildcats react after the beating they received at the hands of Illinois? Giving up 70 points and close to 600 yards of offense was not exactly what Coach Fitz had in mind for his boys. Wisconsin embarrassed the Wildcats at Camp Randall Stadium in Northwestern’s last game before bowl season begins. It is not clear whether a bowl game is a blessing or a curse for the ‘Cats, but let’s take a closer look at this week’s shellacking.
Offense: D
Since Dan Persa ruptured his Achilles’ tendon, the Wildcats have struggled to maintain their offensive attack. Saturday was no different. Evan Watkins has been taking baby steps to familiarize himself with Big Ten football, but baby steps won’t get you very far against some of college football’s best.
Watkins looked skittish at times and never really had a chance to get comfortable against Wisconsin. He did more to help the Badger offense than that of the Wildcats. Watkins turned the ball over four times, and the team as a whole had seven turnovers (four interceptions, three fumbles). The Wildcats were held to less than 300 yards of offense for the first time this season, which doesn’t bode well going into bowl season.
Defense: F
Not much to say about this one for the ‘Cats. The defense still looked taken aback by Mikel Leshoure’s performance at Wrigley, and never really showed up against the Badgers. The last two weeks have seriously questioned the legitimacy of the Wildcat defense. Wisconsin gained 559 yards in the game and already tallied 49 points at the half. The running game was deadly for the Badgers, but their total of 54 carries for 329 yards paled in comparison to how the Illini ran Northwestern off Wrigley in Week 11 (70 carries for 519 yards). Wisconsin was in such control that Scott Tolzien only attempted one pass in the entire second half. Overall, Five different players scored touchdowns for the Badgers who commanded the game from beginning to end.
Special Teams: C+
This was perhaps the only facet of the game that didn’t completely embarrass the Wildcats. Stefan Demos was not the target of the fans’ ire, but not because he was spectacular by any means. Demos did hit a 47-yard field goal to open the scoring for the Wildcats, but couldn’t get out of Madison unblemished (he had an extra point blocked).
Brandon Williams might be the most consistent special teams player for the ‘Cats. He did his job, pinning Wisconsin inside their 20-yard line once, and punting a 48-yarder early in the 3rd quarter.
Freshman Venric Mark was perhaps the brightest spot in Saturday’s loss. Mark became a staple in the return game during the season and has paid dividends for the ‘Cats. His 94-yard kickoff return TD would’ve been more important had it really affected the outcome, but it was a highlight nonetheless.
Coaching: D-
After the game against Illinois at Wrigley, the Wildcats defense was reeling. Coach Fitz did not have his boys ready to play Saturday against Wisconsin. There are a number of excuses for this team, but none that take the sting away from this pounding.
This season could’ve been so much more for a Northwestern squad that now finds itself on the outskirts of bowl eligibility. Northwestern has a nice break before bowl season to work on fixing their defense. The Wildcats have given up 10 rushing touchdowns to go with 848 rushing yards in the last two weeks, both numbers that need to improve going forward. Luckily, Coach Fitz now has time to talk about the last two losses with his boys; hopefully they’ll get that defense shored up before the postseason.