After five straight losses earlier this season, Northwestern’s 2011 football campaign looked lost. Last weekend against Indiana may have temporarily stopped the bleeding, but the season still looked like a lost cause.
Just when you lose faith, the ‘Cats take you off guard with an unexpected victory.
Northwestern marched into Lincoln on Saturday and knocked off the No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers 28-25 on their own field. Say it again: Northwestern beat Nebraska.
Here’s a look at the best and worst of the Wildcats’ stunning victory over the Cornhuskers:
The best:
Road warriors: Beating Nebraska is a great feat. But defeating them on the road? Even more impressive. The Wildcats have demonstrated over the past few years their ability to win on the road, most notably this year’s victory over Nebraska and the 2009 win over undefeated Iowa. This season, Northwestern has earned three of its four total victories on the road, with the one win coming over FCS program Eastern Illinois. Perhaps it is unfortunate that the Wildcats’ final three games this season will be played at Ryan Field.
Jeremy Ebert’s touchdown: Jeremy Ebert has had an excellent season for the Wildcats, even with Dan Persa’s injury troubles. But his most memorable touchdown so far came in the third quarter against the Cornhuskers. The ‘Cats were up 14-10 when Colter found Ebert over the middle in stride. Ebert did the rest, racing past the defense for an 81-yard touchdown catch and run. The play could very well be Northwestern’s signature play of the season.
The many identities of Kain Colter: Colter continued to show his versatility as a quarterback, running back and receiver against the Huskers. He only completed four passes, but he threw for 115 yards and a touchdown. Colter also ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns, and caught three passes for 57 yards. Although he has struggled as a passer at times this season, it is impossible to deny that Colter has improved as the season has progressed (not to mention his huge improvements from last season to this season). If he continues to make strides, Wildcat fans will be able to rest assured that they have a quarterback for next year. And if he doesn’t progress, then Northwestern has a pretty good receiver on its hands.
Stopping the run: Prior to Saturday, Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez had not attempted more than 22 passes in a single game. In a win against Michigan State the week before, he only threw the ball 13 times. Against Northwestern, however, Martinez aired the ball out 37 times. This tells us that Northwestern was able to take Nebraska out of its gameplan, which is typically to run the ball on nearly every play. The Huskers only ran for 122 yards; they average nearly 240 per game. The ‘Cats also limited star running back Rex Burkhead to 69 yards on the ground, while Martinez only gained 53 yards rushing.
Saving the season: Coming into this game, the ‘Cats sat at 3-5 and needed to defeat either Nebraska or Michigan State to have a shot at a bowl game. The Spartans seemed more likely because the game will be played at Ryan Field, and because Northwestern nearly knocked off Michigan State last season. But now, with the victory over Nebraska, the ‘Cats are in great position to make a bowl game for the fifth straight season. Northwestern will be expected to win the next two games – at home against Rice and Minnesota – and will at least give Michigan State a tough time in the final regular season game of the season. Although six wins may be the most expected at this point, seven wins is not out of the realm of possibility.
Pat Fitzgerald makes history: Northwestern’s victory over Nebraska was Pat Fitzgerald’s 38th as Wildcat head football coach. The win moved Fitzgerald into second place all-time on the Northwestern coaching career wins list, bumping him ahead of Randy Walker. Fitzgerald has only been head coach of the Wildcats since 2006; he took over the job only a few weeks prior to the 2006 season after Walker died unexpectedly. The only coach ahead of Fitzgerald is Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf, who had 49 victories in his career.
The worst:
Dan Persa’s new injury: Dan Persa has been limited by injuries all season, and he was banged up once again this Saturday. Persa injured his shoulder after being crushed on a scramble, and did not play at all in the second half after initially playing through the pain. Somewhat unexpectedly, the ‘Cats were still able to win the game without their star quarterback. Persa was 9-14 for 79 yards with an interception.
What could have been: Victories like this are cause for celebration, but they can also be quite frustrating, especially for a team like Northwestern that has struggled so much this season. Why wasn’t Northwestern been able to play this way against Illinois, Michigan, Iowa and Penn State? Why weren’t the ‘Cats able to beat Army? It’s easy to look at the Wildcats’ failures this year in retrospect, but Northwestern has a legitimate chance to turn around its season and match its win total from 2010. Considering all of the adversity the ‘Cats have faced this year, that would be a very successful season.
For now, Northwestern can relish it's sweet victory over Nebraska.