For the first time since Dec. 7, 2008, the Northwestern Wildcats have cracked a national poll. The undefeated ‘Cats are No. 25 on this week’s USA Today Coaches’ Top-25 rankings. This honor comes after a down-to-the-wire 29-28 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers this past Saturday.
While it’s exciting for the 2010 ‘Cats to be nationally recognized, it’s worth asking why the ranking came after their weak victory over Minnesota. For the past two weeks, Northwestern has played some sloppy football. Whether it’s two missed PATs, 21 penalties or three turnovers, the Wildcats have been undisciplined on the gridiron.
Coach Fitzgerald has acknowledged several times that the ‘Cats’ play has been uncharacteristic.
“This stuff [penalties and turnovers] has got to get fixed and we will work diligently to get it fixed,” Fitzgerald said during his post-game press conference Saturday afternoon. “We cannot have that happen and continue to win football games.”
Although Saturday featured some uglier games between higher ranked teams (Iowa’s spanking of Penn State, anyone?), the Wildcats can’t depend on a high-pressure field goal to win games, especially when you consider Demos’s inconsistency as a kicker.
Despite the mistakes, the Wildcats deserve to finally get some national recognition. After a blistering start to the season, Dan Persa has maintained his exceptional accuracy (79.4 percent completion rate) and the defense continues to shut down opponents when needed (averaging 18 points against).
Going 5-0 for the second time in three seasons, getting a top-25 ranking and beating Minnesota in the Big Ten opener is great, but not a top priority. What matters to Coach Fitz and the ‘Cats is staying focused and continuing their success on the gridiron for a chance to leap frog over the other six ranked Big Ten teams.
“If you get caught up in the things out of your control, positive or negative,” Coach Fitz said following the Central Michigan game, “it’s one heck of a roller coaster ride.”