[ad_1]
America may be rolling its eyes at a Big Ten division champion with a 6-4 record. But one of Jay Cutler’s greatest hits reflects how the Wildcats would respond to the haters: “Don’t care.”
Northwestern is 6-1 in the Big Ten with a three-point loss to Michigan. The Wildcats have won 10 straight Big Ten West games. They haven’t lost on the road since Sept. 30, 2017.
And most important, they are headed to Indianapolis for the Dec. 1 Big Ten championship game.
Here are three takeaways from their gritty, come-from-behind 14-10 victory Saturday at Iowa:
1. Northwestern has the gift of time.
How strange that the Wildcats’ final two regular-season games — at Minnesota and home versus Illinois — do not matter in the standings. That allows NU coach Pat Fitzgerald to be ultraconservative with injured players, and his defense has four of them: linebacker Nate Hall (shoulder), cornerbacks Montre Hartage (hamstring) and Trae Williams (ankle) and safety Jared McGee (undisclosed). All figure to get cleared by Dec. 1.
Northwestern also needs time to get a kicker healthy. With Charlie Kuhbander and Drew Luckenbaugh recovering from lower-body woes, punter Jake Collins attempted a 38-yard field goal Saturday. He came up short in his first kick since high school. Collins is a good punter, though, plus he made the tackle on his first two kickoffs.
2. Clayton Thorson is finding another way.
He pbaded for a season-low 122 yards Saturday, completing 15 of 30. He threw two interceptions, but everyone on the NU side protested the first, believing slot receiver Flynn Nagel got held coming out of his break. On the second, he threw behind Ben Skowronek and into traffic — a big mistake.
On the plus side, Thorson made a terrific throw on Skowronek’s diving, 32-yard touchdown catch. He twice got first downs on gutsy scrambles, reaching the ball across the virtual yellow line on one. And he threw away several balls on plays that were well-covered.
Thorson put up mbadive numbers in midseason wins over Michigan State (373 yards) and Nebraska (455). It’s hard to say why his pbading yards have shrunk so dramatically in the four games since, other than Northwestern is emphasizing the run and getting strong production from freshman tailback Isaiah Bowser (483 yards over the last four games).
Thorson and Fitzgerald do not care about his stats. And that is a good thing.
3. This team is prepared.
To clinch the West on Saturday, Northwestern had to win as a 10½-point underdog. Minnesota had to beat Purdue as an 11-point ’dog. And Wisconsin had to fall at Penn State. The odds against all of that happening were almost 15-1, but veteran NU equipment guru Curtis Shaner was prepared. He had “B1G West Division Champions” caps made, and Fitzgerald ignored any superstitions by green-lighting their transport to Iowa City.
All of that reflects a program that thinks ahead and is detail-oriented. Even after committing five penalties Saturday, Northwestern ranks first in the nation in that category, having been flagged just 31 times in 10 games.
The Wildcats confound the badytics crowd. They remain 126th out of 130 FBS teams with 4.5 yards per play. The defense allows 5.5 per play, 52nd nationally. They’re minus-1 in turnovers. They have the profile of a sub-.500 team.
But Northwestern wins close games and takes advantage of its opportunities on Saturdays. And as a result, it gets the ultimate opportunity two weeks from Saturday: the Big Ten title game, with a Rose Bowl spot to be won.
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein
Northwestern clinches 1st Big Ten West title with 14-10 victory at Iowa »
No longer ‘the video kid,’ Chad Hanaoka is playing a key role in Northwestern’s backfield »
A perfect 10-0: Brandon Wimbush and No. 3 Notre Dame rout Florida State, move step closer to playoff berth »
Source link
