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The Northwestern No.14 defeated Auburn 35-19 to win the Citrus Bowl and claim his fourth bowl victory in the past five seasons, Saturday in Orlando. The Wildcats found themselves in firm control of the game from start to finish. They walked 75 yards in nine games on the game’s opening possession. They nailed another score before the end of the first quarter thanks to a second touchdown pass from Peyton Ramsey.
It was Ramsey’s best game as the Northwest Wildcat. The transfer to Indiana set a season record with 291 passing yards, and his three touchdown passes tied the three he threw in a road win over Purdue earlier this season. Ramsey even decided to show off the wheels a bit, rushing for 50 yards that day, including a 30-yard touchdown in the third quarter that helped the Wildcats regain control after Auburn reduced the deficit to 14. -13.
Ramsey was assisted by Wildcats running back Cam Porter, who himself ran for 98 yards. He also put the finishing touches on the game with a touchdown in the fourth quarter to take it to 35-19.
Bo Nix finished with 292 passing yards for Auburn and led the team with 32 rushing yards, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Tigers in the game. Let’s take a look at the four biggest takeaways in Orlando.
1. Northwestern Defense Can Play With Anyone
It was a fitting tribute to longtime defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who has just coached the last game of a long and successful career. While Auburn finished with 19 points and 361 yards on offense, six of those points and 75 yards came late in the fourth quarter when the game had already been decided, and Northwestern was happy to let the time melt away. Prior to that, the Wildcats’ defense held Auburn in check all day outside of a big game against Elijah Canion.
Where Northwestern really won, the game was third. Auburn converted just two of his 13 third down attempts, and they were 0 for 6 on the third down when they needed four yards or less. Time and time again, Hankwitz blitzed Nix to force him to make quick decisions, and too often he couldn’t. It was a classic Hankwitz game and a fitting way for him to end a great career.
2. Northwestern is a good football program
There is a tendency to strike this team off as a surpassed group of tries. It is presented in a way that says that working hard and exceeding expectations is a negative quality. It’s also a way of belittling a team by saying it’s not as good as its results. Well, while I don’t think anyone will ever mistake Northwestern for the kind of team that can compete for national titles, they are in the top 25 programs in the country.
Much has been said about the number of players missing at Auburn for this game, and while those absences impacted the team’s ability to win the game, they are unaware that Northwestern had lost a few players. Eku Leota, who led the team with four sacks this season and had 5.5 tackles for loss, did not play. He’s on the transfers portal. The same can be said of running backs Drake Anderson and Isaiah Bowser and team second receiver Kyric McGowan.
Their absences did not prevent the Wildcats from accumulating 457 yards and 35 points on Auburn.
3. Appreciation for the way Pat Fitzgerald treats bowl games
Some programs see them as scrums and an opportunity to prepare for the next season. Northwestern approaches the games as a vacation of sorts, but a vacation that he fully plans to have a good time. I mean, look how Fitzgerald is dressed. He looks like a father ready to dominate his children on a shuffleboard court.
Fitzgerald’s teams always play to win, and they won’t play scared. So when faced with a fourth and short situation in their own territory, they are not going to kick. They are going there. Time and again. It’s refreshing to see, and honestly, more teams should take the same approach during the regular season.
4. What future for Nix?
When you consider that they were led by an interim coach who will not stick around and a whole staff of assistants who do not know their future, what can you really take away? Add opt-outs and players unavailable for undisclosed medical reasons, and things get even murkier.
However, I wonder what the future holds for Bo Nix. Nix is a heirloom from Auburn and was chosen by Gus Malzahn to be his QB. Will Bryan Harsin feel the same? It’s hard to imagine Nix heading into 2021 as an undisputed starter. While he has all the talent and potential in the world, it’s hard to deny that he hasn’t shown much growth in his second season. The moments of shine are too rare and far removed from the moments that make you tear the hair out of your head. That’s not to say the potential isn’t there. If Harsin and his new staff can help Nix develop further, they have a legitimate Heisman candidate on their hands. Still, I expect Auburn to be aggressive in the graduate transfer market this offseason to keep some competition to a minimum.
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