SB Nation User Blog: hmlee

2009-2010 Bowl Selections

hmlee — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:56:27 -0000

Okay, the BCS selection show is about to start, and we here at The Rivalry are watching it live. As we learn them, the 5 BCS bowl games and the bowl games which have Big 10 participants, will be right here on the front page. Any other bowl game will be listed after the jump. So... without further ado,

BCS Bowl Games:

BCS National Championship: Alabama vs. Texas

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oregon

Fiesta Bowl: Boise State vs. TCU

Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Florida

Orange Bowl: Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

Big 10 Bowl Games:

Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL): Penn State vs. LSU

Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL): Northwestern vs. Auburn

Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX): Michigan State vs. Texas Tech

Insight Bowl (Tempe, AZ): Minnesota vs. Iowa State

Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, FL): Wisconsin vs. Miami

Other Bowls:

New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, LA): Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee

EagleBank Bowl (Washington, D.C.): Temple and Army OR UCLA

Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl (Detroit, MI): Ohio University and Marshall

Poinsetta Bowl (San Diego, CA): Cal and Utah

New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM): Fresno State and Wyoming

International Bowl (Toronto): NIU and South Florida

Texas Bowl (Houston, TX): Missouri and Navy

Emerald Bowl (San Fransisco, CA): USC and Boston College

Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX): Ole Miss and Oklahoma State

Meinike Car Care Bowl (Charlotte, NC): Pitt and North Carolina

Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX): Standford and Oklahoma

Papajohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, AL): UConn and South Carolina

Chik-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta, GA): Virginia Tech and Tennessee

Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA): Arizona and Nebraska

Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN): Arkansas and East Carolina

Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA): Georgia and Texas A&M

Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, TX): Air Force and Houston

St. Petersburg Bowl (St. Petersburg, FL): Rutgers and Central Florida

Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN): Kentucky and Clemson

Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL): Florida State and West Virginia

Maaco Bowl (Las Vegas, NV): Oregon State and Bringham Young

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada and SMU

GMAC Bowl (Mobile, AL): Troy and Central Michigan

Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, ID): Idaho and Bowling Green

Don't Forget! Today is Selection Sunday!

hmlee — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:32:58 -0000

Don't Forget! Today is Selection Sunday!

Today is that wonderful day when eager college athletic directors wake up early and race down to the BCS-tree to unwrap the location of their bowl games. Yes, today is Christma ...errr... Selection Sunday! The official BCS selection show will air tonight at 8 est, 7 central on Fox. On the show, the BCS match-ups will be revealed, and there will also be a list of all of the bowl game participants. Don't worry, though, if you are away from a TV - The Rivalry, Esq will be updated with bowl announcements for ALL of the teams as soon as the information is available. While you wait, you can peruse our bowl projections (courtesy of Bama Hawkeye)... We have both the final projections for the BCS and the Big 10 as well as the post week 13 projections for all of the bowl games.

Represent the Big 10 in the Capital One Mascot Challenge!

hmlee — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:15:07 -0000

Represent the Big 10 in the Capital One Mascot Challenge!

While the Big 10 may be lucky to get two teams into the BCS this year, we have another achievement we can be proud of. Yes, I am referring to the Capital One Mascot Challenge. One of our very own, Bucky the Badger, is locked in a death match against Bill the Goat (from Navy) in the Mascot Challenge semi-finals. Another of ours, Brutus, is attempting to take down Duke Dog and Aubie for the write-in championship. Let's show the other conferences that the Big 10 at least has mascot superiority! Vote here

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: Northwestern Ends on a High Note Over Wisconsin, 33-31

hmlee — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:26:51 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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Well, that turned out to be quite the exciting game. I was rather shocked by the final score, though not by who won. Those of you who've been around since the beginning of the season know that this was a tough one for me, as I write about both Wisconsin and Northwestern for The Rivalry, Esq. I grew up a Badger fan and as a current Northwestern Law student also cheer quite hard for the Wildcats. While the Northwestern-Wisconsin rivalry isn't a blood feud like some others in this conference, it was still a difficult game for me. Every play was essentially both good and bad. I cheered and then felt despondent for the entirety of this game. That's not really a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

I had hoped earlier this season that things would shake out in such a way that this game would only be important to one team and thus I would be able to pick a side for the game and stick with it. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) this game held implications for both teams. Both teams gained bowl eligibility weeks ago, but the the narrative of their seasons was on the line. While the cheesehead in me is sad that the Badgers lost, I think, in the end I am happy that the game turned out the way it did. Frankly, Northwestern needed this game more.

That might seem to be an odd statement, but, looking at the reality of this conference it makes sense from both a bowl perspective and a recruiting perspective. The current Big 10 standings have three teams at 10-2 on the season, with Ohio State taking the championship based on their better in conference record. OSU will thus claim the Big 10's automatic BCS berth and head to Pasadena to take on the Pac-10 champ. As far as at large berths go, Iowa will probably claim another for the Big 10, and Penn State has an outside chance of grabbing one also. If they didn't get an at large, PSU would be slotted into the Capital One bowl vs. a SEC team.

Wisconsin, then, was priced out of the BCS a long time ago. Even at 10-2, it would have been unlikely for them to move from their slot in the Outback bowl, and at 9-3 (assuming a win in two weeks over Hawaii) they won't drop from that perch either. Further, Wisconsin's team is a young one. They have performed remarkably well for such a freshman-sophomore loaded squad, and I see only bright things ahead of them.

Northwestern was in a similar bowl game spot. With the upset of Iowa and the expected victory over Illinois, Northwestern had vaulted themselves to 7 wins and past the rest of the mushy middle of the Big 10 to claim a ticket to the Champs Sports bowl. The victory today gives them eight wins, but they still sit behind Wisconsin and unless the Badgers falter in Hawaii they will still have a worse record by a game. Because Michigan State lost to Penn State today, there is no team capable of leapfrogging the 'Cats. Northwestern is as stuck as Wisconsin.

So, then, we must look at this game from a recruiting perspective. Wisconsin will always do well in recruiting among Big 10 teams. They are a flagship state school known both for academics as well as athletics. They have the loyalty of an entire state, as well as a history of a great football team and will always be competitive with the upper tier Big 10 teams for recruits. A victory tonight wouldn't have altered that in any meaningful way.

Northwestern, by contrast, could gain a significant boost from this victory. With today's win they have sealed an eight win season after coming from virtually nowhere to reach nine wins last year. They will not only be going to a bowl two years in a row, but a warm weather bowl at that (no Pizza! Pizza! here). Despite the dismal beginning to this season, they defeated two of the three ranked teams they played against, and came one quarter away from upsetting the third when Penn State came to town. These upsets, if they can be combined with the 'Cats first bowl victory in 60 years, would seal the impression in recruits minds that Fitz is determined to build a consistently winning program in Evanston that will compete with the conference's upper tier.

Thus, the team that needed the victory most managed to pull it out, and I am at least moderately happy for that.

After the jump, I do a multiple personality recap of the action on the field...

Bama Hawkeye takes a look at the sweet goods on the line this weekend in the Big 10...

Graham and Law Buck engage in dueling coverage of the OSU and Michigan rivalry game...

The only way to really address the in game action today is for me to look at it both as a Northwestern fan and a Wisconsin fan. Because Northwestern comes first alphabetically, I'll start with them.

Northwestern:

It was good to see the 'Cats start this game off on all cylinders. I like this style of play much better than their "wait until we're down by an absurd margin and then mount a nail-biting comeback" gameplan.

Kafka lead the 'Cats on their opening drive from the Northwestern 25 yard line for a score. The defense then answered that by coming out of the gate and largely containing the John Clay led Badger offense and forcing them to punt away their first possession. Both teams then three and outed before Northwestern managed to end the quarter with a field goal to take a 10 point lead on Wisconsin.

Offense:

I was heartened by the fact that all of Northwestern's running backs - Scott Concannon, Stephen Simmons, and Arby Fields - managed to make contributions to Northwestern's game today. At least Concannon and Fields will be back next year, and I am unsure if Simmons, a senior with another year of eligibility, will stay as well. Even if Simmons is gone, the competition between Concannon and Fields during camp next year will only be a positive for Northwestern. It is true that Northwestern runs a spread offense from the shotgun, but having versatile running backs to compliment the mobile QBs will always make the receivers more dangerous.

The second quarter was not quite as kind to the 'Cats. Wisconsin carried over their drive from the 1st and converted it into a John Clay touchdown. Northwestern managed to get the ball back for all of one play before it was fumbled away by Scott Concannon and recovered by Wisconsin. While I never like to see turnovers, I can't put too much heat on Concannon as he has been quite sure handed for most of the games this year. Wisconsin went to their tight end for a TD to give Bucky a four point lead.

Stephen Simmons then broke off a great 64 yard kick return to put the 'Cats within smelling distance of the Badger redzone. Mike Kafka rattled off several passes to Drake Dunsmore, Zeke Markshausen, Arby Fields, and Andrew Brewer to once again take the lead at 17-14. I was happy to see Kafka playing in a much more mobile and healthy way than in the last few games, and it was great for him to end his last regular season on a winning note. Hopefully he can cap off his time at Northwestern with a bowl victory in a few weeks.

Northwestern's defense three and outed the Badgers and then on their next drive Kafka executed a great end-around pass to Markshausen who pitched it downfield to a wiiide open Sidney Stewart. The ball was perfectly thrown and took advantage of the Wisconsin secondary, which isn't exactly the most dominant in the Big 10.

Northwestern regained their 10 point lead 24-14 and never really looked back. Stefan Demos once again looked his automatic self and tacked on three more field goals for the remainder of the 'Cats 33 points.

Defense:

The final score of today's game really doesn't do the defense justice. Yes, the 'Cats let Bucky come unacceptably close to a comeback win, but the defense played a good game for all 60 minutes. Three different Wildcats had sacks - Brad Phillips, Corey Wootton, and Vince Browne. The 'Cats managed to hold John Clay to only 102 yards rushing and 1 TD, which is pretty good considering he's the best RB in the conference. They also managed to step up in the crucial moments, forcing two turnovers during the forth quarter. Brian Peters recovered a clay fumble, and Jordan Mabin ended the late Badger threat with a great interception of Tolzien in the final seconds.

All in all, a good way to end the season. I think with a healthy Kafka the Wildcats will be very competitive come bowl time, and I'm looking forward to a great Champs Sports Bowl match up.

Go U! NU!

Wisconsin:

Now, I'll let my slightly more depressed dairy state side take over. This really was a trap game for my Badgers. While they were coming off three wins, Purdue, Indiana, and Michigan aren't exactly formidable competition this year. Northwestern is a deceptive team who had only been getting better as the season has gone on. It seemed that the Badgers were in danger of looking past both Northwestern and Hawaii towards the bowl season, and I think that's just what they did.

The Badgers simply played sloppy football, and it cost them the game.

Offense:

The one bright spot on the white and red side of the ball was the offense. The Badgers executed a balanced gameplan that got more dangerous as the game went on. Yes, they started off slowly, but Clay managed another triple digit ground game with a score, and Scott Tolzien threw for 235 yards and 2 TDs - both to the newly full strength Garrett Graham. Nick Toon also showed why he's going to be a big threat for years to come, as he had 7 catches for 70 yards, a nice follow up to his 98 yard game at Michigan. I don't know that he will ever live up to his father's stats, but he is definitely a solid part of the Badger offense and has a good chance to be their top receiver for the next year or two.

For all his inconsistency this year, Tolzien had a solid game, throwing only one interception in the closing seconds on a last ditch effort to move the Badgers downfield. For someone who was presumed to be a career backup at best, this season has been a good one and I'm looking forward to next year. Wisconsin finally has a quarterback who can make both the short quick throws and the deep passes. I'd like to see a win against Hawaii and a bowl victory to cap off his first starting season... regardless of what happens in the next few weeks, the competition between him and Curt Phillips will make for an interesting camp next year.

Defense:

Unfortunately, this was not one of the defense's better efforts. They allowed the most points they have all season, even more than they did to Ohio State, and even my other half would agree that the 'Cats are most certainly not the Buckeyes. Frankly, the Wisconsin defense was just not equipped to handle the Northwestern spread. The secondary is the weakest part of the defense and it showed. Kafka burned the Wisconsin defense for 326 yards passing and 2 TDs. The defense also looked completely fooled by the end around to Zeke Markshausen... he's a receiver for goodness sakes! He shouldn't be able to throw a TD! Gah.

This was also only the third game of the entire season in which the Badgers had no interceptions (the other two were against Northern Illinois and Iowa). They did have one fumble recovery, but lost the turnover battle overall. Still.... this is a young unit and can only really get better next year. I just hope we don't draw a spread based team in a bowl game, or it could get ugly.

Special Teams:

Once again, the special teams was a Jekyll and Hyde unit. Two separate returns best show this.

In the second quarter, Isaac Anderson inexplicably picked up a kickoff in the end zone and ran the ball out... to the 5. Ugh. Wisconsin managed to get the ball out to their 18, but the resulting punt gave Northwestern great field position near midfield, and the Wildcats would convert that into a field goal. Sigh.

In the third quarter, though, the special teams partially managed to redeem themselves when David Gilreath returned a a punt 68 yards for a TD which pulled Wisconsin within 3 of Northwestern.

The kick coverage today was similarly mediocre. Northwestern managed one 60+ yard return and several 30 yard returns. Their shortest return was for 12 yards after a Welch field goal. That's not really a dominating performance.

The interesting thing about this game is that both Northwestern and Wisconsin have ST units coached by the head coaches. Northwestern, for the most part, manages to do it right. They constantly execute good returns and usually do not make stupid mistakes. Wisconsin, by contrast, is prone to such mistakes and to sloppily executed tackling on their return coverage. Simply put, as long as Bielema is still coaching that unit, you never know what you're going to get. Until he finally gets a full time coach, it will always be the Achilles heel of this squad. It is long past time for that change to happen.

Disappointing as all that was, I must give credit to the Badgers for not giving up. They fought hard and pulled within two points, taking the game down to the final seconds. They can still end the season strong in Hawaii, and a bowl victory would prove that an excess of youth does not necessarily spell doom in the NCAA. In truth, they can only get better from here.

So...

On to Hawaii, On to the regular season finale, and ON WISCONSIN!!!!

The Adversarial System

hmlee — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:53:35 -0000

The Adversarial System

This is an alert for our Rivalry, Esq readers - especially those of you who proudly wear the purple and hail to the orange. Stay tuned for a very special recap this weekend as I take my show on the road. Yes, I am going behind enemy lines and following the Wildcats down to Champaign for the Northwestern - Illinois rivalry game. I will be going to the game and tailgating with a group of friends, but if you have suggestions for gameday (or post gameday) places / things to see in the Champaign area, please let me know in the comments...

Just an Upset: Northwestern Knocks Off Stanzi and Iowa Too, 17-10

hmlee — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:19:56 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

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Wow. What a finish. I think I finally know how Iowa fans have been feeling most of this season. Northwestern has had some memorable games this season - scares against Eastern Michigan and Miami(OH), come backs against Purdue and Indiana - but even through all of those, I think today's win against formerly undefeated Iowa qualifies as the most memorable of the year.

I was asked during the live game thread if Northwestern winning out (including the Iowa victory) would make this season a success. My reply was that unless it was combined with a bowl win against a decent or good team, the answer is no. As thrilling as this victory is, it's merely one great moment in a season full of disappointments.

But we can talk about that later. For now, let's just bask in the upset glow...

Once again during a Northwestern game I saw a starting quarterback taken down by injury and replaced by an ineffective backup. Except, this time, that injury came on the other side of the ball. The biggest news from this game, aside from the final score, was the injury to Ricky Stanzi.

The injury happened in the beginning of the second quarter. Pinned down on their own 6 yard line, Stanzi took the snap in the end zone to attempt a pass. The Iowa defense, for some inexplicable reason, failed to cover Corey Wootton who rushed in from Stanzi's right side and took him down. Stanzi fumbled the ball and Marshall Thomas fell on it for Northwestern's first TD of the game.

Stanzi didn't get up.

He managed to walk off the field, which probably saved a few emergency rooms in Iowa City from having a new crop of admits. The update during the middle of the game suggested that Stanzi, who did not return, suffered some sort of ankle sprain. There was no information on how soon he would return to play, but it's not likely to be a season ending injury.

That's pretty much the only good news Iowa fans can take away from this game, as their Big 10 title hopes are now threatened and their chance at the BCS title almost certainly eliminated, barring a few losses on the parts of Florida, Texas, Alabama, and Cincinnati.

Stanzi was replaced in the game by redshirt freshman James Vandenberg, a substitution that changed the script of the game. Vandenberg showed his inexperience in a big way and the upset was on.

Read how it happened, after the jump...

Graham takes a look at the Big 10 defenses going into Week 10...

I recap the disappointing collapse against Penn State in Week 9...

We knew going into this game that Northwestern had historically performed well against Iowa, winning three of their last four contests. Even so, Iowa was a special team this year and Northwestern was, well, not. Iowa's defense was legendary and despite major injuries to their running game and inconsistency under center, they always seemed to find some fourth quarter magic to overcome deficits and get to a 9-0 record on the season. The collision of these two sets of facts led me to be completely unsure of what to expect from this game. Fortunately, it all turned out better than I ever could have hoped for.

Oh, did I mention, Northwestern is also bowl eligible now? It might only be a trip to Detroit, but at least we'll be playing football in late December / early January.

This game, like so many others, started out on a down note for the 'Cats. Northwestern came out of the gate sluggish, giving up a touchdown on a Stanzi-McNutt connection only a minute into the game. After a three and out, Iowa followed up their TD with a 39 yard field goal by Daniel Murray to take a 10-0 lead. It seemed as though the 1st quarter score would be predictive of Iowa's record at the end of the game, and I would be forced to watch a rout.

Most of Northwestern's early offensive struggles were due to the limitations of Mike Kafka. Kafka, who returned himself form an injury suffered during the Penn State game, was almost completely immobile. He was still able to complete passes at his effective clip, but the story of Northwestern's offensive line is one of inability to hold the pocket for any length of time. Without Kafka's scrambling ability, Northwestern didn't seem to be able to get much going.

After the first series of the game, Kafka was replaced by Dan Persa, he of the complete ineffectiveness against the Nittany Lions. Persa performed much better today than he did last week... Despite completing only 5 passes for 37 yards during the entirety of the game, he managed to use his legs and speed to gain several first downs for the Wildcats.

It's almost funny, in a way. Northwestern had two limited quarterbacks in this game - one who could throw but not scramble, and the other who could scramble but not throw. If only we could have fused them into one super quarterback.

Persa's legs combined with those of Scott Concannon, who had another excellent game, to generate 126 rushing yards, more between the two of them than both quarterbacks threw for combined.

The running game is one of the stories of the day. Iowa, in a change from most of the season, just could not seem to prevent Concannon from breaking off large runs. They also had trouble with the quarterback sneak, with the Northwestern offensive line pushing for yardage in several 3rd-and-short situations.

During the first half, Northwestern was helped by Iowa committing four turnovers. Two of these were interceptions (one from each QB) and two were lost fumbles. Despite these chances, Northwestern's hamstrung offense largely failed to capitalize, gaining only 14 points off all of the turnovers combined.

Northwestern's second touchdown was a nifty throw by Dan Persa to Drake Dunsmore, one of his few quality throws. That, along with a 47 yard field goal by Stefan Demos would comprise all of Northwestern's offense on the day.

But, it was enough.

Northwestern, in an almost mirror image of last week, entered the half leading 14-10. The third quarter was uneventful, a slug fast back and forth with the only play of note being a missed 46 yard field goal on a tough angle by Iowa's kicker Daniel Murray.

The fourth quarter was really where all the excitement happened - as it does in most Iowa games. The 'Cats started the quarter with Demos' aforementioned field goal to take a 17-10 lead.Iowa got the ball back but, between Brandon Wegher getting stuffed at the line on most run plays and Vandenberg overshooting his receivers, gave it right back to Northwestern after six plays.

This next drive featured perhaps the worst coaching move by Fitz I've seen all season. On 4th and 1 in their own territory, Northwestern simultaneously executed a perfect QB sneak for a first down and a timeout. The timeout wiped out the first down and forced Northwestern to punt. I'm not entirely sure what happened - it seems almost as though Fitzgerald panicked at the last minute and changed his mind, but the screw up was an incredibly bad break for the team.

Iowa managed to drive to midfield on their subsequent possession, but the game was almost ended by a Quentin Davie interception - except he couldn't hang on to the ball. Between that play and the botched fourth down conversion it felt as though the fates were aligning against Northwestern. Could they hold on? Would Iowa pull another rabbit out of their hat?

Fortunately, the answer was no. Kirk Ferentz had no more magic left. Northwestern ran down the clock to just over two minutes and Iowa, with no timeouts remaining, got the ball back for one last try. Vandenberg managed to gain a single first down before turning the ball over on downs as a result of several incomplete passes. After this, Northwestern took a knee and the victory.

Before I get into my complete impressions, a word about the officiating in the fourth quarter. There were several questionable non-calls, most for pass interference, on Iowa's last drive. I find this unfortunate, as I am always a believer in solid officiating - I'd rather not see the NCAA become the NBA, if you know what I mean. Personally, though, I don't think Iowa fans have a right to complain. Last week, Indiana was screwed out of at least two touchdowns and perhaps some pass yardage after questionable officiating. In that game, the breaks went Iowa's way, in this one they didn't. Perhaps it was referee karma.

So, what does this game all mean? Well, for Northwestern, as I mentioned above, it pretty much secures a bowl berth. It's not going to be a good bowl, and I won't really consider it much of an achievement after last year, but at the least we're not staying home in the winter.

Iowa has placed themselves behind the 8 ball for their conference championship and BCS hopes. If they manage to win out, their victory over Penn State guarantees a trip to Pasadena and a likely date with the Ducks. They can also still go to the Rose Bowl with another loss if Penn State comes back against Ohio State this afternoon. If, however, Ohio State wins out (including this afternoon) they will once again be Big 10 champions. Penn State could also secure the championship for themselves if they beat Ohio State this afternoon, AND defeat Michigan State and Indiana, AND Iowa loses to either OSU or Minnesota. Whew. Quite the muddled situation, eh?

As far as the BCS goes, Iowa is almost certainly shut out of the championship game. Their road was always difficult, given the dominance of Florida, Texas, and Alabama. Now it's almost certain that, barring everything in the rest of the season going right, they will be looking at the Rose Bowl as their best bowl option.

That's the way the situation looks right now but... you know what? I really don't care. I'm happy. This was an awesome game. I'm going to go enjoy the beautiful Chicago weather. See you next week for the Northwestern / Illinois rivalry game.

Go U! NU!

Do Not Adjust Your TV

hmlee — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:40:07 -0000

Do Not Adjust Your TV

You may have noticed that the The Rivalry, Esq. is looking a bit odd today. Don't worry, it's not you - it's us. SB Nation is implementing a new layout scheme across its blogs and the changes you see in our layout are a result of that.

Lions, and tigers, and 'Cats! Oh My: Northwestern Delays the Inevitable But Falls to Penn State, 34-13

hmlee — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:08:51 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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Before this game, Pat Fitzgerald said he wanted the Wildcats to go out and play 60 minutes of quality football. Well, he got about 45. Going into the half, Northwestern led Penn State 13-10. Going into the fourth quarter, Northwestern and Penn State were tied, 13-13. And then the wheels came off, as has happened so many times this year. Except this time there would be no late game magic, no 25 point come back, no last second Stefan Demos field goal for the win. This time, when the game clock ticked down its final seconds on Saturday, there was just the end. The end to a game that started out so promising, to an epic upset in the making.

And yet... beyond the situation with Mike Kafka, which I'll get to below, I'm not that disappointed. Sure, I'm disappointed on a season level - this has not been the year I thought it was going to be. But, disappointed in this game? Not so much. I rated Northwestern's chances of stealing this one coming into this week at 10-15%. We had the momentum coming off the epic Indiana comeback, but Penn State had been rolling lately and their defense had overtaken Iowa in the stats. A win against them would be huge, but it would not come lightly, trap game or no. I knew this, and so seeing the result, I am only somewhat let down. My only sadness comes from what could have been.

Indeed... what could have been. This game started out well enough, with Northwestern holding their own against a #12 ranked Nittany Lions team. This time, the 'Cats didn't find themselves looking at a three score deficit before they got on the board. They held the Nittany Lions to a field goal on their first drive, and then answered with one of their own on a 34 yarder by Demos. The receivers were focused and sure handed while Kafka seemed to mystify the PSU defense with quick screen and slant passes. The game would remain tied at 3 through the end of the first quarter, and the 'Cats kept up the tit-for-tat in the next one. Kafka sprinted into the end zone on a 14 yard scramble for a touchdown to open it, and all of a sudden the Wildcats were up 10-3.

Then the middle of the second quarter came.

And Kafka got hurt.

The defense tried valiantly to keep Northwestern in this game, but in the next two and a half quarters with Dan Persa, the backup QB under center, the 'Cats would only pull out three more points on another Demos field goal. That field goal would have Northwestern up by 3 going into the half, but the offense remained stalled.

Kafka was on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, and the Wildcats just weren't the same...

Graham makes an argument that Minnesota should bench starting QB Adam Weber...

My take on the insanity that was Northwestern's comeback against Indiana in week 8...

Penn State answered the Northwestern field goal shortly into the third quarter, tying the score at 13. The NU defense led by a surprisingly lively Corey Wootton kept things close, but the time of possession difference wore them out. The NU defense was on the field for 11:02 in the third, compared to only 3:58 for the offense. They just got ground down.

Starting in the fourth quarter, the next three PSU possessions would result in touchdowns. Northwestern and Dan Persa simply had no answer. Persa, though he tried, just couldn't complete the type of screens and slants that Kafka and his laser arm had connected on earlier in the game. Northwestern hasn't really had a run game this season, so the loss of the passing game basically sealed things for the 'Cats. I give immense credit to receivers Andrew Brewer and Zeke Markshausen - both made plays and took hits in an effort to keep the offense going, but it was too little, too late.

The question then, of course, is whether having Mike Kafka in the game would have changed the outcome. I can't answer that question with any certainty. Kafka was having success against PSU when he was playing, and I do think he would have connected on some of the throws and perhaps scrambled away from some of the sacks that plagued Persa. But... ultimately, it wasn't Persa who allowed three touchdowns in three subsequent possessions. The defense played well for 45 minutes but I don't know that having Kafka under center would have meant that the D would have lasted for the whole 60. Even if Kafka's presence accounted for two more touchdowns (which is being optimistic), if the defense didn't also play better, Northwestern still would have lost by seven.

So where does this leave Northwestern? The 'Cats have three games left on the season. They need one win to be bowl eligible and seal a date in Detroit. Their next three opponents are Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Only one of those games looks to be ripe for a win, but it's a road game in Champaign and Illinois just steamrolled Michigan. If Kafka is healthy and returns to form, the 'Cats should be able to take that game or steal one from Iowa or Wisconsin. If Kafka isn't healthy....

Well...

Let's just not think about that, shall we? Until next week...

GO U! NU!

A Little Rest Does a Badger Good: Wisconsin Shuts-out Purdue, 37-0

hmlee — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:38:24 -0000

More photos » by Andy Manis - AP

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Well now that's more like it. I do enjoy starting my Saturday off with a completely dominating victory by the Wisconsin Badgers. Granted, it was against the Purdue Boilermakers - not exactly the class of the Big 10 this season - but after the way the Badgers have been playing the last few weeks, it was quite satisfying.

It seems as though Wisconsin's bye week came at exactly the right time this year. Like my Badgers, I also took some rest and relaxation time, returning to the dairy state to visit family and escape the grind of the midpoint of the law school semester. It seems as though this time in the college football season has much in common with my 1L year. The Badgers and I both came out of the gate strong - staying on top of non-con foes and contracts readings. But both of us stumbled a bit through the meat of the conference schedule and midterms, staggering into this past week just hoping for a break and a time to catch our breaths. While Bucky rested up from concussions and contusions I too had an injury break - seriously, that carpal tunnel is a bitch.

Of course, it did help the newly rejuvenated Badgers that the Purdue team that showed up at Camp Randall looked more like the Boilermakers of the beginning of the season than the team that stunned Ohio State and rolled over Illinois. Purdue's offense once again lost the turnover battle, losing two fumbles and tossing one INT to Wisconsin's single garbage time interception. This alone would seem to be a significant hurdle for Purdue to climb, but unfortunately for them, it was also accompanied by a rash of drops among their receiving core. I don't have a total of the number of balls that bounced off their buttery fingers, but it seemed that any time Purdue got a bit offensive momentum, they were undone by a receiver forced incompletion. This had the effect of killing most of their drives before they even got started. Some of these incompletes were due to the aggressive and solid play of the Wisconsin D, who showed great coverage, especially in the secondary. The efforts of the secondary kept Purdue from making big plays - their longest pass play went for only 16 yards, and the linebacker Culmer St. Jean seemed to be tackling guys all over the field.

In fact, with one notable exception, almost everything about this game was positive, and I can't recall a recent conference game that has been quite as fun to watch as this one.

More about that exception as well as my takes on the great, the good, and the mediocre after the jump...

Graham takes a look at the defenses in the Big 10...

My week 7 recap of the Iowa travesty...

My Bucky the Badger pumpkin wishes you a happy Halloween!

As I said above, there really was not much, if anything, bad about the play of Wisconsin this game. So, instead of going with the tried and true (and some might say cliche) break down of the good, the bad, and the ugly, I'll be bringing you an edition of the great, the good, and the medicore.

The Great:

John Clay: Big, bad John Clay is baaack, and I am quite happy to see him return from the bye in apparently good health. Clay took a huge hit in the Iowa game two weeks ago and completely lost effectiveness during that game's second half. He suffered some sort of leg injury and I feared that he might have been out for a few games or done for the season. Instead, Clay rolled over Purdue's run defense for a total of 123 yards and 3 TDs. He, along with Philip Welch, was the entirety of the Badger offense today. If Clay keeps this rate of production up against Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern, and Hawaii he should easily surpass 1,000 yards and may make it into the upper teens in TDs. Those would be very nice stats from a guy who wasn't even the sole running back going into the season.

The defense: The young Badger defense, which had been plagued by inconsistency of late, giving up twice as many second half points as first half points during their last two games, stepped up today and showed why they should be feared in the conference for the next several years. I touched on the play of the secondary above, but really, the entirety of the defense played well. They had a consistent pass rush on Joey Elliot, and managed to contain Ralph Bolden to only 37 yards on 10 carries. And what's more, they managed to not fold in the second half as they have done several times before this season, preserving the shutout. They started strong and finished strong, which is what I want to see out of them on a weekly basis.

The Good:

Philip Welch: Welch has been struggling lately so it was good to see him post another perfect game. Welch made three field goals, for 22, 32, and 42 yards as well as four extra points. Welch was sporting spiffy new black socks today and I say, if a wardrobe change is what it takes for our kicker to be consistent, then lets just have him wear whatever color socks he wants. Red socks? Black socks? Those rainbow socks with the cute little toe thingies? Fine by me! Wisconsin is a very good team when it comes to scoring in the red zone, but for the times when the offense fails to punch it in, we need our kicker to be able to make the chip shots and ensure points on the board. Hopefully Welch will continue playing like he did today for the rest of the season.

Lance Kendricks: Kendricks had a solid game at tight end today, even despite the lack of a Badgers passing game. Kendricks was brought into the run game and managed 91 yards on 4 carries, with his longest being a brusing 51 yarder. Wisconsin has always had a great tight end team between Garrett Graham and Kendricks, but it was heartening to see him make an impact even when Tolzien was pretty much a non-entity.

Special teams: I have a bone to pick with part of the special teams below, but I would like to mention the blocked punt by David Gilbert which was returned into the end zone for a touch down by Aaron Henry. This turned a 17-0 advantage into a 24-0 pounding going into the half. It's good to see all units of the team keep up the pressure and grind their opponents down instead of letting them make adjustments and get back into the game.

The Mediocre:

Scott Tolzien: I have been one of the bigger Scott Tolzien bosoters in the blog world, but his play the last few weeks has been on the bad side of medicore. Coming into this game he had five interceptions and no TD passes in the last two weeks, an alarming change from his 9-3 TD-INT ratio through the first five games of the season. Well, he didn't throw any interceptions today... but that was largely because the coaching staff decided to take the ball out of his hands. He threw only 13 times with six completions for 87 yards, no TDs, and no INTs. On the one hand, I feel a bit bad about quibbling with this decision when it seems to have led to the shutout win. On the other hand, I wonder if Tolzien's confidence hadn't taken a hit in the last two games, and it might have been nice for him to throw a TD or at least triple digit yardage coming off the bye. Hopefully Tolzien can regain his confidence and performance levels from the start of the season and help carry the Badgers to a bowl victory this year.

Special teams punt returning: David Gilreath, I'm looking at you. Gilreath had one or two good punt returns when the Badgers were already up by 24, but he made a completely inexcusable decision on the first punt return of the day, when Wisconsin was only up by 7. Gilreath caught the ball at the 5 and then somehow managed to run sideways and backwards for a loss of 2 to pin Wisconsin on the 3 yard line. This has been going on all season and it has got to stop. I don't know whether we need a different return man or an actual special teams coach, but something needs to change. Wisconsin cannot keep getting hamstrung by its own return game if it expects to contend at the top of the Big 10 or in bowl games.

Those two issues aside, Bucky played a solid game today and looked like the 5-0 team from the start of the season instead of the 0-2 team from the last few weeks. I'll conclude this wrap-up with wishes for an awesome and safe halloween for everyone up in Madison (I wish I was there!) See you next week and...

On to the Hoosiers, On to 7-2, and ON WISCONSIN!!!

Hey Hoosiers, How's That Queso Smell? Northwestern Claws Out a Win Against Indiana, 29-28

hmlee — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:13:51 -0000

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Well, if anything confirmed that Indiana is going to be enjoying the Queso Bowl during December, today was probably it. Leading 28-3 in the 2nd quarter, the Indiana Hoosiers somehow managed to let the Northwestern Wildcats wake up and steal this game right out from under them. Indiana currently sits at four wins and with games against Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Purdue finishing out their schedule, six wins and bowl eligibility is going to be very hard to come by.

Northwestern, of course, isn't in much better shape. They need one more win from the group of Penn State, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Given Illinois' horrid play this season, and the stellar play of those other three teams, it's easy to say why today's victory against Indiana was so crucial for Northwestern. If Northwestern can beat Illinois (or, shockingly, upset one of the stronger teams) they can get their six wins and won't be staying home this December.

Of course, a trip to Detroit isn't exactly what I had in mind at the start of this season. 2009 has been quite the dismal and disappointing year for this Wildcat fan. I've been taking a break from my Northwestern writing recently, having focused on Wisconsin and the general Big 10. This was partly due to the fact that I was actually in the Dairy State for the past few Saturdays (and, as such, couldn't see the Wildcats), but the mediocre play of Northwestern also had something to do with it. It gets hard writing about losses, after all.

Indeed, during the first quarter and a half of this game I was attempting to come up with a way to write about another heartbreaking loss at Ryan Field without sounding completely fatalistic. But, thank goodness, that will not be necessary as today I get to write about a vintage Cardiac Cats come from behind win - and I am happy!

This game really did not start out well for Northwestern. A few days ago, we linked to an article on ESPN about the team that got away from the Big 10 - the former founding member - The University of Chicago. Today, it really looked as though my undergrad alma mater Maroons had decided to come up north and take the field in place of the Wildcats. For those who don't know, The University of Chicago is a Division III team.

Yeah, that's how bad it was...

The Rivalry has been featured on CBS Sports! Check out our CBS articles on the Big 10 conference and OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor...

Graham takes a look at the top 11 plays of this season in the Big 10...

A quick summation of the hell that was the start of this game, and my thoughts:

- First play from scrimmage, Indiana has the ball:

Darius Willus rush for 70 yards for a touchdown.

Uh-oh... well... okay, I mean, maybe the Wildcats just had a long night.

- 7-0 Indiana, Northwestern's first series of the day:

Mike Kafka pass incomplete, Kafka pass complete to Arby Fields, Kafka pass incomplete, Stefan Demos punt.

So maybe both the offense AND defense had late nights. It's okay. Just a 3 and out. No need to worry yet...

- Halfway through the 1st quarter:

Ray Fisher punt return for 35 yards to Northwestern 28, rush for no gain, Ben Chappell complete pass to Troy Wagner for 13 yards, Northwestern 5 yard penalty, Mitchell Evans 3 yard rush, Tandon Doss 5 yard rush, Mitchell Evans 1 yard rush, Ben Chappell rush for 1 yard for a touchdown.

Okay, can somebody, anybody, PLEASE MAKE A TACKLE? IS IT THAT HARD? REALLY? HOW MUCH TEQUILA DID YOU GUYS DRINK LAST NIGHT?

- Start of 2nd Quarter, 14-0 Indiana, Indiana at the NU 37:

Chappell pass complete to Tandon Doss for 6 yards, Chappell pass complete to Damarlo Belcher for 19 yards, Chappell pass complete to Wagner for 10 yards, Darius Willis rush for 3 yards for a touchdown.

Sigh... I just... yeah... sigh...

- Demos kicks a 28 yard field goal, 21-3 Indiana...:

Stefan Demos kickoff for 63 yards returned by Ray Fisher 93 yards for a touchdown

Oh good god. Why did I get up today? Why?

At this point, Indiana was up 28-3 and it was looking like it might be a good day to go do some laundry during the 2nd half. I held on, however, partly because of irrational hope and partly because I really did not want to start working on my Crim Law outline.

Somehow, though, in the end of the second quarter, Kafka and the combined forces of Andrew Brewer, Zeke Markshausen, Sidney Stewart, and Drake Dunsmore managed to remember how to play football and scored two touchdowns to make it to halftime, trailing by only 11 points.

So, you might ask, if this was a win, when do I get to the part about the winning? Patience. I'll get there. We just have to slog through the rest of this nightmare first.

Very little happened in the third quarter, with the exception of an interception by Mike Kafka, a blocked Indiana punt which turned into a Northwestern safety, and another Kafka interception.

The second interception thrown by Kafka came at midfield and resulted in Indiana having the ball at the Northwestern 23, leading at this point 28-17. Most of the momentum up until this interception had been in Northwestern's favor, but I felt completely deflated after watching Indiana's Austin Thomas haul in the Kafka pass that looked as though it had almost been thrown right to him. Fortunately, I soon regained a certain measure of confidence.

This is because Indiana is bad. Hilariously bad. I mean it. Really, really bad.

Somehow Indiana managed to screw up a 1st and goal at the Northwestern 7. They rushed the ball to the 2 yard line, before getting pushed back by the defense to the 5 yard line. At 3rd and goal on the five, they completed a pass just short of the end zone, leaving them with 4th and goal at the 1 yard line.

Okay, pop-quiz time. You're Bill Lynch, head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, and it's 4th and goal. You're leading by 11 points and your team is at the one yard line. What DO you do?

A.) Send the field goal unit out onto the field and take the three easy points for a two touchdown lead.

B.) Aggressively go for the touchdown by pounding the ball up the middle with your biggest back.

C.) Put the ball in the hands of your quarterback Ben Chappell (who had three TDs against Illinois) and trust him to complete a pass.

D.) Line up your team in the Wildcat formation with Mitchell Evans under center and attempt to sneakify the ball into the end zone.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Those of you who guessed D, congrats, you understand the bizarre psychology of the Indiana coach. The rest of you, see me after class.

Seriously, though, what on earth was Bill Lynch thinking? You're one yard away from a TD that would put you up by 18 points and instead of just conventionally attempting to get into the end zone, you run a Wildcat play for a two yard loss?? My god. Look, I know some other Big 10 coaches have had touchdown success with trick plays this year (Brett Bielema, I'm looking at you) but usually a trick play only works if the defense doesn't see it coming. Not, you know, if they see you're lining up in the Wildcat formation which you've already used at least twice in the game before and know exactly who the ball is going to and when.

The 4th quarter of this game did not end the insanity. The Wildcats were still deep in their own territory after getting the ball on downs from Indiana's failed TD attempt. After marching to midfield, Kafka managed to complete a long pass to Andrew Brewer who chugged his way with an Indiana defender hanging off his helmet for a total of 51 yards and a TD. It was almost as though Brewer felt that if he didn't get that ball into the end zone right then and there, Kafka was likely to deposit it back into an Indiana defender's hands, keeping Northwestern off the board yet again. That touchdown put the Wildcats within two points, down 28-26.

So this must be the point where the drama stops and the winning starts, right? Right?

Well... no, not really.

The defense managed to step up and hold Indiana in their own territory to force a punt. Kafka and the offense back and then he, after only one play, threw yet another interception. Whoops. There goes that comeback drive.

Fortunately the defense didn't seem to resent being hauled back onto the field quicker than they could down a cup of Gatorade and was able to, once again, keep Indiana off the board, despite allowing Indiana to make it all the way to the Northwestern 33 yard line. This was aided by yet another Bizarre Bill decision to throw the ball on 4th and 3 instead of running it or going for the long field goal, thus turning the ball over on downs again when the pass fell incomplete.

At this point, it seemed that the Northwestern coaching staff wised up and realized that they could not trust Kafka to abstain from being intercepted during a crucial drive. So, they put the ball in the hands of Scott Concannon who somehow managed to carve up the stout until then run defense of Indiana. Concannon has missed much of this season due to a concussion, so it was nice to see him get into this game and make an impact on the ground. When the coaches did let Kafka have the ball, they forced him to throw only very short passes or keep it to himself and scramble for downs. Probably a good idea, at this point.

Northwestern made it all the way to the Indiana 2 yard line before failing to score a TD. Stefan Demos kicked a 19 yard field goal to put the 'Cats up by 1 point with under 30 seconds left. I can't lie, at this point I was very, very nervous. I really had hoped for the TD to give the 'Cats some breathing room and I was not at all confident that the defense could keep Indiana out of field goal range.

Luckily, Northwestern was aided by the fact that Indiana was out of timeouts. Yes, that's right, Bill Lynch had somehow managed to use all of Indiana's second half timeouts before the 4th quarter was even halfway over. I don't think I've ever seen poorer clock management on the part of a Big 10 coach, except for maybe Brett Bielema's MSU shenanigans from seasons past.

This turned out to be a difference maker because Indiana simply lacked enough time to run all but one pass play. They were forced to attempt a 59 yard field goal on 2nd down which, while kicked quite far, fell short of the goal posts and ran out the final seconds on the clock, preserving the Northwestern one point lead.

This game really reminded me of the game against Purdue, and it's not just because both teams are from Indiana. Northwestern won today as much because of their own play as because of mistakes and poor play on the part of the opposing team. Against Purdue, it was a large number of turnovers that made the difference, and today it was poor clock management and play calling decisions that doomed Indiana. Now I don't mean to disparage the excellent second half play of this team - the defense really stepped up and players Nate Williams, Ben Johnson, Quentin Davie, and Brian Peters showed what this defense is capable of. But... the reality is that you can't depend on the other team to make mistakes and give you the game on a silver platter. Letting yourself get into a 28-3 hole and then expecting to win is crazy. Lord help us if we actually do make it to a bowl and play like this.

Despite all the disappointments this season has held, I am happy for the win today and am looking forward to the last few games. Perhaps six wins and a bowl await, and then, while I will be considerably let down, I will at least know that we are better than Illinois, which is what really matters, right?

So, until next week...

Go U! NU!