Posted
11/12/07

 





The fourth quarter curse is a myth.

Northwestern, as it had this season in games against Purdue and Iowa, came into the fourth quarter with a three-point lead against Indiana, only to find itself quickly trailing.  However, unlike in those earlier contests, the 'Cats were able to claw back, tearing out a 31 to 28 win against the bowl-eligible Hoosiers.

With the win, NU itself becomes bowl eligible, but with a long way to go to actually snag an invitation to the postseason.

The game started promisingly enough, with the Wildcat offense overcoming some initial kinks to march down the field via great passes to Lane and Sutton.  With the offense stuck at the IU 11-yard line, Villarreal kicked to put NU on the board and in the lead.

That lead lasted shorter than Notre Dame's 2007 homecoming celebration.  The Wildcat kick coverage decided to make the game more interesting by helpfully escorting James Bailey 91 yards to a touchdown.  Things started to look like they might be coming unglued (and NU might have started its fourth quarter curse three quarters too early) on the next drive, which resulted in Bachér throwing a pick.

However, the Wildcat defense, as it has a key moments throughout the season, stepped up and forced the Hoosiers to a three and out.  With its foiled drive, Indiana used just a minute, 36 seconds-- its only time of possession in the first quarter.

The Hoosiers would definitely have more possession time in the second quarter, however, slicing and dicing their way through the Wildcat D to go up 14 to 3.  When Bachér and company responded by throwing an interception in the endzone for a Hoosier touchback, the ghost of Air Willie could be heard loudly leaking air across Ryan Field. 

Then Eddie Simpson pulled off the granddaddy of all momentum shifts.  On third down, Hoosier backup quarterback Ben Chappell set foot onto the field and promptly fired off a pass... to Simpson.  Simpson shot back 41 yards the other way, burning the newly-converted Hoosier offensive / defensive secondary and scoring the first Wildcat touchdown off of a pick since the Sun Bowl.

Indiana opened the second half with a drive that culminated with what the refs initially called a long touchdown pass, despite the quarterback having flown past the line of scrimmage.  The call was eventually reversed, and the Hoosiers punted.  At least the officials had a chance to correct that key play: there were scads of other plays, mostly blatant holding on Indiana, that went mysteriously uncalled.

Holding?  Nooooo.  Another non-call.       NUSports.com photo
Cue Lane and Sutton, who again combined to scorch Indiana's defense en route to a Wildcat touchdown.  The NU defense again held, and NU, ahead by three, delivered what should have been a kill-shot: a halfback pass from Roberson to Thompson in the endzone.  However, with just over a minute until the fourth quarter, IU's Lewis lit up NU's secondary with two great passes and a touchdown. 

Up by just three, heading into the now heavily dreaded fourth quarter, the Wildcats responded... with another interception.  After a methodical drive to the IU three-yard line, and on third down, Bachér floated a pass into the endzone for another Hoosier touchback.  IU spent the next five minutes grinding away by air and land, until they had plowed 80 yards for the lead.

But there isn't a curse, after all.  And Northwestern began to execute in the fourth quarter just as they had against Michigan State and Nevada this year, and as they had so many times under Coach Walker.  The 'Cats calmly orchestrated a mix of passes to Lane and Sutton and sprints by Sutton and Bachér to drive right back to the IU three-yard line.  One more pass into the endzone, and this one-- to Lane-- was not intercepted. 

Northwestern regained the lead, kept it, and with it secured a monumental sixth win.  In the eight seasons from 2000 to now Northwestern has finished with six wins or better five times, which is the team's longest stretch of consistent success since the late 1940s.  Even if this team does not make it to a bowl, it has made great strides from the difficulty of last year's games, and it has put together a solid season.