The Lowes Line is an e-mailed description of NU's next football game, with an invariably fearless prediction of the outcome and how NU will fare against what the other "experts" predict.  Our good friend and Brother Marcus Lowes began the broadcast mailing in 1996.  The crack Lowes Line Staff (alumni Jersey Cat, GallopingGrapes, Eric Cockerill, Joel Kanvik, Charlie Simon, and MO'Cats) have continued the Line in memory of Marcus.  For the 2010 season it returned to HailToPurple.com, for anyone to enjoy.  Thanks to the gridiron brain trust at the Lowes Line!

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Illinois State Preview and Prediction
By Eric Cockerill

Matchup: The Illinois State Redbirds (1-0, 0-0) at the Northwestern Wildcats (1-0, 0-0)
Date: Saturday, September 11, 11:00 am CDT
Television:  Big Ten Network (NU is also offering Gametracker on www.nusports.com)
Line: NU minus 27 (unofficial)

 

Recap from Last Week: 

The home opener was another in a long line of close games with a lot of excitement.  Things started out well with NU getting out to a 10-0 lead relatively quickly, but Vanderbuilt quickly righted the ship and made it close before half time.  The Cats picked up right where they left off last year, namely with good quarterback play, bad running back play, and a defense that seems completely lost on third downs.  Dan Persa showed that he can be an accurate passer who protected the ball and an impressive runner, though he took a few too many hard hits for so early in the young season.  Arby Fields looked tentative…he needs to get his feet under him by running assertively and save the dancing for later in the game if at all.  On defense, the Cats put Vandy in a lot of third and longs, but repeatedly let them off the hook.  Hopefully, some needed improvement has occurred this week and a more polished team will show up  for the home opener this week.
 

Next Up:

The Illinois State Redbirds roll into Evanston coming off a close win over a Division II team (Central Missouri) after a 6-5 record last year.  ISU has lost its last ten games against Big Ten or Mid-America Conference teams.  Coach Fitzgerald is saying all the right things about this opponent including bringing up the New Hampshire loss four years ago, but there’s really not much risk of a real upset here.  New Hampshire was a very good second teir team (Football Championship Subdivision to be exact), while the Redbirds are a mediocre second tier team.    I have to admit that I had to look up where the school was and it turns out I live only two hours away.

ISU has one really quality player, the sophomore QB Matt Brown, in addition to two serviceable running backs (Erik Smith and Ashton Leggit, both transfers from Big Ten schools).  Their defense was scorched for six TDs through the air last week and 605 total yards.   There’s really not much to say to suggest that they can keep up with NU. 

After one game, NU needs to see some improvement on defense, and this week might be just the confidence boost they need. Honestly they looked very good overall on first and second down, but they seemed unable to get any pressure on the QB on third and long.   The running attack needs some major improvement as well.  Perhaps Vandy’s above average defense has improved over last year and they will look better going forward, but I’m definitely worried.  On the positive side, Persa looked good and Junior Jeremy Ebert looked like he will develop into Persa’s go-to target when things are on the line. 

Speaking of improvement, Charlie mentioned last week that NU had finally found a dedicated punter, but don’t expect too much.  His leg strength looked suspect as he twice resorted to low screaming punts when faced with over 60 yards of open field.  Perhaps it was just jitters, but I don’t think so.  The end result was respectable, but that’s only because the punt receiver didn’t try to catch it and run.  Demos looked a little rusty as well, but he should be fine going forward.

Prediction:

I expect NU to look good this week (not too risky there).  I suspect we’ll see less of Persa running to avoid an injury and more passing to take advantage of ISU’s weak pass defense.  Look for the running game to take over the second half of the game as Fitz tries to convince this team it can run better than they did last week (not counting Persa) after the passing game has loosened up the Redbirds defense.  

Northwestern 42, Illinois State 17

If you can find someone to take the bet, I like the Redbirds to cover, mostly because NU spends the second half running.

(Record:  1-0, 0-1 against the spread)

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By Jersey Cat

Matchup: Northwestern Wildcats (2-0, 0-0) at Rice Owls (1-1, 0-0)
Date: Saturday, September 18, 6:00 pm CDT
Television:  Need to get creative...log onto www.riceowls.com, purchase a subscription, and hook up your computer to the TV with an HDMI cable.
Line: NU (- 6.5)


Outlook:

After a relatively easy go against an inferior and Div 1-AA opponent in Illinois State last week to get NU to a 2-0 start at Ryan Field, the Wildcats travel to Houston in Week 3 to take on Rice.

What do we know about Rice?  Well, a few things.  First, it's the grain with the second highest worldwide production, after corn.  It also provides more than 20% of the caloric intake for the world's population.  Finally, it's damn good under sesame chicken.

Rice University, on the other hand, is a pretty highly-regarded institution, ranked in a tie with prior conquest Vanderbilt at 17th nationally (well behind NU's ranking of 12).  It's a small school, less than half the size of
Northwestern from an undergrad perspective, and its teams play in Conference USA.  The university was named for its founder, William Marsh "Uncle Ben" Rice, who after amassing a fortune in real estate, railroad development, and cotton trading, decided to charter a free-tuition school in Houston after his death.  It happened sooner than planned.  He was subsequently poisoned by his butler, who succeeded in pork-frying Rice, but not stealing his fortune, having been found guilty of murder.

Against the Grain(s) - Northwestern all-time records against:
Rice: (1-4)
Wheat(on):  (0-0)
Maize (& Blue): (15-52)

NU comes into this game after a confidence-building effort last week against Illinois State, and plenty of backups got into the game during the 37-3 laugher.  Junior Wildcat quarterback Dan Persa has been very impressive thus far, hitting on an eye-popping 86% of his passes through the first two games.  He'll continue to target his main receivers in Jeremy Ebert and Sidney Stewart as well as tight end Drake Dunsmore, who represent a solid receiving corps with great hands.  The running game is still not exactly in high gear for the 'Cats, and Arby Fields, who is emerging as the feature back, looks to get it going this weekend in Houston after showing what he's capable of last week in going for 96 yards on 22 carries.

This game will be a little different, as Rice has the ability to make plays and get some points on the board.  Owl quarterback Nick Fanuzzi arroz to the occasion against North Texas, stepping in after starter Taylor McHargue was injured, and going long-grain with several passes in Rice's 32-31 victory.  Fanuzzi gets the start this weekend against NU.  Look for Wildcat defensive tackle Corbin Bryant and linebacker Quentin Davie to get in Fanuzzi's paella and provide the pressure to create a couple turnovers.

In preparation for the expected 80-plus degree heat in Houston, Coach Fitz turned up the temperature and humidity in the practice facility this week, and has stated he may even slow down the no-huddle spread if temps get oppressive during the game.  This one represents another one in the "games the 'Cats should win" category on the way to bowl qualification.  Should be a much closer game than last week, but Rice should be still be risotto at the end of it.

Pick:  'Cats pilaf the victory...  Northwestern 27, Rice 14.
Take NU and lay the points.

Season to Date:  2-0, straight up; 1-1 against the spread.

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By MO'Cats

Matchup: Central Michigan Chippewas (2-1) vs Northwestern Wildcats (3-0)
Date: September 25th, 11:00 am CDT
Television: Big Ten Network
Line: NU (-7)
 
Outlook: This is the game I've been dreading since the season opener. Everyone pointed to the Rice game as the trap game. NOPE, this is the trap. The Chippewas (are we allowed to call them the Chippewas, I thought everyone had to change their name except the Illini and the Seminoles) are coming off a season where they finished ranked in the top 25 and won the Mid-American Conference as well as their bowl game over Troy. They have a new head coach and have started off strong once again. They are led by junior quarterback Ryan Radcliff who over three games has already accumulated almost 800 yards in passing and three touchdowns. Last week Paris Cotton who is also a junior ran for 209 yards and has a whopping 6.2 yards per carry average this season with 6 touchdowns. They have walloped Hamptom 33-0, lost to a good Temple team in overtime and then walloped Eastern Michigan 52-14. Mind you, Temple beat the living heck out of UConn last week 30-16. This game will be a barn burner.
 
The 'Cats played well last week and were never challenged by the Owls winning 30-13. Persa again looked solid completing 24 of his 32 passes (he actually went down on his yearly completion pct) for 307 yards. He rushed for one and threw for another touchdown. The defense was stout as Quentin Davie led the team with a pick six and 10 tackles. The Owls didn't get into the endzone until 13 seconds were left in the game. The running game outside of Persa again seems to be an area of concern as Fields led the team with 17 carries and just 55 yards for 3.2 yards per carry. What the heck is this team going to do against Iowa or Wisconsin? I sure hope Fitz has something up his sleeve.
 
I am really worried about this game. The Chippewas are good, but I have to stay a believer.
 
Pick: The Cardiac 'Cats send some alumni to the hospital for stress but Demos wins it at the end
NU (listen up ESPN, it is not NW) 24, Chippewas 21
The 'Cats win but the Chippewas cover

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By GallopingGrapes

Matchup: Northwestern Wildcats (4-0, 0-0) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-3, 0-0)
Date: Oct. 2, 2010, 11:00 am CDT
Where: TCF Bank Stadium
TV: ESPN
Line: NU (-5)
 
Outlook: It is literally impossible to write a Gophers preview without reference to Caddyshack.  Do I really want to live in a world in which Hollywood is so creatively bankrupt that not one Left Coast goofball is capable of dreaming up another gopher movie?  I tried to google "gopher movies" in an effort to keep the allusions and pop references herein fresh, but I ended up on some weird Taiwanese rodent porn website that I'm sure will disqualify everybody in my family for three generations (including any future adoptive sister-wives when polygamy becomes inevitably mandatory) from ever holding elected office.  It also reduced my cut-rate anti-virus software to the digital equivalent of cottage cheese on a hot day.  Consequently, I have spent most of this evening drinking Makers and diet Coke, uninstalling crap antivirus #1, purchasing and installing shiny new antivirus #2, and cleaning/repairing the cobwebbed pile of monkey spunk that used to be my hard drive.  By the way, drinking and computing seems like a good idea, but it probably isn't, because once I found the "defrag" tool in my system tools, I got the giggles, and I've now defragged myself nine times.  I am getting sore.
 
Everybody stay with me through that meandering intro?  On to the Minnesota game.  Did you know that NU (or NWU if you went to Syracuse and your uncle got you a job at ESPN) is on a 4-game road winning streak dating back to last year and excluding any games played on the road in Florida that don't count as road games because the Wildcats were the designated home team?  The 'Cats also have won their last 7 regular season games, typically by scoring more points than their opponents.  That there is some good analyzing that you won't get in most of your so-called mainstream media previews.
 
Truthfully, there is not much mystery about this game.  Dan Persa should be eyeing that Gopher secondary like a rabid mongoose in a yard full of 3-legged kittens.  Maybe another 80%+ completion percentage day and a QB rating higher than Lindsay Lohan will finally draw some national attention to the Wildcats signal-caller.  As much fun as it should be to watch Persa go wild, most 'Cats fans will be hoping that Minnesota's conference-worst run defense finally gives the NU rushing attack the jumpstart it's been craving.  The 2-deep now has Mike Trumpy on top at RB.  Y'know, Trumpy is almost as fun to say as defrag.  If I had a Facebook page, I would update my status to "Trumpy from all the defraggin'."  Oh, this just in from the NU sports information department:  the 'Cats have not trailed for even a single minute in their first four games.  That is in part due to an efficient offense, but even more thanks to defense, turnovers and special teams.  I want more of that in this game.  The excitement of another thrilla in MN-illa will not go over well with my anticipated hangover.
 
On the Gophers side of the ball, there is really only one name to know: MarQueis Gray (which, of course, is written as if it were three names).  He's Waterboy-good on offense.  Fortunately, he doesn't play defense.  Oh, and if that MN QB seems familiar, it's probably because you've see him before; Adam Weber is starting something like his 406th straight game for the Golden Varmints. Minnesota coach Tim Brewster has a good history against the Wildcats.  But a horrid start heading into the Gopher homecoming this weekend has him saddled with Sister Helen Prejean riding him piggyback on the sidelines.  It says here that this one, unlike most of the last few between these two teams, will not be close.
 
Pick: NU 34, MN 20.  'Cats eat Varmints.  Lay the points with confidence.
 
YTD:  4-0 straight, 3-1 ATS

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By Joel Kanvik

Matchup:  Purdue Boilermakers (2-2, 0-0) v. Northwestern Wildcats (5-0, 1-0)

Date:  Saturday, October 9, 2010, 6:30pm CDT (fun fact:  this is just the 12^th night game in NU’s history, and it is almost 75 years to the day of the first-ever night game in Big Ten history, also between NU and Purdue in Evanston.)

Location:  Ryan Field, Evanston, IL

TV:  Big Ten Network

Line:  NU (-9)

Outlook:  The Wildcats host the Boilers under the lights in Evanston, coming into this game on the heels of a relatively poor effort at Minnesota.  The Gophers had dropped previous games to Division I-AA South Dakota and MAC also-ran Northern Illinois, both at home.  Northwestern escaped with a win, but it wasn’t pretty.  Its defense looked somewhat vulnerable against a wheezing Gopher offense, and the Wildcat offense, hot early, couldn’t stay on track and eventually squeaked it out.  Special teams continues to be an issue, with yet another PAT missed.  One of these times it’s going to come back to haunt the ‘Cats.

NU quarterback Dan Persa continues to be a model of efficiency, though his completion percentage finally dropped below 80% for the season (he still leads all Division I quarterbacks in terms of completion percentage).  Still, he’s averaging 9.99 yards per attempt and has 10 TD passes against only 2 picks.  His rating is a gaudy 184.6.  He’s also tearing it up on the ground.  He’s NU’s leading rusher by over 100 yards and has the highest per carry average among backs that had double-digit carries.  NU seems content to run by committee, with Arby Fields, Jacob Schmidt and Mike Trumpy all getting 30+ carries.  Schmidt leads the committee with 3 scores.  Through the air, Jeremy Ebert continues to be NU’s go-to guy, with more receptions (24), yards (436), and touchdowns (5) than any other receiver.  He also shines on 3^rd down, as was evident on TCF Field.  NU was 8/11 in 3^rd down conversions.

NU’s defense, however, struggled to stop Minnesota’s offense.  For the first time all season, NU trailed an opponent.  As is typically the Achilles heel, NU struggles in pass defense.  That may prove problematic when facing the Boilermakers, who tend to run a pass-first offense.

Purdue was idle last week, enjoying their open date.  Well, perhaps that’s a bit strong.  It will allow them the extra reps to try to get their team ready, which has suffered injuries at some important positions.  Rob Henry, the redshirt freshman quarterback, will make his first career start, and he is backed up by a true freshman who has yet to take a snap in a game.  Their senior running back, Dan Dierking, is expected to play Saturday night, but they are down their #1 receiver, Keith Smith, who will be out the entire season with a knee injury, and now their #2 wideout is also out for 3-6 weeks with a sprained foot.  Dierking might get a lot of work.  He’s averaging 5.4 yards a carry, but has managed only 2 TDs this season.  Rob Henry has also shown some running ability, with 31 carries and an identical 5.4 ypc average.

Purdue’s latest effort underwhelmed, dropping a game at home to MAC member Toledo.  Against the Rockets, Purdue allowed 4.4 yards per carry on the ground, and their pass defense allowed a high completion percentage.

So, what happens Saturday night?  Will there be joy on Central Street?  Or will the Boilers celebrate all the way back to West Lafayette?  It says here that NU scores early and often on offense, and contains the depleted Purdue offense.  Look for Persa to run through the Boilermaker defense, especially late, and to pick them apart with his arm, running up Ebert’s numbers.  With aerial weapons sidelined, NU’s defense can concentrate on bottling up Dierking and keeping him under 100 yards for the game.

Pick:  NU 28, Purdue 10.  No AEDs needed this week.

Season to date:  5-0 Straight up, 2-3 against the spread

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By MO'Cats

Matchup:  #7 Michigan State Spartans (7-0, 3-0) v. Northwestern Wildcats (5-1, 1-1)
Date:  Saturday, October 23, 2010, 11:00 am CDT (Location:  Ryan Field, Evanston, IL)
TV:  ESPN
Line:  MSU (-7 was the open)

 

Outlook:  What can be said.  The ‘Cats blew a game they should have won.  Haven’t we said this yearly for over a decade?  Not sure what can be said about this game that hasn’t been said already.  Northwestern simply was beaten by Purdue and shouldn’t have been.  The naysayers have all come out.  Are the ‘Cats going to win another game?  They have Sparty, a Hoosier team who can pass at will, the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley, the Hawkeyes, the Wrigley game vs an improved Illini team and then the Badgers.  OUCH!!  Are the ‘Cats staring at 1-7?  Fitz has had 2 weeks to pick his players up off the mat and prepare them for this game. 

The Spartans are 7-0 and have played every game this season in the state of Michigan (very weird statistic) with 6 games at home and one road game in Ann Arbor, where they humiliated the Wolverines.  They returned home last week and were behind at halftime against the Illini before rallying in the second half for 23 unanswered points, winning 26-6.  On offense, they are led by junior Kirk Cousins who has completed 66% of his passes for over 1600 yards.   Cousins mainly hands the ball to his two handed monster Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell.  Both players average almost 7 yards per carry and the NU defense is going to have their hands full containing these two monsters.  The defense is led by Big 10 Defensive player of the year Greg Jones and National Player of the Week last week after he recorded 14 tackles.  This guy just ate up Denard Robinson during the Michigan game and he will be starting in the NFL next season. 

What does Fitz have up his sleeve for Homecoming?  Fitz is 1-3 vs the Spartans including his first homecoming game in 2006 where NU jumped out to a 38-3 lead before losing 41-38.  Running the ball has been an absolute disaster this year and thoughts of just outright abandonment has to have entered the minds of every ‘Cats fan.  Persa must lead this team and be almost perfect for a shot at victory.  

Prediction:  Sparty starts out slow as they look ahead to the Iowa game (their only roadblock on the way to a potential undefeated season) and the ‘Cats jump out to an early lead.  It’s not enough

Pick:  Cats cover but MSU wins.  MSU 24, NU 21

Season to date:  5-1 Straight up, 2-4 against the spread

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By Joel Kanvik

Matchup:  Northwestern Wildcats (5-2, 1-2) at Indiana Hoosiers (4-3, 0-3)
Date:  Saturday, October 30, 2010 12:00 p.m. EDT
TV:  Big Ten Network
Line:  Indiana (+3)
 
Outlook:
 
"Those who cannot remember history are condemned to repeat it."
- George Santayana
 
This often misquoted aphorism explains why Northwestern is 5-2 and now concerned about becoming bowl eligible for the third consecutive season, rather than celebrating a win over previously (and, sadly, still) undefeated Michigan State.  Perhaps the signature play of the 2010 college football season was the gutsy fake field goal play called by Coach Mark Dantonio to defeat Notre Dame in overtime in week 3.  This play has been extolled and replayed numerous times by color analysts and ESPN commercials since its successful execution.  How, then could Northwestern fall prey to a fake punt while leading Sparty by 10? 
 
Is it time for NU to cede the mantel as the academic standard bearer of the Big Ten?  Falling for a fake punt in your own territory is inexcusable.  But so is taking a personal foul penalty on the drive after losing the lead.  And fumbling at the opponent's 1-yard-line.  NU's running game by committee was oddly effective, running for 170 yards and Persa accounted for 89 for those, and 3 touchdowns.  Persa was not his usual accurate self, going "only" 18 for 29.  Despite that, Persa continues to lead Division I-A in completion percentage.
 
Michigan State gashed NU's defense for 457 yards, including 352 through the air.  Pass defense continues to be NU's Achilles heel.
 
That will be especially problematic against the Hoosiers.  While 0-3 in the Big Ten, IU gave visiting Michigan a scare, going toe-to-toe with the Wolverines before yielding 42-35.  That offensive explosion included 480 yards through the air.  Since that crazy Saturday, though, the Hoosiers have underwhelmed, getting blown out by Ohio State and Illinois, and barely eked out a victory over lowly Arkansas State.  Not the Arkansas Razorbacks.  Arkansas STATE.
 
The Hoosiers are led by senior quarterback Ben Chappell, who completes two-thirds of his passes and has a 17-6 TD to interception ratio.  IU's leading rusher, Darius Willis, is out for the rest of the season with a groin injury.  Indiana's defense is porous, surrendering 34 or more points the last 4 games.
 
This game could be a very interesting contrast in styles.  IU struggled against athletic quarterbacks like Michigan's Robinson and OSU's Pryor, which should bode well for Dan Persa to have a big game on the ground.  And NU's defense struggles against the pass, so IU's Chappell will throw early and often.  The winner may be the last one with the ball, but will definitely be the team whose defense steps up and stops the other team one more time.
 
There's an old adage in football.  When you throw the ball, 3 things can happen, and 2 of them are bad.  Look for Persa to run wild.  NU becomes bowl eligible in Bloomington.
 
Pick:  Wildcats 42, Indiana 35. 
 
Season to date:  6-1 straight up, 2-5 against the spread

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By Jersey Cat


Matchup:  Northwestern Wildcats (6-2, 2-2) at Penn State Nittany Lions (5-3, 2-2)

Date:  Saturday, November 6, 2010, 3:30 p.m. edt

TV:  ABC regional / ESPN 2

Line:  Northwestern (+6.5)

Outlook:

Two-thirds of the way through the 2010 campaign for the Wildcats, and a lot of us are still scratching our heads, asking, “Who is this team?”  Seemingly and legitimately only a few plays from being undefeated and a Top 20 team, but when you watch, you can’t help but think that a similar level SEC or Pac 10 team could inflict some serious damage.  It’s not ridiculous to think that this contest represents the best chance the rest of the way for NU to get win number seven and go from bowl eligible to bowl certainty.

Northwestern travels to State College this week, which has been historically more of an Un-Happy Valley for NU, as the 1-5 all-time record suggests when the ‘Cats visit the geographical center of Pennsylvania. 

There’s been plenty of talk lately about the possible renaming of Beaver Stadium to honor Joe Paterno, who is gunning for his 400th career win this weekend.   Paterno Stadium?  Expect a lawsuit from the family of former Pennsylvania governor James Addams Beaver, for whom the stadium is currently named.  Paterno-Beaver Stadium, akin to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa?  Wouldn’t want to be a granddaughter of JoePa at a fraternity party when that name gets brought up.  Let’s just say it needs some additional thought.

How long has JoePa been the head coach at Penn State?  Well when he started, the team wore leather helmets and his staff had just heard about this thing called the forward pass.  Just kidding on those two, but these two are true…When JoePa picked up the head coaching reins, the NHL had six teams and the Beatles were supposedly more popular than Jesus.

Last week at Indiana, the ‘Cats came away with a three point victory in a game they sorely needed.  Wideout Jeremy Ebert was again a star, with two TD grabs, and quarterback Dan Persa continued his strong play against the Hoosiers before being lifted in the 4th quarter due to a concussion.  Persa is expected back this week against the Nittany Lions.

You’ve likely read in multiple places that the running game woes are over for NU after the victory in Bloomington last week.  After spending half the season trying to find the right fit at running back, Mike Trumpy finally cracked the century mark for NU, going for 110 yards, the first Wildcat back to do so since Tyrell Sutton in the 2008 Alamo Bowl.  Sorry, I’m not yet a buyer.  You can over-analyze stats to present the story you want, but the fact of the matter is that the running game is really not that consistent…yet.  Of Trumpy’s 21 rushes against Indy, twelve of them were for 3 yards or less, for a total of 14 yards.   He broke a few good ones, which is great, but the more telling stat is that when the game was on the line, the running game didn’t deliver.  Fourth quarter, two minutes to go, 3rd and 4 at the Indy 35 yard line.  A first down ends the game.  The result?  Two Trumpy rushes, each for one yard, a turnover on downs, and the Hoosiers come back with a TD and make us sweat an onside kick.  I think Trumpy can be the man, but the jury is still out.

Defensively, the ‘Cats did a decent job against Indiana, essentially shutting the Hoosiers’ running game down, and playing just well enough in the secondary to get the win.  They put enough pressure on the QB to cause some trouble even though they didn’t officially record a sack.

This week in Happy Valley, the order is a bit taller.  Penn State comes off a 41-31 home win over Michigan that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.  Lion tailback Evan Royster ran for 150 yards and two scores against the Wolverines, and the Wildcat defense will need to be on top of its game.  Although not a full-on QB controversy, former walk-on Matt McGloin displayed some skills in continuing to sub for freshman Rob Bolden who was sidelined, recovering from his own concussion a week earlier.  McGloin did nothing too fancy, but avoided costly mistakes in getting Penn State the win.  JoePa has yet to name a starter for Saturday’s game, but from a Wildcat perspective, it doesn't t make too much difference.  The gameplan of the Penn State QB is to not lose the game, so NU should be adequately prepared regardless.

This is a game the ‘Cats not only can win, but should win.  Fitz has been a master towards the end of the season, (9-4 in November, 5-1 on the road), getting his team to play better as the season progresses.  And the ‘Cat offense should be able to move the ball effectively, both on the ground and in the air against this Lion defense.    Add to that the fact that whether he admits it or not, Persa will be looking to prove that Penn State was wrong for overlooking him when he came out of high school as the best quarterback in Pennsylvania but wasn’t actively recruited by JoePa.

This Penn State team is good, but by no means great. They’ve beaten the teams they should beat, but have been embarrassing in their losses.  They’re very beatable.  Stopping big plays on defense and special teams will be the difference for NU.  This game is a sign of maturity as a program for the Wildcats.  A win gets guarantees a 3rd straight bowl game for the first time in school history.  Any NU fan looks at this game differently than they would have a trip to State College years ago.  There is a (maybe not so) quiet confidence about this one, and NU fans won’t look at a victory here as an upset. 

Pick: Fitz draws to within 365 wins of JoePa.  Northwestern 24, Penn State 20.  Take the ‘Cats and the points.

 

Season to date:  7-1 straight up, 2-6 against the spread.

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