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jhodges
Post-Game
Posted
9/30/12
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Post-Game Analysis: Indiana
by Jonathan Hodges
Northwestern
(5-0, 1-0) posted its first calendar month with five wins since October
1959 as the Wildcats beat the Indiana Hoosiers (2-2, 0-1) by a final score of 44-29
to cap off their four game homestand. The 'Cats took a 20-0 lead into
halftime and after scoring a touchdown on the opening drive of the
third quarter, NU looked like it was ready to roll to a blowout with a
27-0 lead, but Indiana made things interesting as they went to the deep
pass to gauge NU and fight back to a one score game 37-29 early in the
fourth quarter. But as they have done all year, NU went to the ground
game to seal the victory as Kain Colter scampered for his fourth
rushing TD on the day to bring the score to the final margin as the NU
defense kept Indiana off the scoreboard the rest of the way to seal the
victory.
It's
never easy being a Wildcat fan, and the second half of this game once
again proved that, but the Northwestern ground game should surely give
confidence to Wildcat fans as NU is now averaging 255.8 yards per game
on the ground and a very solid 5.0 yards per carry while tallying 14
touchdowns on the ground through five games this year. The rush defense
is also solid, despite allowing some room to run to Indiana, having
allowed just 90.0 yards per game on the ground.
All
in all, the 'Cats have reached 5-0 and are just one win away from bowl
eligibility for the sixth consecutive season, but NU and its fans have
their target set much higher this year, and being a Legends Division
contender certainly seems to be in the cards if the Wildcats continue
to perform like they have through September.
Player of the Game: QB/WR Kain Colter (14 carries for 161 yards, 4 TDs; 9 receptions for 131 yards; 1-of-3 passing for 2 yards, 1 INT)
Kain did it all today racking up a ton of yards on the ground and as a
receiver, which caught some for a surprise early but is certainly no
big deal considering his performance last season. But his ability to
scamper to the end zone helped the 'Cats claw out a win here as he
continues to find different ways to propel NU to victory.
Northwestern Honorable Mentions: RB
Venric Mark (29 carries for 139 yards, 1 TD; 2 receptions for 8 yards;
1 punt return for 2 yards; 2 kick returns for 21 yards), K Jeff Budzien
(3-of-3 on FGs with 44 yard long, 5-of-5 on XPs), LB Damien Proby (14
tackles - 10 solo).
What to Work on: Staying Focused (for the second consecutive week):
Northwestern jumped out to a big lead but let that almost crumble late
in the game thanks to errors in all phases of the game: not taking care
of the football on offense, allowing a kickoff return for touchdown,
and allowing deep pass completions even with good coverage. Fitz has
already committed to shaking things up on special teams, while on
defense focus needs to be on swatting the ball away instead of
passively waiting for the pass to arrive. Finally, the offense is
humming along quite nicely (NU set a school record for total offense
with 704 yards on the day) and NU needs to keep its mental edge going.
Go 'Cats!!!
--
Jonathan Hodges
Contributor, HailToPurple
Web: http://www.hailtopurple.com/jhodges/
Twitter: @hailtopurple
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hailtopurple
Email: j-hodges@alumni.northwestern.edu
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