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The Waterboy
2005 Archive
November 10, 2005
Fat Lady Gagged
Or, more appropriately, she choked. After the ‘Cats had bumbled
and stumbled throughout most of the first 55 minutes of the game
against the I-Away BlackEyes, the infamous Fat Lady was warming-up her
vocal cords for the game-ending aria. NU’s QB, Brett Basanez, who
had thrown a mere 3 INTs in his previous 8 games, had just given-up his
2nd and most damaging pick of the contest, missing his intended
receiver, who released downfield to the I-Away endzone after his
initial deep curl move had caused his coverage DB to fall to the
treacherous wet turf, and depositing the ball directly into the hands
of that DB. Not only did the play look terrible because Baz had
mis-read the WR’s correct pass route decision to fly downfield in the
clear, after his coverage back bit on the curl move, but BB pulled the
trigger and threw the pill to the initial curl area, right on top of
the prone DB. This offensive gaffe appeared to be the last stroke
in what was a very forgettable outing for BB.
Then, suddenly, when the outcome of the contest seemed to be a virtual
lock and NU’s offense appeared completely stymied, a remarkable
turnabout began to happen. First, the ‘Cats’ defense, which
uncharacteristically had held the BlackEyes’ formidable offensive
scoring machine to a scant 3 points in H-2, made the most crucial of
their many 2nd half stops, returning possession of the ball back
to NU’s sputtering offense with 3 minutes and change left on the game
clock. What happened afterwards was the most improbable and yet
almost expected series of plays that NU ever has converted over the
course of its 2005 football campaign. Simply stated, these final
3.5 minutes were the season defining moment for the Northwestern
Wildcats.
Larceny: How the ‘Cats Stole a “W”
From the I-Away BlackEyes
Rubber-Band Defense
Much has been said and written regarding NU’s enigmatic defense.
They give up yards in bunches, get taken to the shed and spanked for a
period of time (usually all of H-1), and allow an opponent’s offense to
score apparently at will – until they “figure it out.” I can’t
describe it any other way. NU DC Greg Colby’s squad is not a
talented bunch – not even close when compared to the notable
high-quality Ds of the Big 10/11, like the Inmates of States Penn, da
BuckNuts and … the I-Away BlackEyes. But suddenly, when observers
and foes alike least expect it, NU’s defense jells and becomes
relatively effective at controlling the LOS and getting the job done,
especially when it’s needed the most. It certainly ain’t
pretty. Other Division 1A football programs will never seek out
and pick the collective brains of NU’s defensive coaching staff for
insights regarding their game plans and strategies.
But somewhere, at sometime, after the ‘Cats’ opponent has driven the
length of the field for a TD in its opening offensive possession in
less than 3 minutes, after NU falls into an ignominious 2-3 score hole,
the oppressed D inexplicably solidifies. Where the Purple DBs
would miss previous pass coverage assignments, they maintain contact
with their coverage targets and get stingy against thrown passes.
Where the DL was blown 3 yards downfield off the LOS through entire
quarters of play, they stiffen and opposing RBs find yardage much
tougher to get. Opposing QBs begin missing receivers while their
WRs start dropping passes. Whatever the cause, the final result
is that the opponent’s offense is not quite as efficient a machine as
before. In the case of the BlackEyes, it occurred in H-2.
Instead of giving-up a game-clinching TD or FG, NU’s level of defensive
field play intensified and I-Away’s O was held relatively at bay series
after series, always ending somewhere in Northwestern territory.
In their 3 possessions of Q3, the BlackEyes’ offense drove the ball for
1, 0, and 3 first downs, sputtered and was forced to punt. On
their next 2 possessions, I-Away drove within FG range, converting the
first attempt for the only BlackEye points of the half, while missing
the second, which proved to be the major turning point of the game.
Talk about bending and not breaking! By far, this was the finest
effort of the season for NU’s defense against a quality offense,
capturing game momentum and shifting it in NU’s favor for the remainder
of the contest. WAY TO GO,
D!!!
Dr. Jekyll – Maintaining Balance
For much of the game, NU’s OC, Mike Dunbar employed the vertical
passing attack judiciously. The long bomb attempt was set-up by
short, possession passes and quick-hitting runs off tackle or towards
the defensive corner. The novel shovel pass triple option was used
occasionally, and like most rushes, was stoned at or before the
LOS. Obviously, the BlackEyes took the hint from NU’s previous
game against the Dazed & Blue Horde imitating the strategic
defensive objective to make NU’s reputed high powered O one dimensional
by shutting down the rush attack tandem of Tyrell “The Streak” Sutton
and Brandon Roberson first. And it was very effective.
However, by limiting the ‘Cats’ ground game, the BlackEyes became
vulnerable to the pass, especially the vertical variety. Whenever
Dunbar called for the downfield heave, it was open with
regularity. Only problem, BB was not connecting regularly with
his open wideouts as often as he should or could have. But
instead of folding the tents on the vertical pass option in the face of
earlier limited success, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Dunbar’s offensively astute
alter ego, didn’t can the attack altogether which had been all too
common in previous games. Instead, he reprised the vertical
passing attack, especially in H-2, and it was the greatest offensive
contributor to NU’s comeback bid. Not only did it gain yardage on
its own, but it also opened rushing lanes, especially off pass action,
like designed QB keepers. During NU’s crucial last 3 possessions
of the game, the BlackEye defensive brain trust were baffled regarding
which attack option the ‘Cats would employ for their next quick strike
yardage gainer and clueless to call an appropriate defensive set to
contain NU’s overpowering balanced offense. This balanced attack
scenario was a direct result of Dr. Jekyll’s keeping the faith
regarding the viability of the vertical
pass.
Pure Magic
What can one say about K Joel Howard’s remarkable onside kick and the
way it caromed high off the wet turf of Dyche’s Ditch as if it
rebounded off a trampoline? Having been a kicker in high school,
such a high-chopper bounce off an onside kick might occur 10-15% of the
time at best; and it certainly isn’t executable on command. That
it happened at all, in this particular game, at this particular moment,
and then recovered, when Reggie McPherson’s basketball-like leap deftly
plucked it in midair, was nothing less than magical. Where there
were high fives and congratulations all around and through the BlackEye
sidelines just 2 minutes before, there was a stunned, “Oh my Gawd”
silence and blank, slack-jawed stares. Suh-weet!!!
The Moment, The Men, The Play
There comes a moment in every football player’s career where the
planets align and the Fates (and the fans) hold their collective breath
waiting for him to execute that game-making or game-breaking
play. It happened in NU’s now-fabled, instant-classic 54-51
homecoming game against the Dazed & Blue Horde in the 2000
season. Zak Kustok and Sam Simmons were on the exact same
sentence of the exact same page of NU’s offensive playbook as each read
Michigan’s defense correctly, ran the quick Z-in slant route, and the
subsequent pass was delivered on-target and in-stride for the
game-deciding TD.
Fast forward to NU’s comeback bid against a previously dominating
I-Away BlackEyes team last Saturday. After having scored an
improbable TD on a 12-play, 77-yard drive in a mere 77 seconds; and
having recovered the subsequent desperation on-side kick off an
unbelievable bounce, the ‘Cat O stands poised on the BlackEye 9 yard
line with 50 ticks left on the clock. Here it is…
The Moment: BB & the Boys get the play from Mike Dunbar sitting in
the coach’s box high above Dyche’s Ditch, break the huddle and line up
on the scrimmage line.
The Men: NU’s unflappable QB, Brett Basanez; the team, NU’s “Semper Fi” OL; and NU’s WRs, spread across the field on the LOS.
And The Play:
True freshman WR, Ross Lane, positioned wide right at the LOS, views
the coverage set of I-Away’s secondary and sees that the called pass
play, that includes his route - which begins with a fake Z-out fade
pattern to the far-right corner of the endzone, followed by a quick
inside slant into the deep middle zone - is … wide open. The ball
is snapped, Ross makes his drive to the deep right corner drawing his
coverage DB to him, then plants his outside foot and drives hard to the
inside, separating himself from his outside-committed coverage CB and
into open space. He’s free and clear. And BB doesn’t
hesitate, delivering a laser beam into Ross’s midsection.
Touchdown, then … bedlam. It’s why the game is
played!!!
The Last Stand
All the elation and euphoria, all the histrionics and hysteria
surrounding NU’s heroic comeback would have been rendered absolutely
moot were it not for THE most important series of the game - the ‘Cats’
final defensive stand. Everyone among the Wildcat Faithful who
remained glued to their seats to witness the bitter, now wonderful
endgame knew that this contest was far from over. With the memory
of the State Penn game clearly in mind, knowing that 46 ticks remained
on the game clock and their penchant for giving up big yardage in scant
seconds, defensive captain Tim McGarigle and his teammates girded
themselves for what would be a whirlwind aerial onslaught by I-Away’s
QB Drew Tate and his receiving corps. And it did come.
However, something was noticeably different from previous series.
The BlackEye team was rattled and its O was pressing BIG TIME.
With the ‘Cat DBs clamping down on their coverage WRs, coupled with a
determined pass rush by NU’s fired-up DL, Tate and company began to
make mistakes. After an opening 15-yard completion, Tate’s 2nd
attempt was incomplete. A holding call on the next play negated a
4 yard gain, making a 2nd and 19 situation. After a 10 yard pass
completion, followed by another errant pass, Tate faced a 4th and 9
near midfield.
Here it was… deja’ vu and the State Penn 4th-and-forever all over again.
But that was then, and this is now. This time, Tate’s target of
choice, veteran WR Herb Grigsby, cut off his outside curl route at 4
yards, 5 yards short of the first down marker, because he saw NU’s LB
Tim McGarigle sprinting in for a kill-shot tackle. Lord knows
what Grigsby’s thought process was, but his focus was not on the
inbound pass, but on McGarigle and an expected heavy lumber
collision. I’ve looked at replays of this single play and, I
swear, just as the ball arrived, Grigsby flinched, his head turning
ever so slightly to his right, as if he could reposition his eye to
look out the right ear hole of his helmet towards the heat-seeking
missile, Mr. McGarigle. Final result: the ball hits Grigsby spot
on his hands and is dropped to the wet turf. For the briefest of
moments, a huge collective sigh reverberated throughout the stadium
when the bean fell harmlessly at Grigsby’s feet, then… an
eruption. Vindication! Forget State Penn!! ‘Cats Win,
‘Cats Win!!!
Conclusion
What a game. What a comeback. Afterwards, as I walked out
of the stadium, a line from the movie, A League of Their Own, kept
repeating itself, where a radio broadcaster utters, “I’ve seen enough
to know I’ve seen too much!” Ain’t it the truth – Ain’t it the
truth!!! By far, this was the biggest, most emotional comeback
that I’ve witnessed over the 35 years I’ve been associated with
Northwestern Football.
Congratulations ‘Cats – and to the NU coaching staff.
Postscript
On a personal level, one last important note…
For all the well-deserved national attention and interest that QB Brett
Basanez has engendered, for all the well-earned praise heaped upon the
outgoing seniors, especially OT Zack Strief, WRs Mark Philmore and
Jonathan Fields, DT Barry Cofield and DBs Herschel Henderson and
Frederic Tarver, nothing, but nothing overshadows the vital,
indispensable contribution made by the individual who has my vote as
the team’s MVP: Tim McGarigle, NU’s very own Mad Irishman. That
last offensive play of the BlackEyes, where the target WR dropped the
well-delivered ball because he knew he was in the cross-hair sights of
Mr. MaGarigle, was, in microcosm, a reflection of McGarigle’s
indisputable impact on this team and on every game he’s played.
It was the ultimate tribute to Tim and his field play. And as he
walked off the field, I wished that I could convey to him, personally,
my heartfelt thought:
“Thank You, Tim. You make every one of us proud to be a Wildcat.”
The Waterboy
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November 2, 2005
’Cats Put On Hold
What at contrast between the ‘Cats' dominating performance against Moo
U. two weekends ago when compared to last Saturday’s game against the
Dazed & Blue Horde of Ann Arbor. Where the ‘Cats played
virtually error-free football against the Green Meanies, they were more
than error-prone as they faced the first of 3 consecutive Big Dogs of
the Big 10/11. It’s difficult to know where to start when
analyzing the causes. Basically, NU’s potent offense was
neutralized by a very determined and well-prepared Dazed and Blue
defense that effectively countered most every attack strategy thrown at
them by Cap’n Vlasic and his first mate, OC Mike Dunbar. It
certainly didn’t help that NU’s primary weapon, the vertical pass, was
employed sparingly once it began to sputter and show a modicum of
compromise due to the pass rush pressure of the Michigan defensive
front 7.
However, despite Michigan’s unrelenting pass pressure, the final
outcome of the game revolved primarily around NU’s devastating series
of offensive gaffes, both forced and unforced. First and
foremost, NU’s offensive field play was compromised greatly by
turnovers, especially the fumble made by Tyrell “Streak” Sutton and
subsequent TD return that just deflated the ‘Cats. Add the 2 INTs
off glaringly poor passes made by BB, and it was obvious to everyone in
attendance that there was something missing in the overall field play
of the Wildcats. NU’s receiving corps exacerbated the entire
issue when they contracted a bad case of dropsie at the most critical
points in the contest when BB did deliver the ball on target. But
most damaging of all were the penalties, especially the holding
calls. Mind you, holding is common and can be called on virtually
every offensive play; but against a quality Dazed & Blue defense,
where errors are magnified, a 10-yard penalty is very difficult to
overcome. And simply put, NU didn’t or couldn’t.
How the ‘Cats Lost
to the Dazed & Blue Horde
Beaten, Not Stirred
Much of NU’s success in the previous 3 games against what I called the
conference’s 2nd tier teams was directly the result of superior field
play by the offensive line. Simply stated, they have been
overpowering. So much so, that many fans have taken their quality
play for granted. However, against the Dazed & Blue Horde,
this powerful unit was met by an equally overpowering defensive front
7. Essentially, Michigan’s DL is comprised of 7 interchangeable
parts – each of which could be designated as a “starting defensive
lineman.” And Dazed & Blue HC, Lloyd Carr, knows their
individual strengths very well and substitutes these interchangeable
parts to down & distance situations like a master. Against
NU, Michigan’s DL was kept fresh and motivated, and they beat on the
‘Cat OL constantly. By end of Q3, the reliability factor of NU’s
OL was all but shut down. They were whipped puppies with their
collective tongues hanging out limp and looking for help, any
help. It was the first time I’ve seen this in them since the ASU
game. Michigan’s defensive linemen beat NU’s OL to their
game-plan point of attack, gained separation from their blocker and
converged on the ball with regularity, either stoning the NU RB at the
LOS or containing BB in pocket protection, even when he tried to roll
out beyond the defensive corner. I won’t name names here, but
anyone with TiVo or any other broadcast reply device could easily
identify who were the beaters and who were the beaten. Another
item of note: NU’s individual OL were executing one-on-one blocking
assignments very frequently against their defensive counterparts and
being physically pummeled during their attempts at execution. At
this juncture of the 2005 season, the ‘Cat OL are not young and
inexperienced, but, against one of the best defensive front 7’s in all
of Division 1A, they looked the part. Hopefully, a collective
lesson has been learned – first, by the OL, regarding what it takes
both mentally and physically to compete throughout an entire game
against similar quality defensive linemen; and second, by NU’s
defensive brain trust, regarding how to devise alternative blocking
schemes to mitigate NU’s dependence on one-on-one assignments. If
it ain’t working, it has to be changed.
The Shadow Knows
Much of NU’s reputation for offensive fireworks is due to its balanced
attack. Lloyd Carr decided to eliminate the ground game option of
this balanced attack. He schooled his defensive front 7 to attack
gaps and get into the NU backfield to compress the field of play in
NU’s backfield. And it worked well. When it didn’t, NU’s
RB, whether it was Tyrell “The Streak” Sutton or Brandon Roberson,
popped through the LOS and was in the open space behind it, gaining
10-15 yards in the process. To counter this potential
“break-out,” Michigan’s defensive brain trust positioned a DB to shadow
NU’s RB wherever he roamed. If the Purple RB dove into the LOS
between the tackles, he tried to fill the point-of-attack gap. If
the RB tried to bounce to the outside to gain the defensive corner, the
DB would drive off the tail of the DE into the wide corner contain
spot. If the RB cut back against offensive flow, the DB would
avoid getting caught in the wash of that flow and run parallel to the
LOS and blast the RB at the LOS when he turned downfield. If the
RB jogged into the flat for the wide screen or the flair pass, he would
follow and attack upfield into the RBs face as the pass was
delivered. This defensive strategy can be executed only with an
experienced DB possessing superior quickness who has the instincts to
avoid the wash of downfield blockers and who can recognize the RB’s
intent as he positions himself within the flow of the offensive
play. Michigan has a couple of those types of DBs, who shadowed
NU’s RB very well.
Bottled Up
Much of Brett Basanez’s problems in the passing game were due to the
aforementioned pass pressure by the Dazed & Blue’s defensive front
7. Obviously, Michigan’s DC noticed that Baz works very
effectively using 5 and 7-step drop-back techniques behind his pocket
protection. To counter these deeper QB drops, the Dazed &
Blue DC instructed his DEs to employ a speed rush technique and crash
the outside shoulder of NU’s OTs to compress NU’s backfield from the
outside-in, at approximately 7 yards deep – the same depth as BB’s
drop-back “comfort zone.” When BB went into dropped-back pass
mode, Michigan’s DE had gained control of his blocking OT’s outside
shoulder and was at BB’s level in the NU backfield much too
often. This outside shoulder crash technique effectively kept him
bottled-up, especially on designed roll-out passes. Now, instead
of looking downfield for an open receiver, Baz’ attention was
redirected to this crashing DE to avoid the sack. BB often tried
to circle around this crashing DE and get into the open space beyond
the defensive corner, but that crashing DE adjusted his rush to
penetrate deeper into the NU backfield and keep to the level of the
QB. Whenever Baz did gain the corner, he was at least 10-15 yards
deep into his backfield, often with that crashing DE in hot pursuit
from the inside out. This made his downfield passes 7-8 yards
deeper than normal and gave the Michigan DBs that extra quarter-second
more to react to the thrown ball. To compensate, Baz had to throw
laser beams to deliver the ball to his targeted WR.
Sometimes it was delivered spot-on, many times is just wasn’t.
Increased Inertia = Dropsie
Add to the mix that NU’s receivers had a hard time recognizing BB’s
plight, and didn’t react quickly enough to break off their downfield
routes and sprint towards the LOS to allow Baz a closer, open
target. When these same WRs did peel back to the LOS, they often
were greeted with that laser beam delivery, which, when the speed of
the receiver’s return to the LOS was added to the physics of the thrown
ball, made the bean feel like it was rocketing to them at 120
mph. There was little wonder why many of these passes caromed off
or through the hands of the target receivers. NU’s receiving
corps has employed quality reception techniques over the course of this
season, but I have no doubt that they’ve had little or no exposure to
the real-time game speed of delivered ball off BB’s hands as they
experienced during last Saturday contest. Even NU’s most reliable
wideouts were missing delivered passes. Is this looking for an
excuse? … Perhaps. But then again, I would bet that practice
sessions over the course of the Dazed & Blue game week had little
resemblance to the actual field play conditions, especially when it
came to the rifle shots Baz aimed in the direction of his WRs.
NU’s wide receivers were not prepared and dropped make-able pass after
make-able pass.
Last Resort
The blocking technique mantra of an offensive lineman:
∙ Get off at the snap of the ball.
∙ Engage your blocking target and maintain contact (keep the feet moving).
∙ As your blocking target gains separation, do not hold or clip.
Well, owning to the superior field play of Michigan’s more mature and
physically impressive defensive linemen, guess what started happening
in Q3? And it just wasn’t NU’s OC who resorted to this last-gasp
(or more appropriately “last grasp”) blocking technique. Everyone
on NU’s OL was grabbing their blocking targets. I saw it
constantly through my field glasses. And so did the
referees. In fact, the zebras saw this “last resort” technique
used on 5 consecutive offensive series, often negating a 10-15 yards
gainer. And they threw yellow hankies at the offending party, as
expected. Self-inflicted wounds, to be sure.
Conclusion
Well, this was a just few items of dubious note, and there are several
more which need not be detailed in this commentary. Suffice it to
say that this was not the ‘Cats’ best offensive effort to date in the
2005 Big 10/11 campaign. And again, Michigan fields what I truly
feel is one of the top-10 defenses in all Div. 1A. Post game
comments made by dazed & Blue D personnel ring loud with opinions
that they thought that this game was their best effort of the 2005
season. It showed big time.
One positive to be taken from this game by the Wildcat Nation was the
“apparent” improvement of NU’s defense. True, they still gave up
yards in bunches, but when Michigan HC Lloyd Carr decided to let the
air out of the game and called for a pure grinding-it-out ground game
to eat time off the game clock, his strategy was neutralized often by
an inspired and aggressive NU D. In H-2, with the game on the
line, the ‘Cat defense turned the ball over to their offense 3 times on
downs and once via McTackler’s INT, and limited the on-again/off-again
Michigan offense to a mere 2 FGs. Michigan fans could argue that
much of that defensive “improvement” could have been an indirect result
of Carr’s “bleed-the-clock,” rush-first strategy used in H-2. But
then again, maybe not.
Guess we’ll find out more regarding what truth lies in that assessment
when the I-Away BlackEyes and their quality offense and defense squads
invade Dyche’s Ditch this coming weekend.
The Waterboy
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October 24, 2005
Denied
Everyone who knows anything at all regarding the 2005 Northwestern
Wildcats knew this would happen, especially as NU prepared to face the
unreal challenge of the Big 10/11’s most prolific passing machine in
the person of Moo U’s QB, Drew Stanton, and his quality receiving
corps. This game was gonna be a shootout. How could anyone
think differently? The contest pitted the No. 3 and No. 4 passing
offenses in Division 1A, each competing against relatively vulnerable
and porous pass coverage opposition. Prognostications for this
contest referred to Moo U’s Stanton like he was the second coming of
Joe Gunn (a.k.a.: Montana, of the Noted Dames fame), having the
nation’s #1 passing efficiency rating, among several other top 10
rankings in various statistical passing categories. In contrast
to Stanton’s media darling reputation, NU’s QB Brett Basanez quietly
garnered guarded, yet enthusiastic respect from collegiate football
pundits, who described his passing acumen as more a curiosity than a
true force to be reckoned-with. After all, this was Northwestern,
the enigmatic 4-2 Big 10/11 team fielding the almost-laughable
116th-rated defense whose deficiencies are overcome weekly by its very
laudable potent offense, around whom anything could happen… and usually
did.
And wouldn’t you know it, the expected game time shootout lived up to
its advertised hype – with the most unbelievable twist. As this
aerial circus unfolded, fans of both teams watched dumbfounded and
slack-jawed, as BB & the Boys gobbled up yardage against the Green
Meanie secondary equal to Stanton’s amazing output against NU’s
maligned DBs, except for one important item. Where BB was shooting the
lights out of Moo U’s pass coverage for repeated TDs, Mr. Stanton and
Company repeatedly shot themselves in the foot baking French pastry (as
in turnovers) in the shadow of the NU goal line. After Mr.
Stanton torched the ‘Cats’ woeful pass coverage, driving 75 yards in 66
seconds off a mere 3 plays on Moo U’s opening possession of the game,
and their defense followed suit, laying a 3-and-out whooping on NU’s O,
it appeared that the Michigan College of Animal Husbandry (Michigan
State’s original chartered name) was poised to serve toasted Purple
Feline to their boisterous Homecoming Day crowd.
Then something wonderful happened – the quality Moo U football team
began to misfire in every aspect of its game-plan.
How the
‘Cats Milked Moo U. for the “W”
Blow(n Play) By Blow(n Play)
Moo U’s propensity towards baking French pastry was the headline,
however its wholesale field-play gaffes were the underlying
story. Of particular note:
1. Drew Stanton’s incomparable pass efficiency
incomprehensibly went down the drain. Like the devastating
effects of a lost good luck charm, suddenly, Mr. Stanton lost “it” and
began to overthrow, underthrow and just plain miss his receivers.
In Q1 alone, he threw 6 straight incomplete passes, and let NU’s
defense compose and collect themselves after Moo U’s initial
quick-strike TD.
2. Moo U dodged NU’s first Purple bullet when Tyrell
“The Streak” Sutton bobbled BB’s handoff for a lost fumble on Moo U’s 1
yard line (actually it was recovered at the MSU 8). After
NU’s D stonewalled the Green Meanies for a 3-and-out, aided by 2
overthrown passing attempts, MSU’s punting game went AWOL, as pitiful
punter Brandon Fields miss-hit his boot, giving NU excellent field
position at the MSU 41 to start its ensuing drive. Result: BB
& the Boys slice through Moo U’s befuddled secondary in 6 plays to
tie the score at 7. The Green Meanies look bewildered both on the
field and on the sidelines.
3. Adding insult to injury, Moo U’s FG kicker, John
Goss, makes NU’s “up-one-kick-down-the-next” PK, Joel Howells, look
like a candidate for All Big 10/11 honors. At his best, Goss is
inconsistent; at his worst he’s… well… road-kill and makes the Green
Meanie’s putrid punter look comparably spectacular. Goss’s 1st FG
attempt, at 47 yards, would have put Moo U up 10-zip and put the ‘Cats
in a deep psychological hole. Instead, his wide-right gave NU
momentum by which they drive the ball down to the MSU 1. See
above for the result. His 2nd attempt, a 37 yarder with 43
seconds left in H-1, was no better, and NU milked the miss, carrying
game momentum through halftime, then into H-2 in the form of
consecutive TDs. See
below.
Stiffened
Much of the media’s post-game attention focused on BB & the Boys,
NU’s prolific offensive machine and their uncanny ability to execute
the nuances of the spread attack and deliver points. After all,
offense sells tickets, copy and broadcast advertising-spot time.
As for defense… well, reputedly, it wins championships. However,
in the case of the way it’s played by the Wildcats, it has potential to
lose games.
Don’t be deluded by NU’s victory - the truth remains unchanged.
Although there was modest improvement, the Cat D retained their porous
profile, giving up just under their 500 yard average. When
analyzing this game more closely, the ‘Cat D did not execute Greg
Colby’s “Behold the Power of Swiss Cheese” strategies better, it simply
overcame them by taking calculated risks that had difference-making
potential. This risk-taking factor is what Our Master &
Commander alluded to when he announced that he would intervene
personally with NU’s defensive game plan and field play
techniques. Walker’s professed concept regarding defense is: if
each player concentrates on completing his defensive responsibilities
first, opportunities will open up to go beyond them and make a play for
the defensive stop or, more dramatically, the turnover. IMHO,
being so familiar with his D personnel’s shortcomings, Cap’n Vlasic’s
main objective is to stiffen the ‘Cats’ defensive resistance as much as
possible.
Key to this concept of “making plays” is to swarm to the ball as it
shows. This is exactly what happened on the play that resulted in
LB Demetrius Eaton’s 86 yard fumble return. NU’s DT Kevin Mims
shed his would-be blocker at the LOS, slanted towards the flow of what
appeared to be an option play at the NU 9 where MSU’s QB Stanton held
the ball just a moment too long. Stanton carried the ball loosely
and when Mims slammed into Stanton’s midsection, he slapped the ball
free, bouncing it off the turf right into the waiting hands of Eaton
who accepted the French pastry, turned upfield and headed straight for
paydirt at Moo U’s end zone.
Pressing A Point
Because of Stanton’s problems in executing their passing attack and
reacting to the ball movement success of BB & the Boys, MSU’s
offensive brain trust became anxious and began to press the initiative
to make something, anything happen that would stem the tide of the
‘Cats’ offensive onslaught. Exacerbating the situation, when NU’s
D stiffened, especially as the Moo U offense got within striking
distance of NU’s goalline, the MSU offensive coordinators called for a
long distance shot at NU’s end zone. Stanton received this
directive load & clear and heaved the ball to any WR running at or
inside NU’s end zone to exploit the reputed poor coverage techniques of
the ‘Cats’ secondary, often ignoring double coverage sets. These
shots played right into the hands, quite literally, of NU SS
Smith and FS Henderson, as each recognized Stanton’s telegraphed target
wideout in his bid to complete the quick strike score, then skillfully
re-positioned themselves to make the pick as the bean was
delivered. What recognition! What reaction! What
preparation!! Die Green Meanies, Die!!!
Streaking
Once Eaton returned Stanton’s forced fumble to increase the ‘Cats’ lead
to 21-7, then Henderson snatched his 1st INT at NU’s 2, then MSU’s PK
Goss’ miss-kicked a very make-able 37-yard FG wide left (all on
consecutive possessions at the end of H-1), Moo U was totally deflated
and demoralized. Not only did NU survive the brunt of Moo U’s
full-throttle assault, they exploited MSU’s own pass coverage
deficiencies and turned the tables on their Homecoming hosts. In
H-2, BB & the Boys continued weaving their offensive magic against
the Green Meanies, scoring TDs on 4 consecutive possessions. At
that juncture, with 12 minutes left in the game, NU had scored 7
straight touchdowns to Moo U’s opening drive TD and the green-clad
Homecoming crowd was waving white flags as they slowly trudged out of
Spartan Stadium. 331 yards passing off an 80% completion
percentage, complimented by 202 rushing yards, tend to do that.
Game over. Thanks for coming.
Conclusion
No doubt, this was the ‘Cats’ most overwhelming win against a top
25-ranked football team that I’ve witnessed in years. At once, it
was as unpredictable as it was surprising. But seeing is
believing, and now the collegiate football world - media, fans and
especially members of the Big 10/11 conference - are beginning to
believe that NU’s 5 victories are not flukes, but are the well-earned
result of high quality field play.
I’ve stated in commentary at the start of the 2005 season that this
would be a building-block campaign, where over the course of this
fall’s sequence of games, the ‘Cats would build upon lessons learned
from their previous game. This progressive building-block
prediction has held true - from victories against NU’s first 2
seemingly “lighter” OOC foes, to NU’s litmus test of competitive
resolve when facing the high-powered Bum Devil squad, to the hard
lessons learned from NU’s failure to close the deal against the very
beatable Inmates of State Penn, right through what could be considered
the Big 10/11 conference’s second tier opponents. Now, for the
main course of this fall’s repast, the conference’s pre-season
championship contenders: Michigan, Iowa & daBuckNuts.
Whatever the ‘Cats have accomplished over the last 3 games can been
attributed specifically to their ability to deny their opposition
control of the contest and the freedom to exercise what facets of a
football game they execute best. This means that the ‘Cats have
dictated game-time strategy conditions, the rules of engagement so to
speak. And it speaks volumes for the quality and tenacity of the
2005 ‘Cats.
NU will need to muster all the experience and resourcefulness
accumulated over their previous 7 games to be competitive with these
next 3 foes, the so-called Big Dogs of the Big 10/11. And the
Dazed & Blue Horde of Ann Arbor step up to the plate in Dyche’s
Ditch this Saturday.
The Waterboy
|
October 21, 2005
Preface
First, I must say that viewing the NU game at Tommy Nevin’s with the
esteemed Turk, the knowledgeable AstroCat and the ever-effusive
WaterGirl was fan-stastic. Not only could we openly discuss all
things Purple with our favorite libation at hand, but we were free to
rant, then cheer, then brood, then elate unabashedly at the action on
the big screen. Watching other premier games simultaneously
sealed the deal. What a venue!!!
Why-Randy-Why
Once again, I didn’t submit a
preview to this game simply because anyone who has seen the ‘Cats in
2005 know too well the critical keys for any game thus far:
1. Keep NU’s offense on the field as much as possible; and
2. Keep NU’s defense off the field as much as
possible.
All else is trivial detail that can be debated, pro and con, ad
nauseum; so why boor everyone with such mindless banter?
I was not flying solo, predicting that the only possible way in which
NU could snare a “W” from this game would be via a gut-wrenching,
heart-stopping shoot-out. We fans saw this strategy unfold last
Saturday against the quality defense of the Drunkards of Wisky, and its
ill effects were still in evidence one week later. This weekend
would pit Our Master & Commander against the first of NU’s two
annual protected conference rivals and his bitter nemesis, Joe “Don’t
call me Wilfred Brimley” Tiller, against whom, last season, he
had garnered the only victory of his tenure at the helm of Das
Pökelboot. Oh Joy…Another Shootout! How could I think
otherwise looking at the honest facts surrounding this contest?
First, the Perdue Broiler-Chickens have become nothing less than
cornered, wounded fowl, who had been ranked as high as #12 in the
national media’s pre-season beauty pageant football pools, and who had
never even come close to fulfilling the promise of such high praise,
losing 3 of 5 to what was considered lesser opposition. Yet here
they were with Tiller’s vaunted point-a-minute, high-quality spread
passing attack, at home to boot, lining up against Greg Colby’s “Behold
the Power of Swiss Cheese” D and its “Nut-n-Honey” pass coverage
schemes. This was gonna be the 4th of July fireworks spectacular
in early October.
And it was – with a strange twist. Instead of each team
exercising their high-flying aerial circus, dueling each other blow for
blow on consecutive possessions, the ‘Cats and Broiler-Chicken offenses
took control and sole possession of game momentum for one full half
apiece, completely dismantling their opponent’s D in the process.
Yet, when it came down to it, NU’s defense had one of its best outings
of the 2005 fall campaign. Although by game’s end, statistics
show that Perdue gained over 500 total yards, the 'Cats’ defense
stopped the Broiler-Chicken’s potent spread O often enough for their
offensive counterparts to lay a big enough licking on the Chickens, in
the form of a 19-point deficit, that Tiller’s H-2 comeback bid just
didn’t have enough steam to crawl out of this deep hole. In fact,
were it not for several brain fart moves by Cap’n Vlasic that
substantially aided Perdue’s comeback effort, this deficit could have
been much deeper and beyond the capacity of the Broiler-Chickens to
ever approach. Of particular note:
Exhibit A:
With 36 ticks left the end of H-1, after having driven the ball from
their 20-yard line to NU’s 39 in a mere 56 seconds, Tiller & Co.
faced a 4th down & 2 and decided to go for the first down and pick
up a chance at a quick-strike TD on the weak NU D. But Perdue’s
starting QB Brandon Krisch was stoned for TFL on a called QB keeper,
giving BB & the Boys possession of the bean within striking
distance for their own late-half FG attempt. However, instead of
employing the very effective vertical passing attack that had
sliced-through Perdue’s porous D for 4 TDs during the half, Dunbar
calls for 2 dink passes to “Streak” which were contained for a
relatively harmless 11 yard total. Exacerbating the issue, the
PickleMeister doesn’t use any of his available 3 time outs after either
of the dinkers, allowing the game clock to run down to 6 seconds.
Only then does Dunbar call a vertical pass, which was completed and run
out of bounds, putting the ball at the PU 39, leaving kicker Joel
Howells a daunting 56-yard FG attempt with 1 second left. If
Cap’n Vlasic doesn’t tank on the use of those timeouts, NU could have
had 2-3 more vertical pass plays to give Howells much better field
position for the FG. Why Randy, Why?
Exhibit B:
Due to NU’s poor kickoff coverage, especially when kicking against a
strong headwind, Cap’n Vlasic turns to the pooch kickoff, and it’s
executed with real effect against the Broiler-Chickens, giving them
starting position at their 30 yard line or worse twice.
Sweet!!! At the start of H-2, facing that same headwind, Our
Master & Commander orders PK Howells to kick off into the face of
this gale-force wind. Result: H-2’s opening kickoff is grabbed by
the Big 10/11’s best WR, Perdue’s own Dorien Bryant - truly
possessing documented sub-4.2 speed – who then promptly turns on his
afterburners, scorching the ‘Cats’ punch-less kickoff coverage squad
for a TD runback in a mere 11 seconds. What was that all
about? Randy, in H-1, you feigned the full kickoff when facing
this headwind and opted for the poochie boot, and it worked to
perfection. Now at the start of H-2, with the Broiler-Chickens
mired in a 19-point hole, you call for a kickoff into the teeth of that
same headwind that you avoided. Bang… in 11 seconds, that deficit is
trimmed to 11. Why Randy, Why?
Exhibit C:
Let’s see... after NU’s poor kick coverage team’s train wreck
contributed 2 quick Broiler-Chicken TDs in Q3 to trim the ‘Cats’ lead
to 5, BB & the Boys drive 68 yards in Q4 to the PU 3. The
“Streak’s” overall rushing total has been moderate, but consistent,
having added an 11 yard grinder in the drive. Then unexpectedly,
Cap’n Vlasic replaces “Streak” with little-used Brandon Roberson at the
doorstep of the Perdue goal line. Roberson’s number is called and
he immediately gets stripped of the ball, turning it over at the Perdue
2. Suddenly, instead of being kicked back into another 12-point
hole, Tiller’s Broiler-Chickens dodge NU’s potential kill shot, gain
the initiative and, responding to this dramatic shift in momentum,
drive 98 yards against the poorly coached NU defense for the go-ahead
TD with 5 minutes and change left in the game. Randy… instead of
being up by 12, your ridiculous replacement move put NU down 1.
You used “Streak” in every short yardage goalline situation against the
Drunkards of Wisky; yet now, you bring in Roberson, who obviously was
ice cold and never had a chance to get into the flow of field play,
then hand him the ball with the game on the line. [ed. note: flashbacks of Kevin Lawrence?]
His subsequent fumble was not unexpected. “Streak’s” ground game
was not broke, so why fix it? Why Randy, Why?
Exhibit D:
Game’s outcome in the balance... After recovering the fumble of
NU’s kill shot TD attempt, Perdue’s pass-happy spread O is in high
gear. NU’s defense is choking badly, facing the brunt of the
Broiler-Chicken’s aerial attack and in dire need of
resuscitation. What does NU’s DC Greg Colby’s response?
Why… use the 3-man pass rush, of course. Surely, what the 4 man
pass rush couldn’t accomplish, this staple of Colby’s “Behold the power
of Swiss cheese” defensive strategy certainly could. Are you
nuts? Randy, for the sake of everything you’ve advertised to the
Wildcat Nation regarding rescuing NU’s debilitated defense, please take
control! But no, the 3-man DL stays on the field. Result:
Perdue up 1 with 5 minutes left. Why Randy, Why?
Why go on? The picture is quite clear. Time now for BB
& the Boys’ last ditch heroics.
Where’s my bottle of Maalox?
How the
‘Cats Deep-Fried
the Perdue Broiler-Chickens
Mo, Mo, Mo: The Vertical Passing Game
I guess NU’s OC Mike Dunbar fully comprehends it now: he possesses one
of the most potent offensive attacks in all Division 1A when BB &
the Boys execute their vertical passing game. And it works best
when employed off play-action motion. Time and again, I witnessed
televised replays of play-action pass plays where NU’s QB Bazanez would
fake a handoff to feature RB, Tyrell “The Streak” Sutton, and set up
for the eventual pass. Virtually every time, Broiler-Chicken LBs
would stop whatever movement they were executing initially, then take
that telling one step or more forward to the LOS, converging on this
potential ball carrier. With Perdue’s defensive front 7, especially
their LBs, preoccupied specifically to stop “The Streak”, the downfield
passing lanes opened up - in particular, the deeper middle third of the
Perdue secondary. And BB & the Boys exploited this open area,
early and often, throughout the contest. BB’s 67-yard TD strike
to Eric Peterman on NU’s 2nd possession of the game, off a play-action
fake to “Streak,” solidified this strategic paradigm for attacking the
pliable Perdue defensive secondary. On NU’s 4th possession of Q1,
Dunbar called the vertical pass 7 consecutive times, mainly off play
action, delivering the ‘Cats’ second TD, stretching NU’s lead to
14-zip and stunning the raucous home fan base populating Ross Aide
Stadium silent. When ‘Streak” popped his 40 yard scamper in Q2,
Broiler-Chicken HC Tiller’s knee-jerk reaction was to commit his front
7 to stop “Streak” first. This seemed to seal the deal regarding
Dunbar’s pass-first attack strategy. You gotta love NU’s vertical
passing game.
Above & Beyond
If a recognized, effective attack strategy and its subsequent
intent-to-execute is the foundation of game plan development, its
successful execution is its expected logical reward. But in the
past, logic never seemed to be a dominant characteristic of NU’s game
plan generation, especially regarding offense. However, last
Saturday, Dr. Jekyll, Mike Dunbar’s astute, offensive master-mind alter
ego, continued his overwhelming influence when conceiving the ‘Cats’
offensive game-plan. Responding to Perdue’s pass coverage woes of
the previous weeks, this week’s offensive plan essentially was: pass
first, and eventually, the ground game will open-up. And BB &
the Boys rose and delivered early and often, executing what seemed to
be the perfect offensive attack strategy against their Broiler-Chicken
foes and amassing a total 463 passing yards and 3 TDS, distributed
among 9 receivers. For good measure, Baz rushed for another 47
yards, scoring another TD in the process. What’s even more
astounding – Baz could have had yet another 100 yards and 2 TDS,
minimum, were it not for dropped passes which were delivered on-target
and in-stride to their intended WRs, many with no coverage DB on the TV
screen. Although Baz has had better final game stats in previous
games, this was the finest, most impressive game of his collegiate
career simply because he was so great a dominant, unstoppable
force.
With the Broiler-Chickens’ obvious commitment of their defensive front
7 primarily towards stopping Tyrell “the Streak” Sutton at the LOS, Baz
filled the yardage collection gap in spectacular fashion. I was
amazed as every play action fake made to “Streak” literally froze all 3
Perdue LBs at their LOS rush-defense positions, and opened the vertical
passing lanes. Whether standing untouched in superb pocket
protection provided by NU’s ever-improving pass blocking OL, or rolling
out to the defensive corner and beyond in passing mode, BB had all the
time in the world to scan the Broiler-Chicken secondary, count off his
receiver options, find the open wideout, and deliver the pass with a
surgeon’s precision. In H-1, NU’s receiving corps was equal to
the task, catching the bean time-after-time as Baz chucked it squarely
in their direction. If only these same wideouts continued
exercising their collective high quality pass reception techniques in
H-2. They didn’t, and instead, their failure to complete the
catch of these well-placed vertical passes opened the door to Perdue’s
2nd half
comeback.
Ridin’ Pine
Last season, Broiler-Chicken HC, Joe Tiller, made a personnel
substitution that changed the entire complexion of his game against the
‘Cats: he benched his starting QB, Kyle Orton, for a significant period
of the contest. Result: Cap’n Vlasic picked up his first victory
ever, a hard-fought 16-13 “W”, against his “Wilfred Brimley look-alike
contest winner” nemesis. This time around, after his starting QB
Kirsch failed to convert a 4th down and short in the last minute of H-1
and then failed to deliver points in the first offensive possession of
H-2, Tiller benched Kirsch, replacing him with little-used backup QB,
Curtis Painter. Although Painter passed for a TD following
Perdue’s punt return to the NU 7, he did virtually nothing else on his
remaining 3 series, effectively taking the oppressed NU D off the
hook. By the time Tiller returned his starting QB behind the
wheel of the top-fuel dragster that is Perdue’s passing attack in their
final few desperation drives, the damage was done. Too little
time - Too little Kirsch. Thank you, once again, Mr.
Brimley.
French Pastry
Turnovers… I love ‘em - especially when NU forces them against
their opposition. Reports out of Nicholet Hall say that one of
Cap’n Vlasic’s major objectives when he began to give NU’s D more
hands-on attention was increased execution across all defensive
positions. A corollary result of increased defensive execution:
more opportunities to bake French pastry, in the form of turnovers
against the opposition. It may not happen all the time, but if
everyone does their job on the defense, someone will be free to take
that singular risk to attack the ball as it shows instead of
concentrating strictly on his original defensive responsibility.
NU pulled off this French Pastry-baking trick often, recovering 2 of 4
forced Broiler-Chicken fumbles and completing 2 picks – the most
critical on Kirsch’s last possession, at the NU 41, where he was
driving his O for the go-ahead TD in the game’s final minute of
play. Overall, the ‘Cats’ defense played much better, overcoming
their own well-known deficiencies as well as the glaring gaffes in
defensive strategy made by the PickleMeister & Greg Colby,
mentioned above.
Conclusion
Capturing the “W” flag in West Laughable should not have been this
difficult. BB & the Boys were on their game; the OL were
clicking and improving, NU’s defense had shown life after their DOA
exhibitions over the course of their last 4 games, and the game was
in-hand and the lead was extendable. But then…
Bottom line: NU slips out of the Broiler-Chicken lair with that “W”
flag under their arm, garnering a share of 2nd place in the Big 10/11
at 5-2 in the process. Now if only the ‘Cats could have stoned
the Inmate O on that crucial 4th & 15 in the last minute of State
Penn game, they would be just one game from bowl eligible.
The Waterboy
|
October 12, 2005
Basketball On Grass
What can I say? Before this game, there was quite a bit to say…
all negative. In fact, my usual commentary previewing the ‘Cats’
annual tilt against the MadTown Drunkards was so full of venom and
vitriol, that, as I continually reviewed it, it was apparent that I
hadn’t gotten over the bitter loss to the Inmates of State Penn two
weeks ago. As a result I decided not to submit it. “Who
would care to read further unabated ranting regarding the coaching
ineptitude of NU’s bumbling, stumbling Defensive Dynamic Duo - DC Greg
“Behold the Power of Swiss Cheese” Colby and his sidekick, Jerry “It’s
not my fault” Brown?” I thought. Hell, it’s more than
obvious to any sober, conscious observer that the ‘Cats’ defensive
secondary is broke, befuddled and bewildered and in dire need of a
comprehensive overhaul. Ruminating that the consequences of NU’s
last woeful display of pass coverage breakdowns not only cost the ‘Cats
their first Big 10/11 victory of the 2005 season against a very
beatable and beat up State Penn squad, but also catapulted Joe Pa’s
Inmates to a wholly undeserved top 25 ranking in the national media’s
beauty pageant polls, I was beside myself.
And upon recounting that the Drunkards of Wisky had just handed the
Dazed & Blue Horde of Ann Arbor a thorough spanking the prior
weekend, I, along with many others, gave the ‘Cats the proverbial
“snowball’s chance in Hell” at snatching a “W” on their own home
turf. This game was The Bay of Pigs, Gallipoli and the Battle of
New Orleans all rolled into one big Mission Impossible.
“Cap’n Vlasic, should you or any of your IM force be caught or killed,
the Secretary and Mark Murphy will disavow all knowledge of your
actions.”
Then suddenly, on a brisk and blustery October morning, the impossible
did happen. Make no mistake about it, this wasn’t a football
game, not in the traditional sense of the word. Traditional
football usually pits an offense against a defense. No, the only
characteristics which made this contest appear to be a football game
were: 1. It was played with a leather ball having a point on either
end; 2. The players wore helmets, shoulder pads and cleats; and 3. It
was played on the green grass of Dyche’s Ditch. After that, there
was little else that resembled football. In fact, one could make
a viable argument that what was witnessed more appropriately resembled
a high school all star basketball game – rife with break-neck fast
breaks, in-your-face slam dunks and heart-stopping individual
playmaking. But defense? The very concept of that word was
left in the locker rooms.
How the ‘Cats Sobered Up
the Drunkards of Wisky
Found: The Vertical Passing Game
“Amazing Grace… How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind, but now I see...”
Rumor had it that, after last Saturday’s game against the Drunkards,
the haunting refrain of this traditional spiritual was heard emanating
from the offices of Our Master & Commander and his first mate, OC
Mike Dunbar.
Against the Inmates of State Penn, Mike Dunbar seemed utterly possessed
by his offensively-challenged alter ego, Mr. Hyde, who has the
debilitating knack of ignoring obvious, effective game-time
play-calling – like employment of the vertical pass - and turning to
other alternative attacks and staying with them regardless of their
limitations. Lord only knows why this curmudgeon feigns the
experience and recognized play-making ability of his senior QB and his
bevy of talented WRs. It’s a mystery to be sure. But he
most certainly reared his ugly head when facing Joe Pa’s defense,
leaving those chapters of NU’s offensive playbook untouched, and
instead, rolled-out a “dink and dunk” short passing game which all but
handcuffed NU’s big play potential and relegated BB and his receivers’
passing attack contributions to mere footnotes in the game’s box score.
However, that was then and this was now… when Mike Dunbar, facing the
daunting Drunkard defense, finally saw the light and exercised the full
potential of BB & the Boys by turning to the vertical passing
attack. And boy did it reap dividends. Did it ever!!!
Yards were gobbled up in big chunks, early and often; as Baz riddled
the oppressed Drunkard secondary through the air for 361 yards at a 66
completion percentage clip, distributing the bean to 8 of his WRs – all
against a Wisky D that kept the vaunted Dazed & Blue offensive
juggernaut in check just 7 days earlier.
The vertical pass: a lost weapon that Mr. Dunbar rediscovered just in
time. And BB & the Boys delivered the most effective display
of passing prowess witnessed thus far this season by the Wildcat
Nation.
Dead At The Scene
As effective as the Basanez passing game was, complimented by a truly
grueling ground game, nothing could have been achieved without the most
crucial piece of the NU offensive game plan puzzle – the Big Uglies of
the offensive line. This unit simply dominated the Drunkard
defensive line, pounding the MadTown maniacs into submission throughout
the course of the game. It was the major factor in NU’s
recapturing momentum in Q3, where NU outscored the Drunkards by
17. As bad as NU’s defense played, especially the wholly inept
“Nut-n-Honey” pass coverage capabilities of the Wildcat secondary, the
Wisky defense was simply overpowered and outclassed by superior
execution at the LOS, rendering that reputed squad as ineffective as
the one fielded by Greg Colby. By mid Q3 on, the game
transitioned into a shootout where the offenses on either side were
just slicing through the opposing defense at will. And none of
those offensive fireworks could have ever transpired, had it not been
for one of the most effective exhibitions of blocking technique by an
NU OL that I’ve seen since the 2004 grapple against the Bucknuts.
Basanez was protected in the pocket, virtually untouched the entire
game, while Tyrell “The Streak” Sutton blasted through seams at the LOS
and into the Drunkard secondary on a constant basis. By mid Q4,
the Wisky D, especially their DL, were all but pronounced dead at the
scene. May they rest in pieces.
”The Streak” Continues
As much as Tyrell Sutton’s rushing reputation has been slowly gaining
recognition, the Big 10/11 Big Dogs seemed unconvinced. Well, I
think that all changed after last Saturday. Opponents’ defenses
will never again concentrate solely on the playmaking potential of Baz,
but must look for that Purple streak shooting through creases in NU’s
OL. As much as this was a statement game for the ‘Cat OL,
“Streak” Sutton made a statement of his own: he cannot be
ignored. It’s strange… the 2005 collegiate football season has
continued what seems to be the latest offensive trend – the emergence
of the small, powerful RB. What the Big 10/11 defenses saw in
Wisky’s Bennett and Michigan’s Hart over the last 2 seasons, they are
witnessing currently, first-hand, in NU’s “Streak.” His 62 yard
scamper through the center of Wisky’s beaten-up and beaten-down
defensive front 7 was stark testament to the necessity to defend the
‘Cats’ newest weapon on every down. This won’t be the last
200-plus rushing day for this fireplug.
The Coffin Corner
Lastly, I must mention the most critical play of the entire game: Ryan
Pedersen’s line-drive pooch punt that bounced out-of-bounds at the
Wisky 3 with 1:23 remaining on the game clock. That timely,
deftly-placed punt effectively put the Drunkard O in a deep 97-yard
hole, the sight of which sent the Drunkard offensive brain trust into
panic mode. It contributed mightily toward Wisky QB John Stucco
panicking at the sight of Barry Cofield breathing down his neck in his
own end zone and tossing a desperation dying quail into the waiting
hands of NU’s Reggie McPhearson, slamming the door shut on a Wisky
offense that had scored their last two TDs in a mere 64 and 62 seconds,
respectively. If that punt were a touchback and brought to the 20
yard line, the ending to this basketball-on-grass drama might have had
a very different ending. Way to rise to it, Ryan!!!
Conclusion
Recently, the stewards of professional hockey have succumbed to the
prevailing sports management perspective that more offense and hence,
more scoring, is more entertaining to their target fan base. Well, I
must admit, last Saturday’s tussle with the Drunkards of Wisky was
great theater, so there is some truth to that point of view. Only
issue: I don’t know if my heart or stomach can take much more of
this.
Belly up to the bar fellas… Maalox for everybody!!!
The Waterboy
|
October 5, 2005
The Bitter
End
It’s taken a week to control my runaway emotions and compose myself
enough to write this drivel. Having prefaced this commentary with
that statement…
That’s it. I’ve had it. I’m at the end of my rope and now
I’ve fashioned it into a noose and have named the guests of honor for
my necktie party. “Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory”
just doesn’t cut it any more. How and why NU lost to the Inmates
of State Penn is a multi-layered subject. When one considers that
NU’s senior QB, Brett Basanez, continued his sequence of commendable
2005 performances; that the overall quality of field play by the ‘Cat
OL continued its upward climb (with a few critical exceptions); and
that Tyrell “The Streak” Sutton showed that he is not just another
frosh flash-in-the-pan, but is a reliable weapon to be used liberally,
as in 32 carries, and remain healthy and productive, it’s downright
mystifying to juxtapose the result of this game with these laudable
contributions. But then again perhaps there’s no mystery at
all. When one honestly compares team strengths with team
weaknesses, it doesn’t take much to see which aspect overshadows the
other. Through it all, I’m downright sick & tired of mediocre
opponents giving NU the slip and applying a series of stinging red
welts across their collective behinds in the final minute of
play. Anybody else find this plain unacceptable?
The State Penn team arrived in Dyche’s Ditch all full of themselves,
pounding their chests and spewing bluster and B.S. like some chump
neighborhood back-alley bully. Then, after having faced BB &
the Boys, slinked out of Evanston with their tails between their legs,
thanking their lucky stars that they won a very lose-able
contest. Some may disagree with this perspective, but it’s what I
saw both on the field and in the stands at game’s end. Everyone
in attendance knew one universal truth: NU blew this game through
vanilla offensive playcalling and chocolate (as in fecal matter) pass
defense execution – in spite of the aforementioned superior
performances.
How the State Penn Inmates
Passed-up the ‘Cats
MIA: The Vertical
Passing Game
Throughout H-1, the paradigm for attacking the State Penn D was
unveiled – pass downfield. Whenever NU’s OC Mike Dunbar directed
his senior QB do just that, or when BB improvised off a broken pass
play, success was achieved. But I guess Our Master &
Commander’s first mate just couldn’t stand prosperity, or maybe he was
in denial and refused to see the obvious – that the Inmates were
vulnerable to the vertical passing game that was set up through a
successful ground attack, from NU’s first possession on throughout the
remainder of the game. That first possession saw NU’s OL open
hole after hole at the point of attack and let “Streak” Sutton loose in
the generated seam for a total 31 yards, with RB backup, Gerry, “The
Brooding Dane” Hamlett, gaining 10 more and BB adding 15 of his own, 12
off a nifty broken pass scramble around the Inmate right defensive
corner. Result: a quick TD – with HC Joe Pa and his Inmate team
gawking dumbfounded at the sight of a 7-point deficit after only 5
minutes off the game clock. Immediately, Grandpa Joe and his
defensive brain trust went into panic mode on NU’s next possession,
packing 8 in the box and shooting LBs and/or DBs to stone the ‘Cat
ground game. After stoning NU’s first 2 rushing attempts for
short gains, BB countered with vertical passes of 8 & 20 yards for
a first down at the Inmate 21. By that time, the writing was on
the wall. Take what the Inmates give you: the middle third of the
defensive secondary. I could almost hear the voice of Star Wars’
Obi-Wan Kenobi: “Luke (Baz), Luke (Baz)… Trust your
instincts.”
But nooooo… After having garnered a 23-7 lead, Mike Dunbar stuck
his head in the sand, ignoring the fact that NU’s latest TD was set-up
with a 38 yard pass completion, and turned to a conservative attack,
refusing to exploit this open area in the State Penn secondary with
further vertical pass attempts. Dumb and Dunbar. From that
point, dink and dunk passes, peppered with bubble screens, drag screens
at the LOS and short yardage square-outs were the order of the
day. It didn’t help much that NU’s receiving corps contracted a
debilitating case of dropsie as well, most notable among that group
being WR Shaun Herbert, who dropped a sure TD pass off a 20 yard
crossing route, in one of the few vertical attempts of H-2.
Frustrating!!! Anyone else seeing
red?
Short Stuff
At critical junctures of the contest, the ‘Cats faced short yardage
downs, especially in the shadow of the State Penn goal line. In
response, NU’s brain trust often tanked on employing what should have
been a no-brainer weapon – the heavy short-yardage running back.
I don’t know the underlying reasons why Cap’n Vlasic and Mike Dunbar
refused to use FB Frayne Abernathy or former-QB-turned-FB Chris Malleo
in these situations, but obviously something must be lacking in NU’s
short power rush attack – like a reliable heavy back to pile-drive into
the expected scrum at the LOS and push the ball those critical 3-plus
yards for the first down or, more importantly, across the goal
line. Instead, Dumb and Dunbar called the QB keeper or the short
pass, or worse still, attacking the Inmate defensive corner
containment. Twice, Dunbar called “The Streak’s” number on middle
dives to grind the ball across the Inmate goal line, but on most other
occasions, the Inmate D stuffed the NU attempts cold at the LOS or,
worse, for a TFL. Where is the heavy-jumbo package? Is NU’s
short yardage quiver that bare of an appropriate heavy RB arrow?
Inquiring minds want to know. I can’t imagine what significant
positive impact that converting just one or two of those short yardage
downs would have had towards garnering control of the game and the
scoreboard for the ‘Cats.
Weak Sisters
The Achilles’ heal of the ‘Cat defense is their pass coverage.
You know it; I know it. And most certainly, Joe Pa and his offensive
cronies were well informed of the deficiency. What glaring
weaknesses in NU’s deep pass coverage were uncovered against the Bum
Devils in the previous game, the Inmates of State Penn took further
advantage of. It didn’t matter when or where the deep throw was
called upon, if Inmate QB Mike Robinson chucked the pill on target,
which quite honestly wasn’t that often, the completion was made.
Often the NU DB was left standing in place and watched almost
helplessly as the State Penn WR drove up to then around this so-called
coverage back. Talk about a Weak Sister! But it’s just not
one DB, everyone in NU’s defensive secondary is lacking at coverage
techniques. Of particular notoriety was extremely exploited coverage of
Marquice “Nut-n-Honey” Cole – the one DB who had the reputation as NU’s
best coverage back. He wasn’t just toasted to a burnt crisp, he
resembled a purple traffic cone in his failure to cover his downfield
WR in the last 35 seconds of H-1 and the last 51 seconds of H-2.
Those two TD passes cost NU the game, period.
Well folks, its time to admit it: NU’s pass coverage is broke and the
wheels have dropped off the defensive secondary wagon. NU’s pass
coverage woes are DOA and in critical need of immediate
intervention. Should heads roll? Should the defensive brain
trust be given their collective walking papers? IMHO, I
think such coaching modifications have been long overdue, but what
about the immediate need? Our Master & Commander must take
emergency control of his defensive ship. It isn’t floundering,
it’s capsized and taking on water fast. Cap’n Vlasic will find
himself treading water very soon in the shark infested seas of the
Wildcat Faithful who demand accountability from the NU football
coaching staff for this debacle. I don’t have the answer, and
it’s becoming increasingly apparent from his lack of movement toward
addressing this deficiency that the PickleMeister has little clue
himself.
Conclusion
Well, I’ll stop now. I’m reaching for the Maalox and heading for
yet another ride in the driver’s seat of the porcelain bus over this
latest loss. I fear that NU’s football team will not recover this
season from this pass coverage deficiency. Any future opponent
will pick apart this weakest link in the ‘Cat defense, and NU doesn’t
have the mentorship or the tools in the toolbox to fix the immediate
problem. It’s bleak.
The Waterboy
|
September 22, 2005
The Hunter
Or The Hunted
This Saturday, NU will face a true collegiate football coaching legend,
Joe Pa, and his much improved Inmates of State Penn in sun-splashed
Evanston. Over the course of the last 8-plus years, State Penn
football had fallen on hard times, particularly because the Inmate
program didn’t perform well in the pigskin recruiting wars. Their
major rivals for home-grown, Division 1A-level H.S. talent include the
usual suspects: Pitt, West Va., Va. Tech. and Boston College, as well
as unexpected interlopers like Da Ohio State (of all places). One
thing that must be admitted, these rival programs have pillaged upper
echelon gridiron prospects right out from under Joe Pa’s nose by loudly
voicing the dubious message that these incoming players will never make
it through their entire college football career at State Penn before
septuagenarian Mr. Paterno cashes in his chips and calls it quits for
his coaching career. Unfortunately, that message had real effect
on the recruitment fortunes of the Inmate teams - where the talent
level at all positions had fallen-off greatly from 1998 through the
beginning of the new millennium. Well, the veracity of that
retirement refrain has waned over the last few seasons, and Joe Pa has
roared back, fielding increasingly stronger and more talent-rich
teams. And his 2005 version reflects that continued upward trend.
As for State Penn’s offense, its effectiveness begins and ends with
their lightly experienced QB, Mike Robinson, who possesses Michael
Vick-like skills and is utilized accordingly. Joe Pa has
surrounded this versatile QB with a trio of speedy and handy newbie
WRs, with true frosh Derrick Williams distinguishing himself above his
mates as Robinson’s go-to receiver. Similar to their defense, the
State Penn O has collected its own inflated scoring totals – 23, 42 and
40 respectively - against less-than-stellar opposition, augmented
substantially via TDs off the home-run bomb. Although the Inmates
sport a RB in Tony Hart who has demonstrated ability to tote the pill
well at times, it’s Robinson’s scrambling and option rushing acumen
that makes this O click on the ground. Simply stated, the
defenses of State Penn’s first three opponents were not able to
neutralize Robinson in any capacity and his reputation for delivering
the offensive scoring goods is building week by week.
Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, an active, mobile QB has always given
their defensive squad fits throughout Cap’n Vlasic’s HC tenure,
especially when DC Greg Colby holds the defensive reins.
NU vs. the Inmates of State
Penn -
Keys to the Game
It’s Whats Up Front
… That counts – as in NU’s OL. This recurring theme expands on
the building block theory I used before the ‘Cats’ opening game against
the Ohio BobbleHeads. As the season progresses, the personnel
playing in each contest must build on their experience, good or bad,
from the previous contest. Fortunately, NU’s OL have not
thrown-in a clunker performance yet. And the fortunes of NU’s
gameplan against the Inmates of State Penn revolve around the necessary
superior field play of the Purple offensive line. There is no way
around it. These players, to a man, must continue to get off the
LOS at the snap of the ball and deliver effective blocks to their
targets and get the NU ground game in gear. Tyrell “The Streak”
Sutton must find the open seam that NU’s OL generates within the Inmate
DL and blast to and through it. Pass protection has equal
importance. Keep BB’s focus on finding the open downfield
receiver and not diverted towards the incoming pass rush. The
State Penn D is their best unit and the ‘Cat OL must control the LOS
against this strong Inmate squad. It’s another week and another
daunting challenge lies front and center, but this unit must
deliver. The ASU Front 7 are a good bunch, and the State Penn
crew is as good or slightly better. And you make book that the
Inmate’s defensive brain trust will blitz their LBs and DBs to inject
some fuzzy logic into the heads of either BB or “Streak.” Keep
your heads in the game, pick up the Inmate stunts, and most of all,
make it happen.
Baz & the Boys – Part 4
The Wildcat Nation has witnessed something they haven’t seen in 3 years
– a healthy Brett Basanez entering game 4 of the fall football
campaign. And BB has shown what health can do for his performance
and that of the NU offense. He’s nationally ranked in yardage and
QB rating. He’s completing passes at a 66% clip and is
distributing the bean across his entire WR corps. He doesn’t
telegraph his throws, he doesn’t force the pass into double coverage,
he finds the open receiver and delivers it on target. What a
difference! Again, it all starts with the Big Uglies up front who
provide him with ample protection that allows him to scan an opponent’s
secondary, count off his sequenced receivers and spy that open
wideout. The Purple Populace could get used to this. Happy,
Happy; Joy Joy!!! Now BB & the Boys must repeat this positive
performance profile against the quality D of State Penn. Those
fantastic front-page QBs of the BullShippers and the Queen City Queens
torched the Inmate secondary for over 200-plus yards apiece; I expect
that yardage total and more from BB & the Boys. In spite of
their reputation to the contrary, the Inmate D is a moveable
object. Again, make it happen.
Radar Robinson
As Inmate QB Mike Robinson goes, so goes the State Penn O.
It’s not rocket science to recognize this fact. However it’s
another item entirely to shut him down. I don’t think that the
‘Cats can stone this weapon, but they can and must contain it.
That’s a heavy load, but the NU D must stand and deliver. It is
an absolute necessity that NU must limit his rush production,
especially off designed QB keepers or option motion and off the
scramble. A telling description of his field play against State
Penn’s dubious defensive competition was given as: “Robinson is
comfortable and works well with his receivers.” The object is to
make Robinson as uncomfortable as possible by getting in his face, or
at least bottling him up to the middle third of the field. The 3
or 4 man defensive rush is not gonna cut it this week. Our Master
and Commander and his second mate, DC Greg Colby tried to inject some
speed in NU’s penetration off the LOS against the Bum Devils last
Saturday. From what I’ve seen to date, that only occurs when 5
defenders are in the penetration mix. A constant dose of
“hozen-ffeffer” (rabbit) blitzes could turn the trick in NU’s
favor. I strongly suggest using a radar defender who would track
Robinson’s movement every play and attack straight at him as his
intentions show – run or pass. Once he hands off the ball, then
he’s out of the picture, but as long as the bean is in his increasingly
capable hands, a defender must shadow him wherever he goes – especially
as he approaches the LOS. This radar defender doesn’t have to be
the same guy necessarily, but can switch between NU’s speedier
personnel. The Roach–to-Kadela-to-Eaton handoff has
potential. Hunt this valued weapon down and, again, make it
happen.
Prediction
This game comes down to the team that asserts itself most
prominently. Both teams possess pros and cons by which arguments
could be formulated that substantiate the opinion that a particular
team will have its way over the other. However the game’s final
verdict will not be decided in a court of law, but on the
grass-carpeted gridiron of Dyche’s Ditch. It’s all a matter of
attitude – who will hunt and who will be the hunted? This theme
was expanded-upon last season and I am resurrecting it for this tussle
because it’s so appropriate.
The ‘Cats enter this game recovering from a devastating loss where all
their personnel deficiencies, especially on the defensive side of the
LOS, were exposed and exploited. Game tapes have recorded the
particulars for all future opponents to peruse and analyze. With
all the attention drawn to those negatives, little focus has been given
to the positives that the ‘Cats showed in that same contest.
Fact: the NU O came-out and executed well, moving the ball consistently
when Baz & the Boys were running the show against a damn good Bum
Devil D. If not for losing the sub-plot game of field position
via ASU’s superior kicking game, NU shoulda, woulda, coulda put more
points on the board. State Penn does not field that high quality
kicking game – few teams in Division 1A do. Conclusion: NU’s O
will not have to contend with those resultant field position
disadvantages and, therefore, will most certainly be more
productive. Long drives by the ‘Cats are more than do-able.
As far as defending the State Penn O – it’s all boils down to getting
into the face and head of Mr. Robinson. If done, you’re 90% of
the way to the winner’s circle. Hit Robinson early and often and
bottle him up in the Inmate backfield.
A tough game and a tough prediction. Here’s to NU having a +2
turnover differential and BB & the Boys delivering in the
clutch.
NU: 31
Inmates: 28
The Waterboy
|
September 19, 2005
Roto-Router
Periodically over the course of the week prior to the ‘Cats’ scheduled
encounter with the ASU Bum Devils, I envisioned worst case
scenarios. I fantasized rape and pillage at one time, then
evisceration on another. But never could I have imagined the
absolute nightmare that was witnessed, in person, by many loyal,
intrepid members of the Wildcat Nation and myself who made the trip to
sunny Tempe, Arizona. The kindest, most genteel description I
might give to this event was that it never got even close to being a
“game”. In a “game,” there is an assumption that one team competes
against the other. However, on this occasion, only one team was
competing. The other rolled over on its back and proffered its
soft under belly in a familiar pose of canine submission.
What ensued in Frank Kush stadium after the opening whistle was blown
was reminiscent of those unabated travesties played out during the Dark
Ages. I’m making no exaggeration here. I truly feel that
this game was the most complete failure of the Northwestern Wildcat
football team in 25 years. It was a rout of biblical proportions
and the worst loss handed to the ‘Cats since Das Pökelboot first set sail
under the command of Cap’n Vlasic, including the very forgettable
debacles of the 2001 & 2002 seasons.
The most positive thing that could be said of last Saturday evening’s
outcome was that none of NU’s premier players got injured.
However, I won’t because it brings to mind that despicable comment made
by I-Away HC Hayden Fry after a similar spanking laid on the ‘Cats,
“Well, I hope that none of your boys got hurt.” After all these
years, those arrogant words still pack a serious sting and stick in my
craw like nothing I’ve ever heard before or since in my lifetime.
A rout of such completeness and complexity can have lasting,
devastating effects on a football team for the remainder of the season,
especially on the younger, more impressionable players. At the
cost of appearing to advocate self-delusion, I would whole-heartedly
advise the ‘Cat brain trust to keep the game film in the can and not
show it at game review sessions this week. Not to downplay the
totality of this loss and its repetitive litany of breakdowns across
every position on either side of the LOS, there would be little to gain
from revisiting the minutiae of such a bloodletting. Each player
on NU’s 2005 squad has the integrity and honesty to make such reviews
from the perspective of his own mind’s eye and recognize his failure to
execute personally.
So in keeping with this aforementioned strategic spirit of
reconciliation and rebuilding, I will keep my commentary regarding NU’s
field play blunders short, sweet and to the point…
How Da Bum Devils throttled the
‘Cats
The Wrong Horses
To run a horse race, a trainer must field horseflesh with the
appropriate class to complete with his racing rivals. “Class” is
defined not only by straight-line speed of foot, but by tactical speed,
the ability to jockey for position dynamically to adjust to race
conditions, the ability to recognize when to fire that closing turn of
foot, and when and where to use that most important variable,
heart. NU’s defensive secondary has football class in their own
right, but against passing teams that feature a top QB passing to a
top-tier receiving corps, like ASU, they have shown dubious potential
towards being left standing in the starting gate. And that’s just
what happened - big time. Simply stated, Bum Devil QB Sam Keller
had a field day, standing cool and unhurried behind his pocket
protection, trimming his nails and waiting for his target receiver to
sprint clear of his NU coverage DB. Many ASU pass plays employed
only one or two receiver patterns, and NU DC Greg Colby could only
watch, slack-jawed and dumbfounded, as Bum Devil wideouts gained
separation with ease and deftly hauled in the well thrown, on-target
bean throughout the evening. It mattered little who Colby or the
PickleMeister called to the DB post, virtually no one wearing the
Purple silks could cover their ASU WR. It’s a well known fact
that Our Master & Commander does not recruit well to the CB and
Safety positions – and it showed emphatically in this contest.
Now this deficiency has been advertised in bold letters to all our
future opponents. Big 10/11 teams with predominant, refined
passing attacks will be licking their
chops.
Blown Away
Cap’n Vlasic and his second mate, DC Greg Colby unveiled their latest
attempt to augment the pass rush capability of their Front 7.
They started the game using 3 DL sets with 1 or 2 LBs at the defensive
end, either in an upright 2 point stance or a down 3 point stance, all
attacking the LOS – which were picked up and kept at bay by the Bum
Devil OL. Standard 4 DL sets were used often in passing
situations and showed similar inability to pressure the QB. The
rabbit blitz package was used liberally, and likewise resulted in
little or no increased penetration against the ASU attack. Bum
Devil QB Sam Keller’s jersey was kept clean for most of his
evening. But that wasn’t the whole story. ASU’s OL blew up
the ‘Cat DL regularly on running plays as well, highlighted by total
180-plus yards gained rushing at the end of H-1. ‘Cat LBs often
made tackles 5-10 yards downfield, simply because the NU DL were driven
off the LOS for 5 yards on their own. In addition, run support by
NU DBs was effectively non-existent, as ASU RBs just ran around
defenders throwing themselves at their legs or through DB arm tackles
after they got past the LOS. Basically, the NU defensive Front 7
got blown away early and often. It was painful to
watch.
Down & Out
One of my major game keys was the necessity for NU to control the game
clock and make long sustained drives to keep the ball out of the hands
of ASU’s potent offense. 3-and-out possessions would spell doom
for the ‘Cats. And it did. In NU’s 2nd drive, OC Mike
Dunbar successfully employed the WR hitch screen and swing pass to the
RB or WR, often for big yardage gains. Dunbar complimented this
controlled edge passing game to the flats with counter action rushes
between tackles and toss-pitch or options runs attacking ASU’s
defensive corner containment using Tyrell “Streak” Sutton, who
frequently gained 10 yards a pop. As a result, NU marched
downfield and scored for a 7-0 lead. After that initial success,
NU’s attack strategy against the Bum Devil’s defensive edge went
downhill fast. Following the first few exposures, ASU’s quality
LBs and secondary began to recognize this edge passing game and sold
out on defensive corner run support after the catch was completed,
shutting it down effectively.
But Dunbar kept attacking the ASU edge with decreasing success as the
game wore on. Although NU’s O would execute several plays well,
especially running “Streak” between the Bum Devil DEs on counters,
cut-backs and quick traps behind quality blocking schemes, they never
strung enough well-executed plays together. Dunbar frequently
called the QB roll-out pass targeting the “minimum gain, maximum risk”
short yardage square out. When the pass was completed, it was
stoned for the expected little gain. Mr. Dunbar shunned the
vertical passing game, resulting in many 3-and-out possessions, where
the ball reverted into the hands of Keller & Co., who exposed and
exploited NU’s “soft as baby doo-doo” coverage with the home-run
bomb. In Q2 & Q3, ineffective NU play calling and the staunch
ASU D conspired to make the scoreboard resemble a pinball machine – for
the Bum Devil offense.
Big Foot
The Bum Devils have a monster weapon in their ready-for-NFL PK, J.
Ainsworth. He’s a force to be reckoned with and showed just how
valuable a high-quality place kicker is to a football team. Every
Bum Devil kickoff, except 2, was the “out-the-back-of-the-endzone”
touchback variety, forcing the NU offense to begin most of their
post-ASU score possessions on their own 20. The NU O rarely
overcame the long green required to complete the score. Coupled
with the 3-and-out possession, the Bum Devils won the field position
game, often starting drives from their 30 or better.
Conclusion
ASU parlayed strong field position via an effective kicking game
against a strong Bum Devil passing attack that took every advantage of
the very poor pass coverage techniques of the NU secondary and an
overpowering ground game that fed off an OL that just decimated the NU
defensive Front 7, to take a vice-grip stranglehold of the game that
they never relinquished. It took only 3 quarters for Cap’n Vlasic
to recognize that he was outcoached and his ‘Cats overmatched. A
record 773 total offensive yards against for the game, 530-plus by the
end of H-1, underscored those two facts. At the start of Q4, the
PickleMeister shut down his 1st team offensive weapons for the night
and gave his 2nd and 3rd string personnel some PT, saving his troops to
fight another day.
I only hope that the Inmates of State Penn don’t have the personnel to
shut down the ‘Cat offense and make monkeys of the ‘Cat pass defense as
was shown last Saturday evening. The ASU Bum Devils made it look
easy.
The Waterboy
|
September 13, 2005
Blast From
the Past
After two memorable weekend games in sunny Evanston, the ‘Cats make
their first roadie of the 2005 season to VERY sunny Tempe,
Arizona. Mind you, this is no vacation getaway for NU and the
opponent lying in wait for the ‘Cats is a wounded, yet very confident
beast.
Last fall, a nationally-ranked Bum Devil team, led by their NFL-bound
QB, Andrew Walter, wielding his very formidable passing attack,
traveled into Evanston brimming with confidence and looking past NU as
just another annoying speed bump on their way to their PAC-10
wars. The gritty and determined Wildcat team that greeted them in
Dyche’s Ditch was fully aware of the Bum Devil’s vaunted reputation and
faced them head-on with a game plan emphasizing physical play defense
and opportunistic offense. And NU nearly pulled-off the
unexpected upset, rallying from a 17 point deficit, jumping on an
overconfident Bum Devil defense for 2 unanswered TDs in Q3 to pull
within 3. After this deficit was expanded to 6 in early Q4, the
‘Cats played even with their Gold & Maroon foe, gained possession
of the ball with 2.5 minutes remaining, and were driving for a
victory-stealing, last minute TD, when RB Terrell Jordan was stripped
of the bean at the ASU 18, foiling the ‘Cats’ upset bid. The Bum
Devils limped out of Evanston with a close victory and the ‘Cats gained
a modicum of hard-fought respect, although one would never have noticed
it from the lack of attention given this pivotal game by the Chicago
media.
This coming Saturday, the ‘Cats prowl into Bum Devil Stadium looking to
predate upon No. 18-ranked ASU, who are even stronger and more
offensively prolific than last year’s formidable squad and who are
fully aware of NU’s own offensive prowess. Last weekend, the Bum
Devils were defeated by 5th-ranked LSU, who trailed by 10 at the start
of Q4, yet scored 28 points in this last quarter, aided greatly by 2
ASU kicking game coverage breakdowns which were converted into TDs;
then held on for dear life as the Bum Devil O, Division 1A’s 5th-ranked
squad, drove for the game-ending, go-ahead TD, but sputtered to a halt
at the LSU 28 as time expired. The Bum Devils knew in their
hearts that they should have beaten the Bayou Bengals; however, similar
to NU’s ‘04 performance, ASU fell short of taking control of the
scoreboard and the game in the contest’s final minute. This theme
is all too familiar.
To put it mildly, the Bum Devils are ticked-off and steadfastly
determined not to let another victory slip through their fingers,
especially at home. Now NU faces a very motivated Bum Devil team
with an 800 pound chip resting heavily on their collective
shoulders. Not the best of scenarios for the personnel-depleted
‘Cats.
NU vs. the Bum Devils -
Keys to the Game
Control Field Play
This season, the Bum Devil O deserves its No. 5 national rank.
ASU’s quality weaponry is highlighted by QB, Sam Keller, who not only
possesses a great arm and the ability to deliver the pill quickly and
on-target, but has a corps of WRs reputed to be among the best in the
NCAA, starting with All-Everything WR Derek Hagan. Gunslinger
Keller’s 461 total yards passing, complimented by another 74 yards
rushing, accumulated against the top-5 ranked LSU defense, is proof
positive that the Bum Devil O is for real. With the specter of DC
Greg Colby’s Swiss Cheese defensive secondary opposing this aerial
juggernaut, the ASU offense is downright frightening.
A very viable strategy to employ when facing an opponent’s overwhelming
superior offense is to turn the tables and use your offense like
defense. NU’s O must keep the ball out of the hands of Mr. Keller
and Company and in the hands of BB and his Boys by controlling the ball
and field play tempo, and therefore the game, through long, sustained,
time-consuming offensive drives. If the ASU offense does not have
possession of the pill, they can’t score. Believe me, I won’t
complain if the ‘Cat O delivers a TD or two via the quick-strike
home-run pass or long-distance RB scamper. But this strategy’s
primary objective is to turn a 60-minute game into a 30 minute
scrimmage, reducing the time frame in which the opposition’s O has to
generate scores.
This reduction is achieved in two parts. The first part involves
clock management where every offensive play called by the ‘Cats burns
as much of its allotted 24 seconds as possible before the snap, then
consumes as much game clock as possible after a play is downed before
the field judge re-positions the ball on the LOS and re-starts the play
clock for the next down. Control of the play clock is critical,
and BB must slow the pace of each individual down to where the play
clock becomes an ally of the NU offense. This strategy is
difficult to execute particularly because it runs counter to everything
that a coach teaches his offensive personnel - to pop-up off the ground
at the end of every play, to hustle-back to the huddle, and finally, to
call the next play, break the huddle and quickly line-up on the LOS to
execute the next play.
The second part revolves around first down conversions. It is
imperative that first downs are strung together in a series over the
course of a possession. 3-and-outs will not cut it. It
matters little on which of the 4 downs a first down is made, just the
fact that the next first down is made, the chains are moved, and
another 4 downs are granted to the ‘Cat’s O. As Hank Stramm, HOF
coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, said during Super Bowl IV:
“Matriculate the ball down the field, boys.” (Ya gotta love that
quote!!!)
Simple concepts, no? However, this strategy is much easier
said than done. ASU’s biggest team strength lies in its offense,
while its defense is serviceable. Exploit this serviceable
defense and keep Bum Devil bums riding pine while BB & the Boys
weave some offensive magic of their own.
Execution – There
is No Substitute
Over its first 2 games in 2005, NU’s OL has gained invaluable game-time
experience – first against a defense best described as the
“cream-filled sponge cake” variety (a.k.a.: a Twinkie); the second
against the “serviceable” defensive squad of a 2nd-tier conference
contender. Their collective experience has been forged in a
building block progression against ever increasing and more challenging
opposition from one game to the next. Against ASU, the
individuals who comprise the ‘Cat OL will lock horns with the most
talented defensive personnel of this young season. However, the
Bum Devil D is certainly not an immovable object. Although the OL
is still a work-in-progress, it has retained the one characteristic
that benefits the entire unit most: its health. The 2 deep roster
of NU’s OL might be dinged-up slightly, but overall, it remains
injury-free. And this is the glue by which this unit is best
prepared to bring its heaviest, most effective pressure to bear against
ASU’s defense. This OL’s commitment to field play excellence is
the foundation of everything that the Wildcats possess to compete
offensively with the Bum Devils. They must get off the LOS at the
snap of the ball, blast into and through their designated blocking
targets and keep contact, driving with their legs, until the referee’s
whistle blows the play dead – under control and without holds or
clips. Superior execution equals superior experience equals the
best chance for success. There is no
substitute.
Minimize Mistakes
While every football team strives for the error-free game, very few
ever achieve it. Everyone on a football team makes
mistakes. It’s the human condition. However, the ‘Cats
cannot play sloppy football against the Bum Devils and expect to
come-away with a “W.” By minimizing mistakes that are
controllable, a team minimizes the number of free passes given to its
opponent. No bone-headed penalties - especially in the kicking
game. No breakdowns in kick coverage. No French pastry
(a.k.a. turnovers) - Mr. Keller and Co. do not need a short field in
which to drive for a score. No dropped passes - give BB the best
opportunity to move the chains and move the ball downfield. No
missed tackles – ASU’s quality offensive weapons must earn every yard
gained. Eliminate the home-run pass – no Bum Devil WR gets behind
the coverage SS and FS. Just to name a few.
Pressure the Ball
Thus far this season, NU’s most effective defensive schemes employed
variations of the 3 DL set, as shown against the NIU Muskies.
Putting 4-5 LBs and DBs behind this 3 man front allows DC Colby the
freedom to pick his point(s) of attack and shoot a gap-of-opportunity
with a different defender or two. This attack-oriented defense
does 2 things: it has great potential to disrupt flow in the offensive
backfield offensive, and it sets-up the game-altering TFL or sack much
better – especially if the shooters come from different angles on every
down. Our Master & Commander calls his series of blitzes and
red dogs his rabbit package. By unleashing this rabbit package
early and often, it should put as much additional pressure as possible
on ASU passing machine Keller, hopefully forcing him to make the quick
read and get rid of the ball early. Applying this extra pressure
is paramount to NU’s pass coverage success, because Keller will
eviscerate NU’s secondary if given enough time to scan for the open
receiver. IMHO, this is the only strategy that has a chance of
success. The alternative read-and-react coverage paradigm (a.k.a.
Colby’s “Behold the Power of Swiss Cheese” defense) will provide Keller
all the freedom he requires to turn NU’s D into
roadkill.
The major deficiency of this rabbit package is that it leaves NU’s DBs
in single coverage, especially the CBs. And it’s no great secret
how ineffective the current NU secondary is when employing this
one-on-one coverage stratagem. Key here is that those “island”
‘Cat DBs must keep every ASU WR in front of them, never allowing them
to get behind them to receive the long-ball bomb. This is a tough
assignment. A very tough assignment.
Prediction
This game is a contrast in pedigree. Over the last few years,
including this season, ASU has fielded high octane offenses and good,
dependable defenses. NU, on the other hand, has fielded Jekyll
& Hyde offenses which are sizzling hot one series and downright
frigid the next, counterbalanced by dubious, porous defenses that have
jelled occasionally as an effective unit in their biggest games
throughout the HC tenure of Our Master & Commander and his coaching
staffs. Consistency versus inconsistency. A top 20 ranked
team versus a top 50 ranked squad.
The relative offense-defense match ups don’t bode well for the
‘Cats. The strength of the ‘05 Bum Devil O is their effective
passing attack against what, to date, has been the ‘Cats’ most dubious
liability. And although NU’s balanced offensive attack has
generated big yardage numbers in its first 2 contests, it hasn’t faced
a quality defense as that possessed by the Bum Devils. What this
all means is that it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to project that the
Bum Devils can deliver on a continual stream of scoring opportunities,
while the ‘Cats might score on 50% of its possessions. If the
‘Cats exercise the aforementioned control of game tempo and the game
clock, they potentially could limit the point production capacity of
the Bum Devils. If not, the Bum Devil’s passing attack could have
a record-setting day.
Here’s hoping for the former scenario, with a few breaks going in Cap’n
Vlasic’s direction…
NU: 31
Bum Devils: 45
The Waterboy
|
September 12, 2005
Prior to the opening whistle of
last Saturday’s game, NIU star RB Garrett Wolfe was heralded as the
contest’s premier running back by a large percentage of Chicago’s
media. Although a convincing argument could be made that Mr.
Wolfe deserved such high praise, bolstered by his 149 rushing yards
against the Dazed & Blue Horde of Ann Arbor the previous weekend,
the events which unfolded within the friendly confines of Dyche’s Ditch
proved that this moniker was quite premature. On September 10th,
2005, a new RB star coalesced in the collegiate football firmament of
Chicago and the Big 10/11, exploding like a purple supernova before
35,114 awestruck spectators. Tyrell “The Streak” Sutton surpassed
his commendable collegiate debut rushing totals in mind-boggling record
fashion, churning out 214 yards on 30 carries and scoring 4 TDs over,
around and through a much maligned Muskie defense.
“Streak’s”
emergence as NU’s 2005 feature running back not only cemented this
newbie RB’s substantial reputation as Ohio’s 2004 Mr. Football, it went
far towards fulfilling the promise that this young man will
assume the mantle of NU’s latest 1000-yard rusher, a gridiron legacy
that includes Damien Anderson, Darnell Autry, Jason Wright and Noah
“The Herring” Herron. As remarkable as “The Streak’s” performance
was this sun-splashed Saturday afternoon, it was absolutely essential
to the ‘Cats’ survival in a game that evolved into the ultimate Maalox
football moment-- the offensive shootout.
How NU beat
the NIU Muskies
Up Front and Personal
“Streak’s” spectacular ground totals would never have been possible
without the equally spectacular blocking performance of NU’s OL at the
LOS and downfield WRs. The Purple Big Uglies blasted hole after
hole, down after down and “Streak” took full advantage. Upon
getting to and through the hole, he scanned the Muskie defensive
secondary for the ‘Cat downfield blockers, sprinted right up to them
setting-up a blocking angle for those WR’s, then cut right off their
butts into open space. And “Streak” did this over and over and
over, especially employing off tackle and counter action blocking
schemes, and the Muskie defenders couldn’t do a thing about it.
It was a complete symbiosis between the ball carrier and his
blockers. An RB who is skilled at setting up blocking angles for
his blockers is worth his weight in gold, and that’s not pocket change
you hear jingling in the sea-tunics of Our Master & Commander and
his first mate OC Mike Dunbar. NU’s OL really brought their “A”
game to bear against the Muskies. A couple more outings like this
one, and they’ll have played themselves past the “inexperienced” tag
laid
upon them in the preseason and retired it for good.
Sweet!
BB Brings It
‘Cat QB Brett Basanez lead a less-than-stellar but still effective
passing attack that complimented the ground game orbiting “The
Streak’s” rising RB star. BB made many downfield completions on
2nd and 3rd down and long situations, which kept the ball moving and
diverted early-game attention of the Muskie defense away from
“Streak.” Had it not been for 4-5 dropped passes which hit NU
targeted receivers in their hands, BB well could have had another
250-300 yard passing afternoon. Another notable aspect of BB’s
contribution to NU’s offensive totals was his own rushing yardage,
gaining 55 yards off 10 attempts – primarily off QB keepers and draws -
where Muskie defenders telegraphed their intent to stone “Streak” and
intentionally ignored the Baz rushing option, often giving the Purple
QB an open lane between NIU’s front 7, past the LOS and into their
secondary. The Purple Populace could get used to this balanced
offense. Very sweet!!
“The Streak” Continues
Read the comments above. Nothing but superlatives regarding the
melding of both Mr. Sutton and his blocking buddies, to be sure.
Only issue here: a frosh being given the bean 30 times in a game opens
the door for the injury bug to bite. Please Cap’n, My Cap’n… the
‘Cats are not the Cubs and Tyrell Sutton is not Kerry Wood. Look
at what’s just happened to Dazed & Blue RB Mike Hart.
Underpinnings of The Comeback
After the ‘Cats dug themselves a 14-3 deficit early in Q2, I groused
loudly about NU DC Greg Colby’s weak defensive game plan. Surely,
Colby must have fashioned a more appropriate strategy to neutralize
NIU’s major rushing weapon, Garrett Wolfe, and schooled his Front 7 to
execute it.
Only problem: it wasn’t working--
at all. When ‘Cat starting RDE,
Corey Wootten, was felled by an injury in Q2, it looked like the ‘Cat D
was gonna continue getting stomped. But then, something marvelous
happened. Colby switched from his 4 DL sets to a 3-4 set, often
with an extra LB or a DB lining-up close to the LOS, giving it a 3-5
look. Can you say “8 in the box?” At the snap of the ball,
NU’s DL slanted to one side and the LBs shot gaps in the NIU offensive
line, plugging running lanes across the LOS. Suddenly, NIU’s Big,
Bad Wolfe got a Purple helmet driven into his midsection regularly,
whether he tried blasting through at the targeted point of attack, or
he tried to cut back against flow, or he tried to gain the defensive
corner.
Shoot gaps =
Stone the Big, Bad
Wolfe. Result: NIU
is forced to punt, the ball is turned over to NU’s O, then BB and the
Boys deliver 21 unanswered points all scored in the last 12 minutes of
H-1. Whoomp – There it is!
|
|
Unfortunately, this strategic
ground game solution was
short-lived. When NIU’s QB Phil Horvath aired it out in H-2,
completing several big-gainer vertical passes, Greg Colby got cold
feet, abandoned his successful shoot-the-gap 3-4/5 sets and reverted to
his dubious Swiss Cheese D, rushing 4 DL and dropping his LBs into a
10-yard pass coverage zone umbrella. Colby’s strategy change
played right into the hands of NIU HC Joe Novak, who recognized the
gift and unleashed his Big, Bad Wolfe rushing attack once more.
With NIU’s quality OL punching gaps in the unsupported NU DL, Mr. Wolfe
went wild and gobbled-up yardage in bunches. Now it was NU’s D,
under the mentorship of Colby and his read-and-react Swiss Cheese
schemes, who got knocked back on their heels, wondering just where the
next big gainer would come from. “Would you like the Ground ‘Cat
or the Air Dog, sir?” And for dessert, some humble pie…
The Gambler
Maybe it was because he has watched too many World Series of Poker
reruns. Or perhaps he felt “charmed” since he had thrown the
“take FG points off the board” dice at the end of Q3 and won. Or
perhaps, even more so, that he had the PickleMeister weak-kneed and
reeling against the ropes after having made monkeys of NU’s porous
secondary, by connecting on a 19-yard TD pass with 6 seconds left in
the game to complete an improbable “71-yards-in-56 seconds” scoring
drive. Whatever his motivation or psychological state of mind,
NIU’s HC Joe Novak decided to play the part of “The Great River Boat
Gambler” in those final seconds of regulation, opting to forego the
game-tying PAT and, instead, to attempt the “all or nothing” 2 point
conversion. Obviously he had complete confidence that his troops
could and would steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
Conclusion
Luckily for Cap’n Vlasic and his ‘Cats, Novak’s go-for-broke last-play
dramatics failed on a WR slip and subsequent incompletion - a mere shot
across the bow of Das Pökelboot.
While the Purple Populace
sat stunned but satisfied with the victory, little could be taken from
the stadium beyond the yardage production and scoring proficiency of
the ‘Cat O. NU’s D and its coaching brain trust showed that their
score prevention vulnerability remains multi-faceted. This
vulnerability will be very problematic against better teams – like the
ASU BumDevils.
|
September 7, 2005
Before the season, I felt that NU’s game against the Arizona BumDevils
would be THE big game of the 2005 pigskin campaign. Owning to the
departure of 6 projected starters, my prediction for this season’s
make-or-break battle has been shifted to the Northern Illinois Muskies
- and for very good reason. Standing in opposition to the MAC’s
bottom-feeder, the Ohio BobbleHeads, the talent-rich and roster-deep
Muskies have been tagged as the No. 1 challenger for the conference
championship by virtually every preseason college football pundit in
the nation. And simply stated, MAC championship contenders have
given the Pökelboot’s Master & Commander fits throughout his
tenure as Wildcat HC. This fall’s Muskie team can do just that,
fielding a potent offense that can generate substantial yardage totals
on the ground as well as in the air.
Compared to last week’s weak sister, NIU is much stronger and much more
competitive in every aspect, and will be Northwestern’s biggest test of
character for 2005. The ‘Cats must build on the positives from
the BobbleHead game, while addressing and resolving the deficiencies
they showed in that contest. Muskie HC Joe Novak’s diverse
offense provides a true litmus test regarding the level of field play
the ‘Cats’ defense possesses. The efficient weaponry of the
Muskie
O will demonstrate whether or not NU’s newbie defensive personnel
peppering its 2 deep roster has the right stuff to be a competitive
force for the remainder of the season.
Over the last decade, Northern Illinois has made a strong institutional
commitment towards being recognized as the best college football
program in the state, under the mentorship of a quality head coach,
garnering rabid state-wide fan support. Big dollars have been
spent in promoting its program – in local media advertising, in
broadcasting a football review program on local cable & TV, and
especially in escalating the recruiting wars for blue chip gridiron
talent. And these labors are bearing fruit. With ticket
sales for this game reported to exceed the 38K mark, a vocal, red &
black clad Muskie fan base should be in strong evidence as both teams
charge into Dyche’s Ditch. It is imperative that NU rise to the
challenge of this in-state rival and show which college has the premier
football program in Illinois. This is Northwestern’s 2005 MUST
WIN GAME.
NU vs. the NIU Muskies -
Keys to the Game
Control the
Defensive LOS
Last Saturday, the Muskies rolled-out their highly touted RB, Garrett
Wolfe, who proved to be as good as advertised, rushing for 148 yards
total, highlighted by a nifty 76-yard TD scamper, against a good Dazed
& Blue Horde defense. The difference-maker that neutralized
this commendable total was 4 fumbles lost. If NIU’s
offensive skill position players didn’t turn themselves into French
pastry chefs baking so many significant turnovers, this game would have
been much closer. Key to the Muskie rushing attack is their
NFL-quality (again, as advertised) OL. They open holes and
exploit weakness in an opponent’s defensive front 7 as well as any unit
in the Big 10/11.
To counter this advertised strength, Dazed & Blue Horde HC, Lloyd
Carr, focused his defense primarily to halt the NIU ground game at the
LOS; and I feel that Cap’n Vlasic should mimic this strategy. The
main issue here is that an average-quality defense, like the one NU
fields, is not going to stone the quality Muskie ground game, but
should concentrate on containing its primary weapon, Mr. Wolfe, as well
and as long as possible. Tall order to be sure, but with the
aggressive, ball-seeking LBs that NU brings to bear, it should be
do-able. Trying to tie up the Muskie OL head-up and man-to-man is
not advisable, but shooting the gaps is. NU DC Greg Colby must
blast 5 defenders from all angles into and through gaps in NIU’s OL
every play to disrupt offensive flow. This was done regularly by
the Dazed and Blue D and they generated TFLs and turnovers early and
often. The ‘Cats must give the NIU ground attack more of the
same.
Bump & Grind – The Stripper
Everyone on the Muskie team realized how much their 4 fumbles lost and
1 INT contributed towards losing control of their season opener against
the Dazed & Blue Horde in the Big House. Michigan HC Lloyd
Carr stated it best when he referred to the statistical fact that the
football team that wins the turnover battle, wins 79% of those
games. To be sure, Muskie HC Novak will address this deficiency
as his team prepares for the ‘Cats. However, it remains to be
seen if this tendency was a one-game aberration or the result of NIU
ball carriers losing a grip in the face of big-time body shots. I
feel that it’s the later, even in spite of the fact that NIU lead all
Division 1A NCAA teams in number of turnovers with a single fumble lost
- in 2004. That was then, this is now. And in 2005, NIU
plays Big 10/11 Big Dog Michigan followed by an unheralded , yet gritty
Northwestern. The mantra for all ‘Cat defenders against the
Muskie running game, especially LBs and DBs: “1st man tackles the man,
2nd man tackles the ball.” This strategy means that the first hit
must be delivered by a heat-seeking headhunter to stop the ball in its
tracks; then the follow-up defender goes for the ball. Lay some
heavy lumber across the face of Mr. Wolfe & Co., put him on queer
street, then separate him from the bean. Stripping the football
from the RB should be a priority for Greg Colby’s troops this
week. Giving the ‘Cat O a short field will go a long way to
getting and keeping control of the
game.
BB and the Boys
“Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’…” OK, everyone take a deep, cleansing
breath. This is another week… against another opponent… and NU’s
offensive weapons are no longer unknown. The well-founded
euphoria within the Wildcat Nation over the impressive effectiveness of
last Saturday’s balanced ‘Cat attack must be restrained. Again,
NU’s OC Mike Dunbar can learn much from the Dazed & Blue game
films. I truly feel that NU has offensive skill position players
equivalent to those on the Michigan roster, and NIU will be equally
challenged to stop them. If Dazed & Blue QB Chad Henne and
his receiving corps could light-up the Muskies for 227 yards off 20
completions, BB and the Boys can do likewise. Notice: I wrote
“c-a-n.” “W-i-l-l” is another story and it remains to be seen if
BB and the Boys reproduce similar results.
A significant contributing factor to BB’s successful aerial assault
will be maintaining a balanced attack profile via the yardage-gobbling
capacity of Tyrell, “The Streak” Sutton executing Dunbar’s ground
gameplan. Deliver the ball into the hands of “Streak” in open
space, then watch him befuddle, bewilder and be past the Muskie
defenders in a flash.
Lastly, the most important contributing factor to any and all success
that BB and his Boys might have is the improved field play of NU’s
OL. After the BobbleHead game, various media reported that
members of NU’s OL were not enthusiastic regarding the quality of their
collective play. This is very good. I concurred with their
personal assessment - they did not have a stellar performance and there
is much more room for improvement across the entire line and in all
down/distance situations. In a word, NU’s OL must execute.
Keep BB’s uniform clean during pass plays; then get off on the snap,
lock-on to your blocking targets and drive them downfield on the
rushing attempts. It all starts up front.
Prediction
This game is very difficult to predict. I truly feel that the
Muskies are on par talent-wise with the ‘Cats. The defenses of
each team will face a daunting challenge to stop the high quality
attacks of their opponents. Personally, I think it will come down
to a game of field position – aided by the kicking game and especially
by French pastry (or the lack of it – hopefully, in the case of the
‘Cats). The final result will determined by the team who delivers
on the scoring opportunities presented to them (Big Duh!!!).
NU: 27
NIU Muskies: 24
The Waterboy
|
September 6, 2005
Knocking-off Building Block #1
Positives and negatives abounded in NU’s tilt against
the
talent-challenged Ohio BobbleHeads. Although NU laid a welcome 38
points on this obviously overmatched foe, much work lies ahead for Our
Master & Commander to get the Pökelboot more ship-shape in
time for
the ‘Cats’ next opponent, the Northern Illinois Muskies. Bluntly
stated, the Muskies are gonna pose a much more formidable challenge,
period. But before getting into that, I’ll expand on what
occurred at
Dyche’s Ditch last Saturday…
Bottom
line: the ‘Cats got the job done against a lesser team without
significant injury. Handling the offensive strategy of Ohio HC
Francis
Solich with relative ease despite several annoying aberrations, the
‘Cats opened a big can of whoop-azz against the BobbleHead’s major
offensive weapons, never permitting anything remotely resembling a
sustained drive, except when aided by a bone-headed NU
penalty. All
things considered, this game was an acceptable first-showing; although
it was far from perfection. Every offensive and defensive
position on
the Wildcat team had breakdowns of varying severity throughout the
contest, underscoring the point that the ’05 ‘Cats remain a
work-in-progress.
First, the negatives (and not to dwell on them)…
• Short-Yardage O
Against a stronger, worthier opponent, this single item could have been
a substantive game-breaker. Fortunately, any lasting effect from
this
negative was neutralized by the strong countering aspects of the ‘Cats’
balanced offense. OC Mike Dunbar unveiled a refined, quick-strike
rushing attack using the untested RB tandem of Brandon Roberson and
true frosh Tyrell Sutton – each diminutive in size, but big on speed
and the ability to hit the hole quickly and decisively. When
Roberson
was sidelined after his 2nd offensive series with an ankle ding,
Dunbar’s called-on Sutton, 2004 Ohio Mr. Football, for his Division 1A
college debut. Result: the ‘Cat ground game didn’t miss a
beat.
However, what credible talent was shown in NU’s outside and off-tackle
rushing attack, the inside short yardage game was abysmal, especially
in goal line situations. Mr. Dunbar never put the pill into the
hands
of one of his heavy RBs, either relative newbie Frayne Abernathy or the
lightly experienced Erryn Cobb, but repeatedly relied on his OL to open
holes. Problem was: when those holes didn’t materialize, NU’s
featherweight RBs simply didn’t possess the punch to pile-drive the
hand-checking, belly-bumping behemoths downfield, to get that first
down or, more importantly, to bulldoze the ball into the endzone.
Essentially, the offensive brain trust of Cap’n Vlasic and his first
mate must identify and employ a go-to short yardage grinder to
compliment their quick-strike, speed RBs. Such first down and/or
scoring opportunities cannot go unfulfilled against the better
opponents on NU’s ’05 schedule.
•
The Home Run Pass
Similar to the 2004 season, NU’s defensive secondary showed a worrisome
tendency to give-up the home run pass to wide-open Ohio receivers who
left their coverage DB in the dust. Fortunately, the consequences
of
these coverage gaffes did not result in points against – either because
the BobbleHead WRs muffed the pass or because the completion was
rendered moot – as when the game clock expired immediately after a 58
yarder was stoned on the NU 1. All that can be said is that this
seeming perennial coverage weakness among NU DBs must be remedied
ASAP. The ‘Cat O has the ability to move and score via sustained
drives; but those time consuming scoring drives won’t mean a thing if
the NU D gives up the long ball score so easily. This is a pass
coverage experience issue; and the ‘Cat secondary absolutely must
improve their coverage reads and keep contact with their assigned WRs –
even at the risk of bailing on run support. Personally, I gladly
would
trade the 15 yard ground-gainer for preventing the 60 yard bomb and its
possible subsequent score. The ‘Cats will not have the luxury of
relying on the playmaking ineptitude of their opposition’s offensive
skill personnel for the remainder of the season.
• Pressure Drop
Exacerbating the issue of NU’s deep pass coverage woes was the
inconsistent pass rush pressure from the defensive front 7 – especially
the DEs. The reputed weakest link in the BobbleHead O was their
OL, but all the relatively inexperienced ‘Cat DEs did in obvious pass
situations was lock horns with their blocking OTs, adding little to the
pass rush pressure against Ohio QB Everson. In spite of several
quality QB hurries and a sack by NU’s DTs and LBs, including OLB Adam
Kadela’s fantastic forced fumble off the delay blitz, NU exploited the
BobbleHead OL’s dubious pass protection only occasionally. The
‘Cats’ newbie DEs must improve their speed pass rush techniques to fill
the void of LoHo’s departure and provide their DB teammates as much
pass defending assistance as they can. If not, this less than
stellar pass rush will be exploited heavily against the stronger, more
refined passing attacks of NU’s future opponents.
Next, the positives…
How NU beat the BobbleHeads
BB Pitching BBs
In a word, NU’s QB, Brett Basanez, was ON. This superior
performance is what the Wildcat Nation fully expected from a completely
healthy Baz. And did he
perform! BB set back into the
pocket using 3, 5 & 7-step drops, counted-off his receivers running
their downfield patterns, spotted the open WR then delivered the bean
with a surgeon’s precision.
| He rolled to his right, found the
receiver running the 7 yard square-out and tossed the ball on target
virtually every time. He rolled to his left, spied his downfield
WR running the inside curl or the 12-yard crossing pattern and threw a
laser beam across his body into the receiver’s waiting hands.
When BB’s field play was shut down at the end of Q3, his stat sheet
showed 350 yards passing on 27 for 37 attempts. Ho hum…just
another day at the office. Now, to keep this productive offensive
weapon off Walker’s walking wounded list. IF BB stays healthy for
the 2005 season, this could go a long way to easing the loss of so many
starting players. I’m
excited!!!
|
Shaun Herbert hauls in one of
BB's BBs.
|
"The Streak" Begins
Prior to the game, Our Master & Commander stated that his
evaluation jury was still deliberating on a starting RB. Soph
Brandon Roberson was given the initial nod, with a strong caveat that
his 2nd Mr. Football recruit from the state of Ohio, true frosh Tyrell
Sutton, would be used liberally as needed. Well, it didn’t take
long for the smurf-sized Mr. Sutton to enter NU’s huddle and confirm
why he broke all those Ohio big high school rushing records, gaining a
commendable 104 yards on 17 carries in his first college game.
But that wasn’t the whole story. Simply stated, he is F-A-S-T and
elusive – a deadly combination that NU hasn’t seen in years under a
single Purple helmet. Running-wise, the Little Big Man
cranked-out rushes of 13, 15, 9, 17 (TD), 13 and 20 (TD) yards.
But it’s when Sutton gets the ball in open space where his running
skills are impressively showcased. In Q2, Sutton ran a drag pass
route, just under the Bobblehead’s short coverage zone umbrella; and
once BB dumped the ball deftly into his hands, he turned-on the
afterburners and scorched the befuddled Ohio secondary for 9 yards in
the blink of an eye. When this drag-route, dump-and-run play was
repeated for another 14 yard gainer, the WaterGirl yelled “This guy
runs through the BobbleHeads like a blue streak.” After that
play, we called Mr. Sutton “Streak” for the remainder of the
game. This moniker fits well; and, hence forth, Mr. Sutton will
be nicknamed “The Streak” in my commentaries. Indeed, he’s proof
positive that great things can come in little packages. I’m very
excited!!!
Just say No to Swiss Cheese
Although the Bobblehead O isn’t exactly a yardage-gobbling juggernaut,
it warranted stomach distress simply because it is mentored by option
attack wizard Francis Solich. For whatever reason, Mr. Solich
used the option sparingly; but whenever he did, it proved to be an
effective ground gainer, especially against NU’s newbie DEs.
IMHO, Solich didn’t execute it as his primary weapon of choice because
he concluded that his starting QB, Austin Everson, didn’t possess
either the quickness of foot or the resiliency to absorb the brutal
body-blows expected to be delivered by NU’s head-hunting LBs.
Instead, the BobbleHead O fielded a balanced attack, which, overall,
was stoned by NU DC Greg Colby’s squad. The final Ohio offensive
stats: 62 yards on the ground, 177 through the air off only 9
completions (padded by that 58 yard bomb at the end of H-1), and 3
turnovers against, provide irrefutable evidence that Colby’s Swiss
Cheese defense was kept in its air-tight, shrink-wrap package for the
day. Good deal!
Give 'Em the Boot
In 2004, NU’s greatest field play liability was their kicking game, one
that ranged from problematic to critical from one week to the
next. Kicking encompasses 30 % of a football game’s plays and
directly affects every aspect of the contest - from determining field
position, to the recoup of offensive failures, to completing scoring
opportunities, especially when the game hangs in the balance. NU
entered the 2005 season with a kicking game that could be described
best as an unknown entity. Well, this game went a long way
towards dispelling many of the doubts regarding the capabilities of the
‘Cats’ kicking personnel to stand and deliver. Wildcat P Ryan
Pedersen boomed high style-point punts at a 44-yards-per clip,
continually giving the NU’s D decent field position. Not to be
outdone, PK Joel Howells blasted kickoffs to, through or close to the
BobbleHead goaline with regularity, even when kicking against a
substantive north wind. In addition, Mr. Howells must be
commended for his FG kicks. Although merely going 1-for-3, his 2
misses were against said stiff wind, both of which had plenty of
distance while sailing wide right by slight margins, with the 2nd miss
hitting the right upright. If both ‘Cat kickers can improve on
their initial performances, they will contribute mightily towards
reducing the substantial pressure heaped-upon a depleted and
experience-challenged NU D.
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August 30, 2005
Preface
For the record, let me make a heartfelt statement
regarding FEW and his suspended website…
First and foremost, FEW is, and has been, my very good and trusted
friend. Together with GoUPurple of the HailToPurple.com website,
I have had the pleasure of experiencing his company, his wit and his
insightful opinions and perspectives firsthand over the last five
years. He is an original-- a true supporter and believer in the
Northwestern Football Program as a torch bearer of what a NCAA Division
1A collegiate football program should aspire to be. This is not
to say NU is the end-all, be-all paradigm of athletic competition among
NCAA institutions of higher learning, but the athletic programs at NU
emphasize one characteristic above all others – they are populated by
the true scholar-athlete. And among many others, FEW carried this
message throughout his website, and I am proud and honored to have
contributed, in whatever small way, to his internet vehicle that
espoused this most important point of amateur athletics. I have
no regrets towards his decision to suspend his website. He is
merely on hiatus, focusing on his life's most important subjects.
In doing so, he could not continue to devote the energy and enthusiasm
required to generate the high quality content, humor and support for NU
football that we NU devotees have expected from his website. He
is alive and well, and I'm sure that he will resurrect his
labor-of-love for Northwestern Gridiron athletics at the appropriate
time in the future.
Now on to the 2005 Wildcat Football campaign…
I view NU's 2005 pigskin campaign as a series of
building blocks. As the 'Cats progress through this fall's
schedule of foes, the relative competition gets more difficult by the
week, and to maintain competitive consistency and success, the 'Cats
must build on the experience garnered in the previous week's gridiron
battle. Circumstantially, the first game against a
less-than-stellar Ohio BobbleHead team turns out to be a blessing,
simply because NU is going to rely heavily on frosh and redshirt frosh
to carry a much larger than expected load, especially on the defensive
side of the LOS. With the departure of 6 projected starters
(including B. Horn, who was a contributing member of the eight-headed
"starting" WR corps), NU is precariously thin in many critical
positions, especially the DL. With the hated Francis Solich at
the Bobblehead helm, this home opener should be a good litmus test on
whether or not these newbie starters can fill the bill as the season
moves forward.
After this game, the schedule difficulty escalates quickly. The
Northern Illinois Muskies field an RB tandem reminiscent of what the
Minnie Mighty Marmots employed the last two seasons, and if NU's
newbie-laden defense hasn't risen to their first-game "baptism of fire"
and succeeded against the weak BobbleHeads, this one could turn into an
ugly offensive shootout. Following this game, the 'Cats' first
roadie is against a Bum Devil team that sports a well-deserved national
ranking, thanks to an offense that can tally points on the scoreboard
in quick succession, series after series. Again, the recurring
mantra you will hear is: "Can NU's newbies build on the previous game's
experience to compete with this week's challenge?
And this pattern repeats itself again and again, until the 'Cats meet
the "meat" of their 2005 season, facing the Big Dogs of the Big 10/11
in successive weeks: the Dazed & Blue Horde from Ann Arbor, the
I-Away Black-Eyes, and the BuckNuts on the banks of the
Olentangy. This scheduling SNAFU would be daunting for any
Division 1A team, let alone the depleted 'Cats.
Unfortunately, I'm predicting a repeat of the train wrecks that we, the
Purple Populace, witnessed in the 2001 and 2002 campaigns. Like
then, NU is too thin and too inexperienced on both the OL &
DL. If the injury bug bites our starters-- be they the old guard
or the newbies, especially those populating NU's defense, as it had in
those two forgettable seasons-- the '05 season could spiral downward
but fast.
NU vs. the
Ohio Bobbleheads
Keys to the Game
Minimize Mental Mistakes
As with any team that is populated with bright,
shinning faces, new to the rigors of the Division 1A college game,
mistakes will be made. The boneheaded hold, the motion prior to
the snap of the ball, the hands to the face… physical play gaffes such
as these are expected. But what isn't predictable is the mental
error. The failure of an OL to recognize the defensive front and
make the correct blocking strategy call. An LB's failure to cover
an RB sprinting out of the backfield into open space in the flat.
The DB biting on the play-action fake, allowing his coverage WR to blow
by him waiting for the delivery of the easy vertical pass. These
mistakes are due primarily to game-time inexperience. And there
is no substitute for experience and the ability to decipher what is
happening in front of you and to react appropriately. NU's
newbies are gonna have to grow up fast and adjust to the speed and
strategy of the Big Time college competition.
Be scared … Be very scared.
BOA: a Balanced Offense Attack
The 'Cat offense must come out loaded for bear, and OC
Mike Dunbar must test all the weapons in his arsenal, if only to
identify what pieces of NU's offensive puzzle need further
mentoring. I have no doubts whatsoever regarding the expected air
attack effectiveness that four-year starting QB Brett Baz brings to the
table. Coupled with an experienced corps of WRs, Baz should
showcase his playmaking experience in a big way. Only item here
is: OC Dunbar has shown a tendency in the past to unveil a game plan
that plays down to his competition. And in this game the strength
of the BobbleHead football team lies in their defense, which returns
eight starters from their 2004 season. This is why a balanced
attack is important: to knock this experienced Bobblehead squad back on
their collective heels and keep them guessing which weapon the 'Cats
will use and when the trigger will be pulled.
This means rolling out a complementary running game that overpowers the
BobbleHead defensive front seven. And it all starts with NU's
OL. Establish control of the LOS, and it won't matter to which RB
Dunbar selects to receive the hand off. But with frosh peppering
the two-deep roster of the NU OL, consistent control of the LOS remains
a big question mark. With the injury departure of projected
starting RB Terrell Jordan, the heir apparent to the NU '05 premier RB
position is not well-defined either. Throughout the pre-season,
Our Master & Commander, Randy Walker, has made verbal overtures to
the liberal employment of little-experienced soph Brandon Roberson, as
well as tapping into the great projected capabilities of true frosh
Tyrell Sutton. Both are unknowns simply because they just don't
have experience against Big Time college competition. I have seen
Roberson, and he can carry the pill. He makes a decision
regarding
what hole to hit quickly then gets to that point of attack in a
flash. I've also seen Mr. Sutton in person against formidable
high school level competition last fall, and believe me when I say: he
is everything as advertised. And if NU's Big Uglies get the push
off the LOS, either will gain yardage.
If Mr. Dunbar keeps a balanced attack with little predictability
regarding what plays are called according to down and distance, I'm
confident that NU will score early and often.
Attack the Ball
This key is so simple, it's almost silly to mention
it. The NU D must pursue the ball and attack it with reckless
abandon. BobbleHead HC Solich is a master of the option, and he
has shown a skillful ability to light up the PickleMeister's D using
this offensive strategy, as evidenced in the 60-plus point wipeout of
the 'Cats in the 2000 Alamo Bowl. Many within the Wildcat Nation
have been licking their chops at the chance to return the butt kicking
favor, especially with the stinging memory of an "in your face"
late-game TD bomb off the option play-action when the game was totally
out of reach. I have included myself in this group and have
wished nothing less than a rash of bleeding ulcers on unmentionable
body parts and chronic septic field failures on Mr. Solich since that
egregious display of poor sportsmanship.
And owning to the reputed weakness
of the BobbleHead's offensive
weaponry, I strongly suspect that Francis will reprise his mastery of
the option attack against Our Master and Commander once
more.
Defending
the option takes specialized skills. Among them are two
critical keys: the defending front seven attacking their individual
option targets, and the DBs recognizing the ball transfer from QB to
the RB and transitioning from pass support to rush support.
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New Ohio Coach Frank Solich
and staff at
their introduction.
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Capitalizing on defensive breakdowns in either
category is the lure of
the option attack. Such breakdowns can occur at any time and
often result in big yardage plays.
First and foremost is the necessity to maintain control of the
defensive corners. In the "three yards & a cloud of dust"
era, control of this vital area of the LOS was called "corner
containment." It might be called something else now, but the
principles remain the same. If an option offense can attack and
sprint around the defensive corner, or if the defender races to the
outside option RB giving the option QB a running lane to the inside of
that outside-bound defender, the ball is positioned into open space,
with nothing but green and the goal line within sight of the ball
carrier. Key point is that whoever has corner containment for that
particular down, be it the DE, the OLB or the CB, they must funnel the
ball (and the ball carrier) back towards the middle of the field where
the inside-out run support is expected to pursue the ball. If
this key defensive man maintains control of the "point of attack"
corner, it eliminates 75% of the big yardage capabilities of the run
portion of the option.
This attack puts a big responsibility on this corner containment
defender. Each member of the defensive front seven must cover an
area of the LOS, and attack whatever offensive option sets within that
area. Even with experienced personnel, 'Cat DC Greg Colby had
little success against option oriented offenses, especially the ones
fielding quick and decisive ball carriers, like Air Force.
Unfortunately, NU will have newbie DEs and CBs with little starting
experience, especially against the option attack. If the newbie
DE has corner contain, he must ignore his instinct to attack the QB
toting the ball, and maintain contact with the cover of the option
pitchman. If the CB sees the WR stop his route to set up for a
downfield block, he must get separation and move upfield in run
support, either to the inside or to the outside of the DE. If
not, he must stick with the WR wherever he goes.
Key here is that every 'Cat defender must defend his area of
responsibility along the LOS, and once the option ball carrier turns
upfield, fly to the ball and attack it with extreme prejudice.
This is not an impossible mission, but with true frosh and red-shirt
frosh personnel, unfamiliar with the speed and decisiveness of the
collegiate option attack, NU's defense is vulnerable in a big
way.
Conclusions
This one is tough to predict, especially in light of
the losses of proven, experienced defensive starters, like CB Backes,
DE LoHo and SS Heinz, and with the necessity to play frosh DL against
the refined attack strategy of a Frank Solich option offense.
Preseason pundits have identified the BobbleHeads as THE cream-filled
dessert cake of Northwestern’s '05 season. Before the devastating
losses to the D, I would have agreed. However, now I'm skeptical,
if only because there are so many unknowns. This fall campaign
has many parallels to the 2001 and 2002 seasons, both of which turned
ugly in a hurry. But in spite of what these same pre-season
pundits describe as a top 20 strength of schedule, I fell very strongly
in the building block progression of this season. This game could
go a long way towards solidifying the perspectives of NU's newbies on
the advanced level of field play in a Division 1A football game.
Personally, I think that they will shine bright-- for now.
Prediction
NU :
31
BobbleHeads: 17
The Waterboy
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The Waterboy is a former football player
and a Northwestern
alumnus. Aside from these facts, he has no affiliation with
Northwestern University. The commentary he posts here is his
own, and does not necessarily reflect the views of HailToPurple.com.
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