Nov. 11, 2011
Chewin’ On the BugEaters
Finally, a full 4 quarters of quality, competitive field play from
every squad on the Northwestern Wildcat team. Refreshing?
Sure it was, but more to the point, last Saturday’s performance against
the tough 9th-ranked Nebraska BugEaters could best be described as
REASSURING.
Why reassuring you might ask? Most certainly… As in reassurance
from an enigmatic team that, over the course of its last 4 games, had
displayed their amazing potential to dominate a ranked opponent
throughout the early quarters of a contest, only to be man-handled and
overwhelmed by that opponent who made the critical, necessary
adjustments that would stuff the earlier proficient yardage production
of the Cat O to insignificance, while simultaneously taking the
normally porous ‘Cat D to the shed for its weekly late-game
thrashing.
Well, against the BugEaters, it just didn’t happen. And what was the
difference of this game from the ‘Cats’ previous 4? Let me count
the ways…
How the ‘Cats Zapped the BugEaters
“Keep ‘Em Under 53…
and we’ll have a chance” - a quote voiced by NU’s QB-slash-WR-slash-RB
Kain Colter during an on-field post-game interview when asked what was
said to the ‘Cat defense that might have sparked their spectacular
performance to neutralize the high-powered BugEater O. Nothing
like some ironic tongue-in-cheek ribbing from one’s offensive teammates
to light the fuse and shove a motivational burr under the saddle of the
much-maligned ‘Cat D.
Whether or not that quote was actually true; or, if true, whatever the
background context might have been when that poignant message was
delivered, it proved to be a cold-water wake-up call thrown into the
collective faces of the Wildcat defense. And, to a player, they
responded with vitality and vengeance, laying-out everything they had
on the gridiron over all 4 quarters, while subsequently giving the
Wildcat offense that chance to put together a game-deciding drive to
score the go-ahead and eventual winning TD against one of the best
defenses in the Big 10/12 conference.
As much as I was impressed with the efficiency, resiliency and
dominating play of the ‘Cat O during the prior weekend’s shootout
against the Indy Who-Zits, I was more impressed and even awe-struck by
the ‘Cat D as I witnessed the fire-breathing, no-holds-barred style in
which they attacked the prohibitive 17.5 point favorite BugEaters from
Lincoln, NE. What an effort! What a commitment to
excellence!!!
And quite frankly, was it ever so totally unexpected Throughout
every game played in the first half of the 2011 season, the frustrating
field play of the ‘Cat defense had degraded so steadily, that many
among the most die-hard, purple Kool-Aid swilling fans populating
Wildcat Nation were calling vociferously for the head of DC Doc
Hankwitz. And who could blame them, especially after the Army
fiasco game that became a harbinger of more devastating train wrecks to
come. I, for one, held fast and never subscribed to that
point-of-view, if only because I recognized the occasional level of
defensive play from individual DL, to members of the LB corps and even
those within Jerry’s Kids’ ranks (NU’s DBs), although inconsistent and
rife with breakdown of all kinds, had moments of good , if not (big
gulp here…) high quality. The most pervasive argument against
this purely Polly-Anna perspective was the irrefutable fact that those
moments, those glimmers of hope were much too few and too far between
one another to make a rat’s behind difference in the overall perception
of what was going on the defensive side of the LOS, particularly in the
2nd halves of most games where this unit’s putrid execution, especially
from NU’s secondary, was most evident.
So what was the difference-maker in this particular contest, the ‘Cats’
first ever conference go-around against the BugEaters, who were tied
for the lead in the newly formed Legends Division and who, apparently,
merely had to swat the pesky, gnat-like ‘Cats from their home field,
then redirect their attention to compete against the more reputable
opponents left in their inaugural Big 10/12 season - Michigan, State
Penn and the hated Iowa HogEyes?
IMHO, it was attitude… the very attitude alluded-to by Mr. Colter’s
quote above, which begged the question, “Was the ‘Cat D finally
prepared and willing to play their most complete game of their 2011
campaign?” The subliminal 2nd half answer to that question could
be paraphrased: “If not, then fold your tents, get your butts off the
field, and let the real playmakers go to work.” Essentially, this
answer was a challenge to the defense’s mental wherewithal, their
competitive nature, their intensity; and, without a doubt, it was NOT
good natured or mild mannered when voiced. And I’d bet my house
that this question/answer was crafted and communicated by Doc to his
beleaguered troops.
And owning to this game’s final defensive statistics, the reaction to
this communiqué could be summarized: “Message transmitted;
Message received… Roger that.”
A cursive inspection at the final totals underscores the significant effect of that message -
● 122 total yards rushing allowed
● 1 rushing TD allowed
● 287 total yards passing allowed
● 21 total points allowed (after having averaged 32)
● Explosion passes: 2 of 25 yards apiece
● Explosion rushes: 2 of 19 yards apiece
Remarkably. the WhoZit O achieved each bullet-point statistic above in
H-1 alone the previous Saturday. Yet against UN-L’s Big Bad Red
Machine, these were FINAL totals. These statistics were born of
superior effort and commitment to lay it all on the line by every
defensive player who faced the BugEater offense.
All I can say is: “Welcome Back. Where have you been all this time?”
One-Dimensional
From the opening whistle to the final gun, it was obvious that OC Doc’s
overriding game plan was to make the BugEater offense one dimensional
by diverting UN-L’s primary offensive yardage production away from
their prolific, grind-it-out ground game featuring RB, Rex Burkhead,
and force it into the hands and arm of Big Red throwing
RB/Wildcat-style QB, Taylor Martinez, and his relatively
less-than-stellar passing attack. Mind you, the quality of the
BugEaters’ aerial game is not poor by anyone’s assessment, but
undoubtedly it holds a distant second place to their rushing attack.
Before this grapple, every DC from the Big Dog teams of the Big 10/12
made attempts to execute this exact defensive strategy with varying
degrees of success. Moo U made a vain stab to employ it and
failed miserably, literally getting steamrolled by the blocking
dominance of the BugEater’s OL and the ground game tandem of Burkhead
& Martinez, giving-up 24 points off 190 yards rushing when the
Sparty defense had strangled their previous 7 foes to an average of
only 90. Da BuckNuts tried it as well and were effective through
3 well-played quarters, having garnered a 21-point lead in mid Q3, only
to collapse eventually to the inescapable pressure of UN-L’s running
game that was bolstered by Martinez’ 109 yards rushing and complimented
by his best passing performance of the fall, where he completed 16 of
22 attempts for 191 yards, all of which led to 4 TDs as the BugEaters
squeezed-out an improbable come-from-behind “W” in the game’s final 20
minutes.
The only Big 10/12 team to successfully run this
“give-the-ball-to-Martinez” paradigm was Wisky during their 48-17
home-cooked shellacking of the BugEaters. In the process, the
Drunkards made UN-L’s ground game appear pedestrian and coerced
Martinez’ middling passing attack into 3 game-changing INTs. I
believe that this game, more than any other, convinced Fitz and Doc to
emulate Wisky’s defensive game plan as best they could to keep the
juggernaut Big Red scoring machine at bay for as long as was
possible. Only issue… Did Fitz & Doc truly ever expect their
normally porous D would keep the seemingly unstoppable BugEater O
bottled-up for an entire 60 minutes? The only ones who know the
real answer to that question walk the offices of Nicholet Hall and the
Randy Walker locker room.
I’m more than happy to report that this defensive strategy was
effective for most of the contest. First item to mention was that
Doc stacked the box with numbers frequently, not allowing the BugEater
OL to claim full control of the LOS.via double teams to the ‘Cat DL and
position blocks at the point of attack, as had been their modus
operandi. With 7-8 Purple defenders facing the Big Red rushing
game, there was always a free defender to fill a hole or attack the
ball as it showed before it was run into the LOS. The ‘Cat
defensive front players were instructed to attack their blocking
counterparts with reckless abandon, and it proved an effective
tactic. Even the relative newcomers, DTs Hampton and Carter, were
pounding their would-be blockers and holding their ground, allowing
their second level support teammates to attack the open seams or
lanes.
A second detail of this strategy was to emphasize attacking the
BugEater O on their side of the LOS. This attack mode was most
evident in defensive corner contain techniques where NU’s OLBs and/or
DEs were tasked to react to their reads of Martinez and Burkhead
running to their side of the LOS and penetrate into the BugEater
backfield 3 yards off contain edge, especially to the wide side of the
field. This edge penetration compelled the ball carrier either to
shorten his run to the defensive corner and cut to the inside of the
edge-penetration defender or to drop his route back another 2-3 yards
deeper in an attempt to sprint around the edge defender. The
ultimate objective was to disrupt offensive flow to the defensive edge
and force the ball carrier to hesitate in his decision of where to make
his cut downfield, even for a fraction of a second, allowing either the
inside-out pursuit of the LBs and DL to sprint down the LOS then turn
into the lane inside of the edge penetration or the CB to make his rush
read then drive hard to support the lane outside of the edge
defender. In either case, the 2nd level rush support defenders
MUST turn upfield into the face of the ball carrier and meet him with
heavy lumber and bad intent.
Now mind you, this edge attack and other attack-oriented stunts by NU’s
defensive front 7 did not necessarily stone the UN-L ground game in
place, but collectively contributed to containing the usual damage done
by the yardage gobbling Nebraska rush. By employing an overall
game plan that forced the ball into the hands of Big Red QB Martinez,
Fitz and his coaching staff had constructed a blueprint for success
that mimicked what HC Bielema conceived for Wisky; and the BugEater
offense accommodated that blueprint as it both dominated and sputtered
at various points during their first 3 possessions of the game while
making several crucial gaffes of their own
While the BugEater O scrambled to solidify its playmaking rhythm
against Doc’s D, Persa and Co. went to work executing OC Mick McCall’s
balanced offensive game plan, controlling virtually whole portions of
the game throughout H-1, as the ‘Cats captured a 7-3 lead in front of
85,000 astonished and eerily quiet Big Red fans and held on to it
heading into the halftime. Think of it… top 10-ranked Nebraska
held to 3 points for the first half by the one of the conference’s
weakest defenses!!! Then the ‘Cats shocked the home crowd even
further by returning the opening kickoff of H-2 to the NU 41, then
methodically drove the bean the remaining 59 yards for a 2nd TD to
extended the ‘Cat lead to 14-3 in less than 3 minutes.
NU’s defensive game plan to dictate a one-dimensional O to their opponent worked relatively well. Simply outstanding!!!
Decisive Defense
Here is where this implausible success story takes a decidedly surreal
turn in the Wildcat’s favor when the ‘Cat defensive front 7 completed
several of the most monumentally decisive defensive plays of the 2011
season.
The first occurred on the BugEater’s possession spanning Q1 into Q2, as
they trailed the ‘Cats 7-0. During this drive the ‘Cat D was
trying to execute their attack-the-LOS game plan, but UN-L’s
Burkhead-Martinez rushing tandem was carving them up like a
Thanksgiving turkey. The NU defense would stop a rush for little
to no gain on one down then on the following play get slashed for a
substantive gainer for a 1st down as the drive pushed relentlessly from
the BugEater’s 21 to the NU 5 in 12 grueling downs. On 1st &
goal, Burkhead gets a handoff on a simple dive into a crease at the
LOS, bulldozing toward NU’s goal line amid the ensuing scrum, when LB
Dave Nwabuisi reaches in and strips the bean from Burkhead. The
ball pops out a full 5 yards behind this mass of humanity and the mad
scramble is on. When the dust finally settles, ‘Cat DE Tyler
Scott emerges with the fumbled ball in hand. Doc’s D dodges a
huge kill shot bullet in the BugEater’s bid to score a game-tying
TD. This French pastry turnover was a colossal game-changer,
shifting momentum from the Big, Bad BugEaters to the Wildcats in the
blink of an eye, who retained it for the remainder of the game.
On the heels of this first forced fumble recovery, the ‘Cat D regained
their focus and determination, turning the tables on the Big Red O and
neutralizing them throughout the rest of H-1 and into H-2.
The 2nd crucial defensive play occurred on the very next BugEater
possession. UN-L QB Martinez completed a 17-yard pitch-n-catch
toss to WR Quincy Enuwa who made the grab, took 2 steps downfield to
the NU 27, then got blasted by ‘Cat CB Jeravin Matthews, forcing the
ball from the WR’s hands for a fumble that bounced to the NU 19 yard
line, where Safety Ibraheim Campbell pounced on it to end the
drive. This second consecutive fumble recovery by the ‘Cats on
successive Nebraska possessions changed the entire complexion of the
game. From this point forward, the Big Red brain trust shifted
their offensive approach from its standard, methodical run-based attack
to a pass-oriented one - as designed by the ‘Cats’ defensive game
plan. Fitz had herded HC Bo Pelini’s offensive mindset where he
wanted it to be.
The 3rd was a critical defensive stand occurred after a Persa pass was
deflected 10 feet in the air by a Nebraska DL and grabbed by Big Red LB
David Lavonte at the NU 37. This INT could have been a
backbreaking, game-changing turnover, but instead the ‘Cat D responded
to the challenge and remained steadfast. After yielding a 13-yard
pass completion, the ‘Cat defense regained their composure to stop the
Big Red offense on consecutive downs and force them into a 36-yard FG
attempt that was converted to set the score at 7-3 before the end of
H-1. This 4-point swing was huge difference-maker and a major
motivational factor to the Wildcats. It proved once and for all
that they could withstand the Bugeater’s haymaker shots and keep their
will to win intact heading into H-2.
The 4th monumental performance by NU’s D was made on the Nebraska’s
first offensive series following NU’s 2nd TD score of the game off
Colter’s 23-yard quick strike pass to Dunsmore on the ‘Cats’ opening
possession of H-2 mentioned above that shoved Big Red down an 11 point
hole. After returning the subsequent kickoff to their 39, the
BugEater offense pops an explosion rush for 19 yards hauling the ball
to the NU 42, poised for a push to paydirt. The ‘Cat D responds
once again to stone the Big Red O on 3 sequential downs, forcing a 4th
& 2 down at their own 34, and Bo Pelini goes for the proverbial
jugular in a bid to convert the 1st down and snatch momentum back to
the BugEaters. On 4th down, Burkhead received the handoff and
immediately gets pummeled to the turf as DE Quentin Williams and LB
Damien Proby shoot the “A” gaps on either side of the Nebraska OC and
drop the Big Red RB in his tracks for a 3-yard TFL to end another
BugEater possession for zero points. This failure to convert on 4th
down & short sent a message to the Nebraska coaching staff:
This game was gonna be a fight to the finish, similar to the BugEater
vs. BuckNut game.
A Rising Star
Sophomore Kain Colter, the Wildcat’s versatile QB-slash-RB-slash-WR,
has already had his coming-out party in NU’s first 2011 game against
Boston College. Since then, his stock has been upwardly mobile,
as has his versatility within OC Mick McCall’s offensive game
plans. But never was his playmaking ability and offensive
contribution as needed or critical to the ‘Cats’ chances at capturing
the “W” flag as it was throughout last Saturday’s tussle against the
BugEaters.
Now before I start singing his praises, allow me to temper the euphoria
over Colter’s outstanding playmaking against the Big, Bad BugEaters
with a cold reality check. Simply stated, he can be as much a
liability as he can be a hero. In NU’s 2nd offensive series of
this last contest, Colter, as RB, rushed off-tackle, promptly got
waylaid by the BugEater defensive front 7 for a -6 TFL and laid the
pigskin on the turf at the Big Red 34, killing what shoulda, woulda,
coulda been the ‘Cats’ first points of the game. I won’t go
further, you get the picture.
In H-1, Colter made ink for himself on the stat sheet with a 22 yard
catch-n-run from Persa during NU’s first possession of the game in Q1,
which unfortunately was negated by the fumble mentioned above 7 downs
later. However, it was in H-2 that the full weight of the
Colter-effect was felt most strongly by the BigEaters.
With Persa having been planted harshly to the turf of Dyche’s Ditch on
a very hard sack late in H-1, sustaining a game-ending shoulder injury
in the process, the onus fell on Mr. Colter to pick-up the offensive
leadership torch and run McCall’s balanced offense on his own
throughout H-2. A daunting challenge to say the least.
Well, KC didn’t merely run the ‘Cat offense when given the QB duties
for the Wildcats, he literally took NU’s offense fate in hand to become
the game’s most dominant offensive playmaker on either side of the
LOS.
As stated above, once NU took the opening kickoff of H-2, returning it
to the NU 41, Colter, out of his Wildcat QB shotgun set, connected with
TE Jack Konopka on his first pass for a 21-yard TD - or so it
seemed. Mr. Konopka, lined-up on the LOS in his standard TE set,
was covered to his outside by the wide-set WR who also lined-up on the
LOS, making him an ineligible receiver. The zebras caught the
infraction proffered the usual 5 yard mark-off. However, the ‘Cat
offensive brain trust decided to test the deep middle zone coverage of
the BugEater secondary once more. On the next play from
scrimmage, Colter threaded the needle to SB Drake Dunsmore (or do you
say, “Does-More”) running a skinny post surrounded by triple coverage
(see, I told you Colter had his drawbacks) with a pin-point,
right-back-at-ya 23-yard strike to the Big Red 3. Talk about a
gun slinger… With his mojo red-lining and operating once again
from the shotgun on 1st & goal, Colter receives the snap, fakes a
handoff to his left, then sprints, afterburners glowing, to the right
defensive edge of the Nebraska LOS, where he gains the corner, turns
downfield and dives with the ball outstretched in his left paw to the
goal line pylon, tapping just it before he gets rolled out of bounds
for a TD to extend the ‘Cat lead to 14-3. Wildcat Nation goes
bonkers.
This critical TD score, coupled with NU’s stuff against the BugEater’s
4th down conversion attempt on their follow-up possession, sent the Big
Red offensive coaches into a panic. Overwhelmed by the unsightly
specter of a home loss to the unranked Wildcats looming before him,
desperation mode besets HC Bo Pelini, forcing him into the decision to
put the ball and game’s outcome into the hands of his QB, Taylor
Martinez, for the remainder of the afternoon, just as Doc had designed.
Now the shootout at the UN-L Corral commenced.
Following an exchange of possessions, Big Red finally mounts a drive,
scoring on a 15-yard Martinez TD toss. Unfazed and still brimming
with confidence, Colter & Co. answer right back with the most
dazzling play of the day. After another exchange of possessions,
the ‘Cats get their mitts on the bean once more. On NU’s 2nd play in
this possession, Colter sets-up behind his pocket protection and
delivers a frozen rope dart to WR Jeremy Ebert, on target and in
stride, as Mr. Ebert streaks clear through the BugEater’s deep middle
zone, makes the grab in open space then activates his 4.4 jets pointed
toward the Big Red goal line with nothing 81 yards of big green in
front of him. I truly believe that this single,
dagger-to-the-heart TD strike was the final undoing of the
BugEaters. The Red-clad team knew, as did their fans, that this
game seemed destined to belong to the Purple team, and their body
language on the field and in the stands confirmed this conviction.
However, not to go gently into that sweet night, the BugEaters gear
themselves for another aerial circus possession after NU’s long
distance TD pass drive. After Big Red scores again off this
possession to reduce their deficit to 21-18, NU does a role reversal
with Nebraska, and shows them that smash-mouth run-first football is
not just the exclusive offensive paradigm of the BugEaters, but the
‘Cats can execute their own version as well. Starting this next
offensive series from their 34, Colter & Co. began their
game-clinching cross field march behind impressive OL blocking against
a battered & bruised Big Red defense, using 13 consecutive rushes
split equally between Colter, Treyven Green and Jacob “Hodag” Schmidt,
that ended on a Colter 1-yard QB sneak across the UN-L goal line, after
burning 7:20 valuable minutes off the clock, increasing their lead to
10 points while leaving a mere buck-28 left to play.
This drive was pure attrition, demonstrating to everyone in attendance
that, not only was the ‘Cat O multi-dimensional, but they, as a team,
had finally arrived and would be a force to be reckoned with over their
last 3 games.
Conclusion
Equal parts satisfaction, vindication and pride in a job well
done. Way to go fellas. You deserved this one!!!
However, regarding this game against this opponent, I harbor a deep
personal scar on that organ occupying the space between my breastbone
and backbone. You see, I played on the Wildcat team who last
darkened the doorstep of the BugEaters back in that Ice Age season of
’74, where my teammates and myself got thoroughly shredded and left as
roadkill, after a 49-7 beat down administered by that then top
ten-ranked team. And although this game aided in salving the
wound somewhat, I still can feel the damn thing throbbing on
occasion. It ached throughout the Dark Ages and its pain returned
during this season’s that damn 5-game losing streak.
I don’t expect to feel that pain for the rest of the 2011 season.
Time to flush this “W” and gear for the Rice bOwls.
The Waterboy
“Win with Grace and Lose with Dignity”
|
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.
