Nov. 27, 2014




A November To Remember?

You saw it, I saw it; and anyone else who, however briefly, might have switched their TV channel changer to the NU vs Perdue Broiler Chicken game last Saturday saw it as well (and who among any casual B1G football fan would have wasted more than a just a few minutes watching this literal train wreck for the home team).  The Wildcats unwrapped, exposed then gobbled-up the softest, lowest caloric valued Twinkie in the B1G conference on their trip into West Laughable, Indiana for their 3rd conference “W” of this 2014 campaign.  Truth be told, this contest was more mercy killing than an actual victory simply because the Broiler Chickens are that Gawd awful; lacking most anything that resembles competitive ability in all 3 phases of the game, even worse than the Pumpkinheads of Ill-Annoy, and that is saying quite a mouthful.  However, in retrospect, I must admit the game was quite refreshing – to finally watch the ‘Cats dispatch a much lesser opponent with pedestrian playmaking efficacy rather than playing down to the level of this pizz-poor opponent and surviving yet another character-building nail-biter that once more would test the mettle of the much superior ‘Cats.  

Prior to the ‘Cats’ grapple with the Noted Dames in Sow Bend last weekend, Fitz had told his players to harken back to their halcyon high school football days, and in particular, to the unbounded excitement, the pressure to perform and the lessons learned surrounding those critical win-or-go-home games during their individual teams’ state H.S. championship playoff runs held in November.  Fitz then told his troops that the challenge they were about to face in their final three B1G contests of the 2014 season was exactly the same – same excitement, same pressure and same chance to learn and improve upon earlier mistakes made – as had they experienced in their H.S. football careers with this collegiate football moment’s brass ring prize being the opportunity to secure that much sought-after 6th “W” that would make the ‘Cats eligible for post-season bowl consideration.  When I first heard it, I thought that such a mental exercise was both motivationally innovative and to-the-heart-of-the-matter honest – that Fitz could call-upon each player’s recollection of what it took, personally, to get the job done in their team’s drive to secure their state’s ultimate pigskin prize: that highly-coveted H.S. football championship trophy.   Most assuredly, this tactic wasn’t theatrics, not by a long shot.  It was a message from the heart of their HC to that special place within the individual heart of each player that made him choose football as his athletic vocation of choice.  And that choice was going to be put to another ultimate test of “win and advance” survival. 

The ‘Cats responded in kind to Fitz’ thoughtful memory jogging with a hard fought road game victory against a prohibitive double-digit favorite Noted Dames team that is bound to become a distinctive part of Northwestern football lore with the passing of years.  But that “W”, historically significant as it undoubtedly is, was merely the opening act of a 3-act stage play to be acted-out by the 2014 Wildcats.  Act 2 was Saturday’s throttling of an overmatched Perdue Broiler Chicken team that many non-Pollyanna Wildcat fans forewarned might give the ‘Cats fits if they let them hang around long enough to give them fits.  Thankfully, the ‘Cats took care of their business with Perdue early enough in the contest to dispel most of those doom and gloom prognostications.  However, this easy “W’ was purchased at a soon-to-be-determined price tag: a profound, season-ending injury to NU’s most depended-upon playmaker.

Now it’s up to the remaining Wildcat survivors to seal the deal regarding this 3-act win-or-go-home stage play.  If the ‘Cat can rise to the challenge of besting their in-state arch-rival, the Ill-Annoy Pumpkinheads, and deliver that 3rd and last “W” of this most unlikely string of victories which would give them bowl eligibility in 2014, this month truly would be a November To Remember.   Stay tuned for more...


How the ‘Cats Deep Fried the Perdue Broiler Chickens

The IC Show
IMHO, there isn’t a single football player in the B1G today, or perhaps only a select few in any other Power 5 conference within Division 1A for that matter, who epitomizes the pigskin field play philosophy of “playing behind your pads” more than Senior ‘Cat SS Ibrahim Campbell.  Frankly, there have been very rare occasions during his Northwestern football career where Campbell‘s passion for the game, commitment to excellence and relentless determination to make his presence felt on the field hasn’t authenticated him to be anything less than a man playing among boys. 

 By far, he represents Northwestern’s most likely candidate to be drafted by an NFL team in 2015. 

Against the Broiler Chickens, Mr. Campbell, per usual, led by example in showing his Wildcat teammates just what it takes to dominate one’s opposition through intimidating in-your-face physical field play.  Ibrahim’s final stats – which included 8 tackles (6 solo & 2 assists), 2 PBU, a forced fumble and recovery, and his 3rd INT for the 2014 season – just don’t do him justice regarding the immeasurable defensive contribution he provided in shutting-down the Perdue O last weekend.   He was simply everywhere and anywhere a Broiler Chicken ball carrier toted the bean.   When reviewing the game via BTN replay in stop-go and repeat mode with my usual discerning, critical eye towards details, I was in awe.  Not once did I see him out of position nor was he ever totally blocked and taken completely out of the picture on any one down.  It didn’t matter what play was being executed by the Perdue O, run or pass; Campbell sniffed out the POA and attacked the ball carrier with regular intensity.  His high quality field play was infectious to every one of his defensive teammates, who recognized the Senior’s stalwart energy and emulated it progressively as the game wore on.  No doubt this commendable wholesale effort from every Wildcat defensive position was a very welcome sight to Fitz and Doc, especially in retrospect to the defensive train wreck showing given by these same players in the Iowa debacle three Saturdays prior.  And it all was instigated by NU’s firebrand defensive leader, Ibrahim Campbell.

Hair On Fire
Doc Hankwitz had his D loaded for bear when he turned them loose against the Perdue offense, led by Broiler Chicken QB Austin Appleby and its two-headed starting RB in the guise of Akeem Hunt and Raheem Mostert.  Over the course of their 2014 campaign, Perdue had shown an uncanny characteristic to keep in relative close contact scoring-wise with their opposition for whole portions of the game, only to get overwhelmed eventually and lose by double digit deficits due to just a few game-deciding field play gaffes by their primary playmakers.  The best, most poignant example of Perdue’s failure to finish tendency can be observed in their game against Mich State, in which the Broiler Chickens had crawled out from a 3 TD hole with 2 quick-strike TDs of their own, cutting Sparty’s lead to 7 precious points in mid Q4.  Then, with just under 3 minutes left on the game clock, Appleby and Co. found themselves in possession of the bean deep in their own territory, at their 5 yard line, fanaticizing on an implausible chance to complete their comeback with a tying TD that would send the game into OT.  Unfortunately, the brainfart bug bit Appleby squarely in his buttocks when he hand-delivered a pick-6 TD to State’s secondary on the ensuing drive to deposit Perdue back down into another insurmountable 14-point hole and dash their dreams of pounding a debilitating dent in Sparty’s repeat B1G Division champion armor. 

This end-game pick-6 turnover example underscores Perdue’s ongoing penchant to self-destruct under pressure from either side of the LOS.  Consequently, Doc constructed a defensive game plan to exploit this turnover tendency by the Broiler Chicken O and specifically commanded his troops to aggressively attack the ball with extreme prejudice and go for the RB strip or jump the pass route whenever the opportunity presented itself.  And did the Wildcat D personnel, to a man, ever respond to this go-for-the-jugular directive. 

From the game’s opening whistle, the ‘Cat defense was flying around like their hair was on fire, if only because their in-game, per-position reads provided by NU’s defensive brain trust were spot on, eliminating any doubt regarding what play was being executed and proffering to those defenders the extreme confidence to trust those game-plan reads, which, in turn, allowed them to pin their collective ears back and pursue the ball without hesitation.   If Appleby probed NU’s short boundary pass zones with a WR bubble screen near a sideline, for example, the ‘Cat DE to that side shed his OL blocker, abandoning his defensive contain responsibility, then flew to the ball in inside-out run support while his outside CB and Safety teammates sprinted hard upfield, avoided any wide receiver blockers on the way and stuffed the ball’s downfield progress in front-side run support.  Witnessing these multiple defensive positions converge on the bean in unison and with utter abandon then stone the ball carrier for minimal yardage gains with relative consistency was a thing of beauty.

This relentless universal pursuit to the ball by the ‘Cat defense showed dividends early and often, as they forced turnovers in bunches from the Broiler Chicken offensive playmakers, just like Doc had predicted, especially in H-1.  Doc’s D was dialed-in and went bananas particularly in defending Perdue’s occasionally explosive ground game, limiting PU’s first half rushing gains to a measly 42 yards off 18 attempts.  The Broiler Chicken passing attack fared little better in H-1, as Appleby completed 11 of 21 pass attempts collecting a paltry 87 yards in the process, 61 of which were gained on Perdue’s only possession of consequence of H-1, its last, which resulted in PU’s only non-garbage time TD score of the game.   Meanwhile, the ‘Cat D did some ball-hawk collecting of their own by snaring 3 recoveries off 3 forced fumbles, complimented by an INT on Perdue’s opening offensive drive of the game.  These 4 TOs afforded the ‘Cat O 4 extra possessions in H-1, 3 of which were converted into 2 TDs and a FG, totaling 17 points.  Together with PR Tony Jones’ highlight reel punt return for a TD, those 17 points off TOs and Mr. Jones’ 7-point PR contribution spotted the ‘Cats an easy 24-0 lead from which they never looked back, leaving the befuddled and disheartened Broiler Chickens far behind, eating NU’s dust. 

It’s about time. 

Double Duty
Something surprisingly wonderful has emerged over the course of the last 3 games for the Offensive Wildcats: a dynamic duo RB tandem.  Virtually everyone from media pundits, to television broadcasters, to B1G coaching staffs and B1G fanbases alike have recognized the impressive yardage production capabilities of NU’s true Frosh Phenom  RB, Justin Jackson.  However, any true ‘Cat fan would be highly remiss if he failed recognize the critically substantial contribution of Senior RB Treyvon Greene to NU’s progressively effective ground game.  The rushing field play of each individual RB compliments the other’s playmaking abilities; and this collaboration was evident and highly effective in the Wildcats’ game against the Boiler Chickens.  

Essentially, Perdue’s defense had no answer to the problem posed by OC Mick McCall’s Purple RB tandem.  Reprising the results he had generated against the Noted Dames when he rushed for 149 yards on 23 attempts, Jackson scorched the Broiler Chickens for similar rushing totals: 147 yards on 23 rushing attempts, putting the Frosh over the 1000-yard mark and ranking him second in total rushing yards for a Frosh in NU history behind Tyrell Sutton’s eye-popping freshmen rushing record of 1474 yards gained in 2005.  And to think: Justin has this coming Saturday’s tilt against the rush prevention-challenged Ill-Annoy defense against whom he will pad his already remarkable rushing statistics.  Just remain healthy Mr. Jackson.

Meanwhile, Treyvon Greene made his own rushing mark of sorts with a commendable 66-yard day, highlighted by a nifty 44 yard scamper in Q1, his second 40-plus explosion rush in as many games.  Greene’s dash to daylight down the left sidelines ended at the Perdue 25 and set-up NU’s first score of the contest: a pitch-n-catch completion from Siemian to his preferred receiver, SB Dan “The Man” Vitale, running a sweet wheel route from the slot WR position into the Broiler Chicken end zone.  A balanced offensive attack is a very good thing indeed.  And if the ‘Cat OL do their part in maintaining an effective spread attack zone blocking profile, the RB tandem of Jackson and Greene will do their level best to deliver the scoring goods via the ground.  I expect nothing less. 


Conclusion

OK, so the ‘Cats did the needful and dutifully devoured a Twinkie with their 24-point drubbing of an under-manned Perdue Broiler Chicken team.  Big Whoop-Dee-Doo.

Now, quite literally, the stage is set for the 3rd act of the Wildcats’ improbable 3-act “drive to survive” passion play.  For the first time in more than a dozen seasons of playing their mutual rivalry game, this weekend’s game means as much to the Ill-Whine-I as it does for the ‘Cats: bowl eligibility.  Similar to the ‘Cats’ pigskin record in 2014, Ill-Annoy sports its own 5-6 overall record, albeit a record in which the Ill-Whine-I dropped 5 games of a 6-game stretch and whose 5-win total was bolstered considerably by a cupcake-laden out-of-conference slate that included such fear-inducing foes as the Youngstown State Penguins, the Western Kentucky Red Blobs and the Texas State Bobble-Heads.  I’m sure Fitz would have been shaking in his booties at the prospect of his ‘Cats facing these daunting OOC opponents.  C’mon, man… Texas State?  Get real… No?  Then again, HC Tim Beckman, The Erudite, and his pumpkin-headed Ill-Whine-I did capture a quality win in defeating B1G Western Division Pretenders: a burnt-out Minnie Mighty Marmot team on the road at TCF Stadium, one week after the Marmots totally blew their competitive wad in a good ol’ Wild West shoot-out for an exhausting 39-38 “W” against none other than… The Perdue Broiler Chickens. 

So the Broiler Chickens were then; and the Ill-Whine-I are now for the Wildcats. 

The biggest problem for the ‘Cats when opposing the wholly putrid Pumpkinheads from Shampoo-Banana will be the absence of Fitz and Mick McCall’s love-child QB, Trevor Siemian, whose collegiate career abruptly ended when TS sustained a inexplicable season-ending ACL injury on a simple1-yard QB sneak attempt to gain a 1st down in Q1 of this very game against Perdue.  Hard to imagine, after all the substantial ink and heartburn spent towards 1) explaining Siemian’s debilitating season-long right ankle injury that severely hampered every aspect of his game right up to and through NU’s road victory against the Noted Dames and 2) justifying his continued use as the starting QB of choice in OC Mick McCall’s game plans for every football contest thus far in the 2014 campaign, that TS’ final departure from his starting QB role was dictated by a bizarre twist of fate (pun intended) off a purely pedestrian play like a QB sneak.  The mind boggles at the thought. 

Moving on, Siemian’s No. 1 backup QB, Zack Oliver, answers the “Next Man Up” call for the starting QB position within OC McCall’s offensive against despised rival Ill-Annoy.   For most of the 2014 season, I had clamored vociferously for a QB substitute, any QB substitute quite frankly, to replace the immobile, traffic cone-like Trevor Siemian and his obvious acutely sprained ankle with a more mobile primary ball handler who currently resided, dormant and untested, within Mick McCall’s QB stable.  Despite a resounding H.S. reputation as a deserving 4-star QB recruit, the number of real game downs played by Oliver in 2014 can be counted on the digits between both pairs of hands and feet.  However, when facing the defense-deficient Broiler Chickens last Saturday, he did have a modicum of success, running the QB side of the spread option for 23 yards on 6 rushes and while completing 5 of 11 pass attempts for 85 yards.  Not necessarily awe-inspiring numbers, to be sure, but positive totals all the same. 

Now Oliver receives the tap on the shoulder announcing his ascendancy to the starting QB role for the Wildcats.  I am confident that Zack will perform adequately if not very well in his collegiate starting QB debut against the Ill-Annoy Pumkinheads – just as he had done when extemporaneously called-upon to carry the quarterbacking torch as NU’s primary offensive ball handler against Perdue.  I fully trust that McCall will tutor Oliver with an intensive crash course this week on the finer points of running the spread option more effectively than he did facing the Broiler Chicken D and in going through his receiver progressions more smoothly and efficiently on passing plays, especially those progressions for McCall’s red zone pass series and his vertical pass series.  When passing against the Perdue secondary, Oliver showed that he has the skillset to throw the crisp, on-target, in-stride long ball.  What I don’t want to see is a dummied-down passing attack that is heavily restricted to McCall’s dink-n-dunk series alone, but contains a complete set of vertical downfield pass options to stretch the Ill-Whine-I secondary that would open-up a bevy of alternative rushing and passing options.  If not, even a buffoon like Ill-Whine-I HC Beckman will pack the box to stone NU’s rushing tandem and then jam the ‘Cats’ WRs at the LOS to confuse Oliver with tight blanket coverage schemes that would make him hesitant to throw into that coverage and set himself up to be victimized by the Ill-Annoy pass rush.   

The Waterboy
“Win with Grace, Lose with Dignity”



He’s a Lumberjack

This week’s Lumberjack Trophy is awarded to Senior ‘Cat SS Ibrahim Campbell.

This award commemorates not one, but two killer run support plays by Mr. Campbell which underscored why he remains the indisputable heart and soul leader of DC Doc Hankwitz’ defensive squad in 2014. 

Campbell’s 1st display of raw power mixed with grit and intimate knowledge of how to bring heavy lumber to bear on a targeted ball carrier came on Perdue’s first offensive play from scrimmage after substitute QB Matt Alviti was stripped of the bean off a spread option run at the 9-minute mark of Q2.  On a toss sprint play attacking NU’s defensive edge to the wide side of the field, Broiler Chicken RB, Akeem Hunt, made his cut downfield behind the block of his pulling guard who engaged the ‘Cats’ strong-side CB who assumed corner contain responsibility.  From his initial SS position within NU’s cover-2 set, Ibrahim had an unobstructed view of the play’s proceedings as Hunt snagged the lateral from Appleby, sprinted to top of the 8 hole (wide of NU’s DE and inside the engaged OG-CB duo) at the LOS and made his turn towards the open lane to the inside of his OG’s block.  Mr. Campbell sprinted hard upfield into that 8-hole lane, trained his cross hairs on Mr.Hunt and met him with equivalent portions of heavy lumber mixed with bad intent.  Campbell careened full bore into Hunt’s grill at the LOS, de-cleating the Perdue RB, and depositing him rudely into the turf 2 full yards upfield from the point where he initially kissed the ball carrier.  Witnessing Ibrahim’s impressive slobber-knocker shot that stoned Hunt in his tracks made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Campbell’s 2nd qualifying bomb came with a minute left before the first half intermission against another rush by Perdue RB Akeem Hunt, who made a cutback run away from the original point-of-attack (POA) at the left A-gap and into the open space on the backside of the LOS, just right of the fully engaged OL-DL line.  Ibrahim, positioned once again in his typical cover-2 spot, recognized the dive rush by reading the inside release motion of the Perdue Superback, initially positioned as a wing-slot back just outside the wide-side Broiler Chicken OT, as he initiated a down block on the ‘Cat DE to his inside.  Interpreting an inside handoff for a dive into the LOS from his SB motion read, Campbell charged hard upfield in run support to NU’s wide-side/left defensive edge.  Without a doubt, Mr. Hunt never saw the Campbell Express Train heading straight towards him as he made his backside cut downfield.  Ibrahim met Hunt at the LOS once again with heavy lumber in hand and swung it hard square into the RB’s facemask, snapping the ball carrier’s head straight back and turning his legs unto a pliable bunch of rubber bands.  Hunt crumpled to the turf in a heap of limp meat in the sure grip of Campbell.  I’m sure Mr. Hunt’s eventful evening following the game was filled with a throbbing headache and some fuzzy, vague recollection of his up-front-and-personal encounter with the Campbell Express.

Congratulations, Ibrahim.  You deserve every bit of the recognition that comes with this presentation.










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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