Remember the old Disney movie? California Atoms had an OK defense, no offense, and a mule that could kick 99 yard field goals.

That's how cats look so far. Nice kick though

Here we go... It is a real deal. The Big Ten is reality TV * 1000

Based on first 40 minutes vs. PSU.

Gang: I am mentor to a wonderful young man who plays on the DePaul College Prep football team. Mrs. Dugan15 and I went to see him play. I am no college scout, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of the quarterback for De LaSalle Institute. Then, I was stunned to see he (Kenyonte Louis) is only a sophomore. His mobility, strength, speed, agility and arm strength seemed crazy good. Have any of you more astute football fans heard of the young Mr. Louis? Have any of you seen him play?

I would be interested to hear anyone’s thoughts. Perhaps, on the scale of good high school players or Class of ‘26 prospects, he is pedestrian. Thanks in advance.

At least Henning is back.

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Let's ruin it!

I really like Cam Porter, and think he is one of the most unlucky running backs the Cats have had (after maybe Larkin). He lost a lot of time due to injury, and now plays behind an OL that couldn’t open a hole in a 2000 Florida butterfly ballot. That being said, I really hope Bajakian uses Joseph Himon II for the bulk of the offensive snaps against Nebraska.

The Cats will not budge the interior Nebraska DL, and as a result any strength advantage Porter brings to those runs over Himon will be wasted. The Husker defensive backfield, on the other hand, is to put it mildly, challenged. Having Himon out of the backfield complements Henning and the other receivers and gives another possibility of a big play. He also complements Henning’s jet sweeps in the running game, as both can stretch Nebraska horizontally, which will be very important if Sullivan is the QB, giving him more room to operate on RPO’s.

Interim head coach David Braun addressed the media for the seventh time this season ahead of their matchup with Nebraska this weekend. Here are our takeaways from his press conference.

I did not see a haiku thread for this week, so I took the liberty of starting one myself:

A loud sea of red
Cornhusker cacaphony
Silenced by our win

The Wildcats survived Bye Week and now head to Lincoln. NU and UN(L) have mirror 3-3/1-2 records. The Cats beat their only common opponent, Minnesota, to whom the Cornhuskers lost.

Both teams have hopes of bowl-eligibility given the state of the B1G West this season. Nebraska will have home field, but the Cats beat them on the road last year--in Dublin.

Prognostication:

Mouse eaters 19
Bug eaters 17

If you are a Northwestern fan and watching the game on TV, you are welcome to join us for a live Zoom discussion during the game. I have been hosting these each week, but this is the first time (this year) posting a public link on the message board. It is usually just a few of us "more mature' fans who show up for these chats, but I have found that having others to talk to during the game makes for a better experience.

I hope to see you on Zoom on Saturday @ 2:30 CT.

Topic: Zoom In-Game Discussion: NU @ Nebraska Saturday October 21 2:30 PM
Time: Oct 21, 2023 02:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 878 2026 8327
Passcode: 050777

Go 'Cats
- Astro

I’m hitting the road for the long drive to Lincoln today. As most of you know, my wife went to Nebraska and all my in-laws live there, so this is the Super Bowl for the Lou V family. The Corn-Cat Trophy is on the line. Plus, because this is the last year of the Big Ten West and the Cats and Huskers don’t play next year, it has a little extra significance. There will be 13 of us sitting among the peasants in the stands, while I watch from the cushy press box.

Go Cats!

After 5 games, who have been the surprise/unexpected players for you guys? For me, off the top of my head

On defense,

• Kenny Soares, LB - adds speed and versatility to the LB corps.
• Anto Saka, DE - the potential was always there, glad to see him getting his chance
• Carmen Bastone, DT - he made some plays against PSU
• Xander Mueller, LB - vastly improved over last year

On offense,

• Bryce Kirtz, WR - hopefully the Minny game wasn't just a one-time big performance
• Josh Thompson, RT - I always thought he had good potential, has stepped up big time
• Cam Johnson, WR - didn't know what to expect but he's putting in a solid season

Special teams,

• Jack Olsen, PK - hasn't missed a FG (4-4) or XP (13-13)

Guys like Bryant, Henning, Azema etc. have played up to their previous high standards, while there are some disappointments too so far (Porter, OL not named Thompson).

Assume for the moment that CR had not been the whistleblower. Assume one of the John Does, identity (though not CR) still unknown. Could be a lesser player, could be an otherwise previously admired player - you simply don’t know. Rest plays out as it has on both sides. Diaz, Demos, Hank, etc.

Does that change the landscape for any of you? (I will bet heavy that the enablers will not respond. They can’t. If you think about the options, speaks volumes for the discourse. This may draw attention of phat and 320 - but ppd, gcg, feral - among the rest will ignore this thread as though the question was never asked…)

The Wildcats travel to Lincoln this week to play Nebraska, @lou v and I log our predictions.

Matt tweeted this from Braun’s press conference.

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Trying to figure out what parking pass to get and wanted to see if any Cats fans will be tailgating

Ray Niro. Great on special teams, and scored the first TD of 2022, when for one brief shining moment the season seemed promising.

He's on the roster, but don't think he's seen the field.

The Wildcats travel to Lincoln this week to play Nebraska, @lou v and I log our predictions.

I apologize if this is old news or material, but my daughter told me last night that Northwestern has "filed the paperwork" to establish a D1 program in ice hockey (stepping up from "club" - ACHA).
I'm not sure if that makes sense, but perhaps someone knows about this?

We know Kafka won’t be interested, and some others seem a bit far-fetched. (Paywall story.)

Northwestern comes out of the bye week with a road game against Nebraska and their stingy defense. @lou v talked to HuskerOnline.com's Grant Hansen to get the inside scoop on the Huskers this season.

Trying to figure out flights