Recruiting was strong this cycle (limit decommits, please!), and running back is the only acceptable position on the roster.

McPherson and McGarigle were our imagined successors. Long has been here forever, including when the defense was good. At the same time, none of them can be held blameless for their units, which are uniformly bad.

Who knows with Smith.

Bajakian’s QBs are bad and his record was built on one season of Jameis Winston in Tampa. His offenses have been a) fine, and b) run-oriented, which was enough for Fitz.

Gentk’s tight ends are fine — maybe the most improved unit, a totally meaningless designation — while he’s got a terrible kicking game and a non-existent return game (though that’s probably Fitz’s fault — returning is risky!).

With Anderson, you are what your record says you are — and his OL is weak despite the ability to leave his LT on an island every game.

Springer is celebrating a decade of incompetence.

Also, Dan and Susan Jones aren’t getting their money’s worth.

This sure is bad.

Impressive win over a solid California program.

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The non-revenue sports keep rolling.

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My friends and I had the opportunity to sit with many of the player’s family members, and see them out and about in Iowa City. They are lovely people who clearly are having rough time of it these days, as we all are. Despite the product on the field, (that is out of their control) they remain steadfast and vocal in their support of our team (their sons). They represent Northwestern with dignity and class.

The paid board ran one of these - but with very limited options. I am opening it up a bit more:

3-1, no problem.

Great win 2-1 over Scarlet Knights!

Wrassler lettered as a true frosh on a top 20 nationally ranked wrestling team!
I’ve never been more proud of Northwestern! We do it the right way! Disregard all this banter about firing coaches! We are an elite school 🏫 with elite professionals on staff!
I’m proud of all the players and coaches! One can learn about the true character of people when one is suffering! Go Cats!

Simple. Fitz changes coordinators or he's fired.

It's probably both right now - the talent isn't good enough because of recruiting, and the coordinators - especially on defense - aren't good enough. If you want to give Bajakian an extra year because he was competent the one year we had a competent QB, but ... was he really?

Can't blame facilities like you could in the Dark Ages. We have some of the nicest facilities in P5. We've had some history of being competitive.

Amazing that it was literally all Coach Hank, or so it seems. Truly the greatest defensive coordinator in NCAA history for what he did.

This isn't really our worst season ever. Obviously there were years we weren't competitive against ANYONE.

But I would argue it's our most EMBARRASSING season ever, given the $$$$$$$$ we have pumped into the program, given our recent success, given all of that. To be the worst P5 team in the country and probably one of the bottom 5 FBS programs with a coach in his 17th season -- that's a bleeping embarrassment. I've never watched so little of the program. Just get a score, get annoyed, move on.

But at least we would never see our players assaulting a guy from the other team in the tunnel. Geez that was a BAD look by MSU.

If fitz hasn’t had conversations with Hankwitz to get his opinion

if fitz hasn’t called Vanderlinden and asked his opinion

if Fitz hasn’t asked Barnett for his thoughts.

fitz has a very small mentor pool but if he has not asked and received feedback then 100% he needs to retire.

Do not post that JON shoould be fired. It is not polite, and will not be tolerated.

You've earned this giant plate.

Fire them all….

Let's say for whatever reason Fitz isn't the HC for NU next year... Would you honestly be upset if this was Fitz's last year coaching NU? Not asking if you would fire him btw wondering how other fans would feel if it happens.

Nfm

I am starting to think NU might be crossing over from bad to fun "bad" after Fitz' "all the pieces are in place" presser on Monday.

For me, fun bad is when I start rooting for certain "fun" things to happen to it so that changes will be made to my team. For example, as much as I would love NU to beat Iowa, the next best thing for me is to root for Iowa to put up 400 yards of offense.

Next up on the Fun Bad run, OSU goes for 100 against a P5 opponent.

And if you think its gonna get better, the disappointed Gophers, overly optimistic Boilers and for real Illini are gonna make the end of this season "special" for us NU fans with our JON defense.

Iowa's offense has been regarded as the worst in FBS this year. Of course the JON defense provided the perfect remedy for their ailments, allowing them to easily score their season high points in a 33-13 rout. Why not just swap our entire defense with South Dakota State, who held Iowa to 7 points? At this point, it's obvious the problem with the NU defense is not the physical abilities of the players. Fitz, man up and shitcan JON already.

Hope to be singing this on Monday:

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Iowa punted 5 times or more in every game prior to today. That JON's defense could not stop Brian Ferentz's offense at all is as big a red flag as any over the last 2 years. Brian Ferentz is probably the worst OC in the Power 5, a nepotistic hire who should not be an OC at this level. What does that say about JON?

JON is the worst defensive coordinator in FBS; maybe the worst DC at any level of college or professional football. Bajakian's offense has not been anything to write home about either these past 2 years but Iowa's defense is legit, so I don't think today is a measuring stick for that side of the ball.

There's no coming back from this for JON; as long as he's here, we'll be a Dark Ages football team.

Can you identify anything Northwestern football does well? I just can’t think of anything.