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Coaching

I still miss Fitzgerald as a person and as leader of our program, but sadly there is a good chance he would have lost this game. Braun did a nice job getting everyone ready to play. We are lucky that Braun fell into our lap despite Gragg's best efforts to ruin our football program.

Lujan did a nice job calling the game. It was nice to see us to take some shots down field and create some different wrinkles for the offense. He also did a good job of getting Wright ready to play. I look forward to the day of having a QB start that Lujan recruited. Bajakian really set the program back between his lack of imagination and talent evaluation.

McGarigle had a great game. He did a great job confusing Gabbert, which is not easy for someone with as much experience as he has. He was very aggressive with getting pressure on Gabbert, which I am not sure if that is a function of scheme or how well the D-line played. Regardless, D looks great.

Time will tell, but I feel like for the first time since the Walker era we have coordinators that other programs are going to want to poach or promote to HC.

Unit grades

Any of you mavens willing to vouchsafe us grades for each unit?

Three units of most concern prior to kick off were: OL, QB, DBs. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to rewatch game tape these days. Here are my uneducated and uninformed impressions after live viewing:
OL: not good. Yes, the OL takes time to gel but my concern is more about lack of strength and physicality ( or is it technique? ), especially on right side. They did not control LOS against a MAC school.
QB: OK. With a few exceptions made good decisions and had some good throws. But also a number of poor ones. Inconsistent passer — which we already knew.
DBs: Pretty solid. The best news among the units in question.
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So, do Gophs fans like PJ Fleck?

They probably should’ve won last night. Then again, their kicker is pretty great and botched two.

Fleck has recruited one decent quarterback, and he’s gone. Last years bad QB is now Rutgers’ bad QB.

And this year’s QB is a four-year grad transfer from New Hampshire. He looked better than “Brad Johnson’s son” at North Carolina, I thought.


Also,
The QB shuffle is definitely my least favorite part about modern college football, though it’s been the best way for NU to find someone playable. Hopefully Romain and whoever is to follow will lettuce forget this decade-plus in the woods of QB recruiting.

Three day weekend wooooohoooooo
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Prediction Thread: MU @ NU

So football is finally here, even if Dyche Stadium/Ryan Field no longer is. The Cats christen their new, temporary home with an opponent with whom they have some history.

It was Miami of Ohio that was the lone blemish in the perfect 1995 miracle regular season. In addition to instilling a little humility (according to some) that helped on the road to the Rose Bowl, it also was an introduction to one Randy Walker. Walker came to Evanston to coach the second revival of NU Football, introducing the spread offense that, um, spread throughout the college game in the years that followed. It was in the Walker Era and with that spread offense that NU won what some consider the greatest game in college football history, remembered by many just by the score: 54-51.

Walker wasn't the only coach to come to Evanston from Miami. Legendary Ara Parseghian took NU to its most recent #1 ranking in the 1962, before being lured away to an independent school in Indiana.

But the question at hand is will the Cats be ready to play in their new home against a solid MAC foe. With Coach Braun being circumspect, particularly about starting QB, and with new coaching, particularly on offense, predictions would be pretty speculative at this point.

Nonetheless, the time has come for that speculation...

Red Birds 17
Purple Cats 28
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