Fitz made a list...

[Katatonic]

But not the kind one wants to make.

Can These Coaches Get Back in Good Graces?

The bloom is off the rose for these 10 program heads, but will it be temporary or permanent?

www.si.com

Pat Fitzgerald (14), Northwestern. The good old days: South Sider and former Northwestern hero linebacker becomes the winningest coach in school history, capturing the Big Ten West twice, most recently last year.

Now: Northwestern is 2–3, winless against Power 5 opponents, and coming off a 56–7 loss to Nebraska. The Wildcats surrendered 657 yards and 8.88 yards per play against the Cornhuskers, both of which appear to be Fitzgerald Era defensive lows.

The big problem: Two seasons after fielding the worst offense of his tenure, Fitz might now have his worst defense. Longtime coordinator Mike Hankwitz retired after the 2020 season, and replacement Jim O’Neil came in after spending the last 11 years in the NFL. He’s working with an inexperienced group that lost most of its mainstays from last year’s elite unit, and the defensive rebuild is not on schedule.

What will bring back the love: Fitz has justifiably earned Coach for Life status at Northwestern. But part of elevating the product is also elevating expectations, and with the opulent new facilities at his disposal, Northwestern has made a commitment to being annually competitive in the Big Ten. “This type of record will never happen again,” Fitzgerald said after the 3–9 bust of 2019. While this season likely will not spiral to that point, getting to .500 won’t be easy.

 

[NUChicago]

.500????? This guy clearly has not watched any of our games. I do like the expectations part, glad to see that written.

 

[7th Cir. Cat]

But not the kind one wants to make.

Can These Coaches Get Back in Good Graces?

The bloom is off the rose for these 10 program heads, but will it be temporary or permanent?

www.si.com

Pat Fitzgerald (14), Northwestern. The good old days: South Sider and former Northwestern hero linebacker becomes the winningest coach in school history, capturing the Big Ten West twice, most recently last year.

Now: Northwestern is 2–3, winless against Power 5 opponents, and coming off a 56–7 loss to Nebraska. The Wildcats surrendered 657 yards and 8.88 yards per play against the Cornhuskers, both of which appear to be Fitzgerald Era defensive lows.

The big problem: Two seasons after fielding the worst offense of his tenure, Fitz might now have his worst defense. Longtime coordinator Mike Hankwitz retired after the 2020 season, and replacement Jim O’Neil came in after spending the last 11 years in the NFL. He’s working with an inexperienced group that lost most of its mainstays from last year’s elite unit, and the defensive rebuild is not on schedule.

What will bring back the love: Fitz has justifiably earned Coach for Life status at Northwestern. But part of elevating the product is also elevating expectations, and with the opulent new facilities at his disposal, Northwestern has made a commitment to being annually competitive in the Big Ten. “This type of record will never happen again,” Fitzgerald said after the 3–9 bust of 2019. While this season likely will not spiral to that point, getting to .500 won’t be easy.

Thanks for posting, this is a good summary. Glad to see we all aren't crazy for thinking that the sky might actually be falling.

 

[FanatiCat]

“While this season likely will not spiral to that point” of the 3-9 record in 2019? Statistically we will not be favored in any of our remaining games so it will be an accomplishment to even make it to 3-9. Well, even at the bitter end of the 2019 debacle we handled Illinois pretty easily but that was with Marty and Hank’s defense. I think we can still pull it together to beat Illinois this year though.

 

[7th Cir. Cat]

“While this season likely will not spiral to that point” of the 3-9 record in 2019? Statistically we will not be favored in any of our remaining games so it will be an accomplishment to even make it to 3-9. Well, even at the bitter end of the 2019 debacle we handled Illinois pretty easily but that was with Marty and Hank’s defense. I think we can still pull it together to beat Illinois this year though.

Agreed. I think the seniors will still have enough pride to be competitive with Illinois; especially since a bowl game seems unlikely and it will be their last game.

 

[zeek55]

“While this season likely will not spiral to that point” of the 3-9 record in 2019? Statistically we will not be favored in any of our remaining games so it will be an accomplishment to even make it to 3-9. Well, even at the bitter end of the 2019 debacle we handled Illinois pretty easily but that was with Marty and Hank’s defense. I think we can still pull it together to beat Illinois this year though.

Yeah that seemed a bit questionable.

IF we make no changes, we will likely lose most or all of our remaining games, which means that 3-9 is on the table.

Even hapless teams like Purdue or Minny or Illinois will find an offensive spark against the defense we rolled out against Nebraska.

Obviously Fitz has to make changes to prevent another 3-9 season or worse.

 

[phatcat]

To me, as strange as it would have sounded a few weeks ago, the only hope currently is the offense. We have 3 decent/good backs, what appears to be a serviceable QB and a few guys that can catch. Remains to be seen whether Anderson can patch the blowouts we've seen so far; however, I could see us sneak in a win or two against a team with a feeble offense. Unlike JON, Jake actually has a decent track record. He's trying - the fake QB sneak motion was clever (the play after was not).

Statistically, yes, we are likely underdogs in every remaining game, but weird stuff happens.

 

[stpaulcat]

To me, as strange as it would have sounded a few weeks ago, the only hope currently is the offense. We have 3 decent/good backs, what appears to be a serviceable QB and a few guys that can catch. Remains to be seen whether Anderson can patch the blowouts we've seen so far; however, I could see us sneak in a win or two against a team with a feeble offense. Unlike JON, Jake actually has a decent track record. He's trying - the fake QB sneak motion was clever (the play after was not).

Statistically, yes, we are likely underdogs in every remaining game, but weird stuff happens.

The weird stuff has already happened. There are definitely some bright lights. I wouldn't fault Jake at all at this point. I think to focus on the ends (wins) rather the means is misplaced . Address the causes of the defensive collapse, whatever those are, asap, and at least get back to mediocre by the end of the season. If we continue to give up huge yards on defense, yet still somehow beat Illinois, who cares. Illinois is not the problem to be overcome, whatever is going on with our defensive unit is the problem