Game Thread: Northwestern vs. No. 6 Penn State

[NUCat320]

But since you feel like attacking for some reason, what’s your deal by the way? Starting threads “The hazing scandal was good for Northwestern?” Constantly repeating yourself on every thread (RE how terrible a coach Pat Fitzgerald was).

You dismissed my opinion (“Cool story”) and I dismissed yours (👶🍼👶🍼). I don’t think I attacked.

Further, watch the highlight. It was a legit fake that legitimately faked NU’s defense. We can agree to differ, but you “cool story” me and I can 👶🍼👶🍼 you.



I said that the hazing scandal was good for NU football because this team shows effort that we didn’t see the last two years, and because the idea that Bajakian and Anderson (and yes, Genyk) still had jobs after last year’s disaster (I believe he said he was afraid of too much change, and not that Bajakian had earned another year) is proof that he felt no pressure to win.

Fitz was a good football coach. Fitz no longer is a good head football coach. Maybe getting fired will bring him some hunger back. Or maybe he’ll just count his money. (If I were him, I’d move to an island as soon as my youngest graduated high school.)

It’s just a shame Fitz wasn’t fired due to underperformance last December. But then again, we probably wouldn’t have gotten Braun in the program if he had been. Braun in 2023 is pretty similar to Fitz in 2006. A good trade for NU football.

No more for me on the Franklin play, but I’ll challenge anybody who longs for Fitz as the head of the football program anymore. The game passed him, and he didn’t care or was simply unable to do anything about it.


GO CATS GO CATS GO CATS GO

We all want the same things. That’s why we’re still here.

 

[RevCat]

Tiny little emoji man!

Regardless of the outcome of the play, faking a dead play is a dangerous thing to do, precisely because one side has the potential to give up, while the other side is still going hard.

People who are willing to do this in Big 10 football are a disgrace. And they're probably willing to do a lot of other things we don't know about as well.

 

[ColumbusCatFan1]

You dismissed my opinion (“Cool story”) and I dismissed yours (👶🍼👶🍼). I don’t think I attacked.

Further, watch the highlight. It was a legit fake that legitimately faked NU’s defense. We can agree to differ, but you “cool story” me and I can 👶🍼👶🍼 you.



I said that the hazing scandal was good for NU football because this team shows effort that we didn’t see the last two years, and because the idea that Bajakian and Anderson (and yes, Genyk) still had jobs after last year’s disaster (I believe he said he was afraid of too much change, and not that Bajakian had earned another year) is proof that he felt no pressure to win.

Fitz was a good football coach. Fitz no longer is a good head football coach. Maybe getting fired will bring him some hunger back. Or maybe he’ll just count his money. (If I were him, I’d move to an island as soon as my youngest graduated high school.)

It’s just a shame Fitz wasn’t fired due to underperformance last December. But then again, we probably wouldn’t have gotten Braun in the program if he had been. Braun in 2023 is pretty similar to Fitz in 2006. A good trade for NU football.

No more for me on the Franklin play, but I’ll challenge anybody who longs for Fitz as the head of the football program anymore. The game passed him, and he didn’t care.


GO CATS GO CATS GO CATS GO

We all want the same things. That’s why we’re still here.

I was dismissive because if you think it’s appropriate to do what Franklin did at the end of the game, we see things very differently and there’s little more to say.

Perhaps, that’s the way I should have phrased it, but your posting style seems to come across as “NU deserves what they are getting”, so I was a little snarkier than necessary. My bad there.

 

[NUCat320]

Tiny little emoji man!

Regardless of the outcome of the play, faking a dead play is a dangerous thing to do, precisely because one side has the potential to give up, while the other side is still going hard.

People who are willing to do this in Big 10 football are a disgrace. And they're probably willing to do a lot of other things we don't know about as well.

I disagree that he faked a kneel down. I think he faked a QB draw. So did the NU defense. The guys who were supposed to buy the fake totally bought it. Watch the highlight. (You can bring it up on the Fox Sports app.) NU was allowed to defend on the play, and failed.

I hope against hope that NU gets to run it up against Nebraska in 3 weeks.

If we’re afraid of injury, then Kurt Anderson should no longer be allowed to coach.

I’m happy NU played hard and gave us something to watch for much of the game.

And *now* I’m done writing about the Franklin playcall.


GO CATS GO CATS GO

 

[StreamCat]

I disagree that he faked a kneel down. I think he faked a QB draw. So did the NU defense. The guys who were supposed to buy the fake totally bought it. Watch the highlight. (You can bring it up on the Fox Sports app.) NU was allowed to defend on the play, and failed.

I hope against hope that NU gets to run it up against Nebraska in 3 weeks.

If we’re afraid of injury, then Kurt Anderson should no longer be allowed to coach.

I’m happy NU played hard and gave us something to watch for much of the game.

And *now* I’m done writing about the Franklin playcall.


GO CATS GO CATS GO

Yep, we lost. I wasn’t crying but I believe strongly in sportsmanship. Faking anything at that point was ignorant. What we saw was an insecure coach worrying about the point spread. Pathetic. Sad.

 

[PaCat]

The replay showed that he brought his knee within a couple of inches of the ground. That doesn’t look like someone preparing to run. The rules expert called it a fake kneel down. I didn’t see anything to question his expert judgement.

 

[NUcats92]

Not to switch sporting subjects, but do you remember when we played at Wisconsin in basketball Lumpkin took the ball instead of dribbling it out he did a slam dunk that caused a rift between Greg Gard and Coach Collins in the handshake line? Yeah well this is very similar. The game is already done just run the clock out and shake hands. There’s no need to embarrass your opponent for style points you can sit up here and try all you want to defend a clown like Franklin but it was a dick move .

 

[NUCat320]

Yep, we lost. I wasn’t crying, but I believe strongly in sportsmanship. Faking anything at that point was ignorant. What we saw was an insecure coach worrying about the point spread. Pathetic. Sad.

I come down firmly on the side of swinging on 3-0 pitches up 8, shooting threes with a 16-point edge, and trying to score with a four-touchdown lead.

Your backups need the run. Every day is an opportunity to get better. And every single game is tilted in favor of the offense, rendering no lead safe. NU was trying to score when Sullivan threw that pick. They didn’t think the game was over.

There is no ‘throwing in the towel’.

Franklin probably has a small wang and drives a big truck. We agree on these things.

 

[Rebel II]

The replay showed that he brought his knee within a couple of inches of the ground. That doesn’t look like someone preparing to run. The rules expert called it a fake kneel down. I didn’t see anything to question his expert judgement.

Agree.

 

[NUCat320]

Not to switch sporting subjects, but do you remember when we played at Wisconsin in basketball Lumpkin took the ball instead of dribbling it out he did a slam dunk that caused a rift between Greg Gard and Coach Collins in the handshake line? Yeah well this is very similar. The game is already done just run the clock out and shake hands. There’s no need to embarrass your opponent for style points you can sit up here and try all you want to defend a clown like Franklin but it was a dick move .

There are two points:
- Is running up the score wrong? Only if the trailing team agrees to also stop trying.

- Did PSU’s backup quarterback execute an illegal fake kneeldown? Myself, Robert Fitzgerald, and Mac Uihlein might be the only NU-affiliated individuals who think he didn’t. Watch the highlights, and you’ll see that RF and MU never stopped; they just got had.

 

[PaCat]

Running a fake kneel down play doesn’t prepare the backups for anything. If and when they are called on to play they will be facing a defense ready to play against a legitimate offense.

 

[NUCat320]

Running a fake kneel down play doesn’t prepare the backups for anything. If and when they are called on to play they will be facing a defense ready to play against a legitimate offense.

Had NU stopped trying? Sullivan was trying to throw a touchdown on the preceding possession. If NU had been running up the gut and trying to get out of there, then Franklin acted like a dick. (That’s point 1 above.)

Further, I disagree with the premise that it was a fake kneeldown, as did the two defenders who the fake QB draw was designed to fake.

PSU’s twos successfully executed a play against NU’s twos. I think that’s fine.

Okay Srsly I’ve got a lawn to mow stilllll. What a beautiful day.

GO CATS GO CATS GO CATS GO

 

[PaCat]

Unless NU devised a play worth 21 points for Sullivan, Sullivan passing the ball and the fake kneel down couldn’t be more different. Apples and oranges.
Teams that are down 21 points don’t stop trying to score. Teams that are up 21 points do. And if the team that is up 21 points wants to run up the score they don’t try to trick the team that it has already defeated into thinking that they’ve shut down their offense.

 

[StreamCat]

Had NU stopped trying? Sullivan was trying to throw a touchdown on the preceding possession. If NU had been running up the gut and trying to get out of there, then Franklin acted like a dick. (That’s point 1 above.)

Further, I disagree with the premise that it was a fake kneeldown, as did the two defenders who the fake QB draw was designed to fake.

PSU’s twos successfully executed a play against NU’s twos. I think that’s fine.

Okay Srsly I’ve got a lawn to mow stilllll. What a beautiful day.

GO CATS GO CATS GO CATS GO

Draw? It happened right in front of us. I thought he was taking a knee as it was happening. If anyone on the defense also thought he was taking a knee, it’s illegal

 

[charcat]

It was a fake kneel down. No way that kid thinks up that play on his own

That was the talk of the tailgate after the game. What a classless move, up by 21 points PSU pretends to take a knee up by 21 and the defense hesitates giving up another touchdown. . Speculation was whether it will be investigated as that was the difference in beating the spread for gambling with just a few minutes left. Certainly classless, not good for the game if it seems like it was done with intent to beat the spread..

 

[fcmchi]

That was the talk of the tailgate after the game. What a classless move, up by 21 points PSU pretends to take a knee up by 21 and the defense hesitates giving up another touchdown. . Speculation was whether it will be investigated as that was the difference in beating the spread for gambling with just a few minutes left. Certainly classless, not good for the game if it seems like it was done with intent to beat the spread..

Was probably doing in for the polls.

 

[NUCat320]

I gotta say, it would have been the first-ever four-wide, shotgun kneeldown with 2:25 left that I’d ever seen.

None of the 11 defenders on the field thought it was a kneeldown.