I woke up this morning and the sun was shining and the birds were singing.
- Thread starter SmellyCat
- Start date
Loved the win and the physical play, no doubt. Still not sold that this NU team is bowl bound. Stanford was way over-rated, played very conservatively and gave the Cats a lot of second chances with dropped passes and interceptions. NU is going to have to develop some kind of downfield passing attack, or opposing teams are simply going to load the box against Jackson and Thorson.
Nice win and this young, physical football team showed promise, but I would not be surprised to see them lose at Duke.
Nice win and this young, physical football team showed promise, but I would not be surprised to see them lose at Duke.
I always feel so much better after a NU win than a loss. I try to rationalize this (particularly after a loss), but it doesn't really work.
You've got to think that Thorson will improve from game to game. That was his first game ever at this level, and it was against a good defense.
Even if we do lose to Duke, we'll still likely go 3-1 in non-conference. That means 3 conference wins gets us to a bowl. Penn State and Wisconsin have serious issues with their OLs. Minnesota, Purdue, and Iowa at home - we win at least two of those. Nebraska and Michigan are winnable road games, as is Illinois at Soldier Field. There's not a game left on our schedule that looks out of reach. 6-6 should now be the floor on our expectations on the season.
This early in the season, cup half empty thinking is disheartening. While purple kook-aide is also annoying, let's see, what is the absolute minimum effort we can make and still eek out a bowl game? We don't even need to win it. And certainly it will be in Detroit
Over the course of the season, he'll definitely improve. Which is awesome, considering some of the great reads and NFL-quality throws he made in the Stanford game. But since he's a freshman, I won't be surprised if we lose a couple of games we would otherwise have won due to mistakes. Still, as you say...
Beating Stanford turns expectations for the season upside down. Nobody (except for some of the most passionate fans on here) had us beating Stanford. And if our defense continues to play this way, every game is within reach. That's the beauty of a dominant defense.
Before the game, I was wavering between 5-7 and 6-6 for my season prediction. Now I'll be very disappointed if we don't go bowling. We should go at least 3-1 in the non-conference and there are too many opportunities for wins in the conference schedule not to go at least 3-5.
What a great game. I haven't been this excited for NU football in quite some time.
Based on what I saw yesterday and what kittle I know about our opponents from week 1, I put the next 11games into three categories.
GAMES WE SHOULD WIN
Eastern Illinois
Ball State
Purdue
@ Illinois (Soldier Field)
GAMES WE COULD EASILY WIN (but we will not win them all)
@Duke
Minnesota
@ Michigan
Iowa
Penn State
GAMES WE PROBABLY WON'T WIN (but we still have a chance)
@ Nebraska
@ Wisconsin
Even though both Nebraska and Wisconsin lost yesterday, I still do not have a good feeling about these games. I like our chances in all of the games in the middle category, but we will probably lose one or two of these.
I see seven or eight wins if we can most of the year as we did yesterday.
GAMES WE SHOULD WIN
Eastern Illinois
Ball State
Purdue
@ Illinois (Soldier Field)
GAMES WE COULD EASILY WIN (but we will not win them all)
@Duke
Minnesota
@ Michigan
Iowa
Penn State
GAMES WE PROBABLY WON'T WIN (but we still have a chance)
@ Nebraska
@ Wisconsin
Even though both Nebraska and Wisconsin lost yesterday, I still do not have a good feeling about these games. I like our chances in all of the games in the middle category, but we will probably lose one or two of these.
I see seven or eight wins if we can most of the year as we did yesterday.
I would rearrange your categories somewhat:
GAMES WON (1-0)
Stanford
GAMES WE SHOULD WIN (3-1)
Eastern Illinois
Ball State
Purdue
Penn State (OL is bad)
GAMES WE COULD WIN, BUT NOT NECESSARILY EASILY (2-2)
@Duke
Minnesota
@ Michigan
Iowa
GAMES WE PROBABLY WON'T WIN (1-2)
@ Nebraska
@ Wisconsin
@ Illinois (Soldier Field)
This would put us at 7-5. If we catch fire, could reach 9 wins; if not, 5 or 6 could easily result.
I think the season boils down to winning the "should win" games which includes Illinois. We are likely to win a "could win" game and even a "won't win" upset. It is the should win games we have to win.
We held a team that lives by downhill running, physical o-line play, and ball control to 85 total yards rushing. We MADE them one dimensional on offense and their system is not set up for that and neither their qb nor their OC were ready for it.
Be a little optimistic. It won't kill you.
I don't agree that we made Stanford one dimensional: I think they were very conservative at times. I also think they dropped a lot of catchable balls on both offense and defense.
The win made me happy and I really enjoyed how physical the Cats played. But I don't see us beating a lot of Big Ten teams with the offense we showed yesterday. Will we improve? I would certainly expect so, the question is how much. I hope a whole bunch, we shall see.
The win made me happy and I really enjoyed how physical the Cats played. But I don't see us beating a lot of Big Ten teams with the offense we showed yesterday. Will we improve? I would certainly expect so, the question is how much. I hope a whole bunch, we shall see.
Stanford is a run-first, pass-second team. Like most of the B1G teams that we will play. We held a very good running team with a good runner behind a very good offensive line to 85 yards. When they tried to run wide, our linebackers chased them down from behind on more than one occasion with relative ease. Knowing that, we clogged the center and stopped them between the tackles. This all occurred by their second drive. After that, they started passing.
When they passed, we had good pressure on their quarterback and (contrary to several posts that I have seen on this board) their receivers were not running wide open. They were covered for the most part. I don't think Hogan has the arm strength to throw out routes against the closing speed of our corners.
Even if I were unbiased, I do not see how I could watch that game and say that we did not make them one-dimensional. The bad throws and pass dropping were not their basic game plan. Running was. By their second drive, we were shutting it down and forcing them into second or third and long.
If we play Minnesota the same way, then it will be a close game decided by one or two major plays like this one was. Probably the same for Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa. This does not guarantee that we will win those games but the team I saw yesterday can win all of those games.
You seem to fear that this is PSU from last year all over again. I live a long way from Evanston and have zero inside knowledge. But I am listening to the people that do. There is something fundamentally different about this team compared against last year's team.
I am going to take the emotional risk and buy in now.
Go Cats!!!!
Sorry, but looking ahead at the schedule and predicting wins and losses is a fool's errand. The game is just too unpredictable. Just enjoy each game as it comes.
My favorite part of fandom and punditry is taking a result that nobody predicted and using it to claim that suddenly you've got it all figured out and can FINALLY predict what's coming next.
Whether on TV or at the game, I think it was noticeable. This team is different. Too early to tell where they will end up, but you can forget about trying to use anything that has happened last year to predict what this team will do. Completely different team with a different personality.
Fine, then I'm a fool. But I've been following NU football for the past 22 years, so it's not like I'm just dropping in after one game and making a blind prediction on the season. I remember all the previous ups and downs, believe me. But based on what I saw on Saturday, which was a NU team with a very solid defense and a young but talented QB, plus seeing many of the conference teams on this year's schedule struggle, I think we can make some generalizations on where this season's headed. We're 1-0, surely to be 2-0 after EIU on Saturday. If the question is whether we can then win 4 more games to become bowl eligible on the season, then I think the odds are in our favor, barring another rash of injuries. That's basically what I was trying to say. No team left on our schedule really scares me, and I doubt we'll be double-digit underdogs again (at least until we play OSU in the Big Ten championship game....hah!)
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Actually, seems like the majority of posters here in the prediction thread had us winning against Stanford. Maybe nobody else outside the die-hard NU fans predicted it, but many here did.
I never said I had it all figured out, but I think there are some general assumptions and extrapolations that can be made based on what we saw this past weekend.
None of the writers over at Inside NU had Northwestern winning. Not a single one.
Nor did any of the "Fearful faithful" here on WildcatReport see the Northwestern win coming:
(Give Lou and Philip credit though for being within one point of NU's final score.)
"Finally, it's football season in Evanston. And the Wildcats are getting their season kick-started with perhaps their toughest game of the year.
No. 21 Stanford is in many ways the polar opposite of Northwestern. The Cardinal have a fifth-year senior quarterback, the Wildcats have one taking his first career snap. The Cardinal are inexperienced on defense, the Wildcats are inexperienced on offense. The Cardinal have a solid offensive line with four returning starters, the Wildcats have a questionable offensive line with just one starter playing the same position he did last season.
One thing they both have in common, however, is coming off of disappointing seasons. Stanford went 8-5 last year after four straight BCS bowls. Northwestern finished 5-7 and sat home for the holidays for the second straight season.
Which team will get its season started off on the right foot? Our staff weighs in with their opinions:
Philip "Levi" Straus
Northwestern wins if… Clayton Thorson plays a poised game when Stanford sends inevitable pressure at the freshman quarterback. The running backs should be able to do some damage, so if Thorson can manage the game well and protect the football, the Wildcats will score enough to win.
Northwestern loses if… Kevin Hogan torches the secondary. The Wildcats can survive a Cardinal running attack led by Christian McCaffrey, but the way this game can get out of hand is if Stanford blows the game open with big passing plays.
Player of the game: Justin Jackson. Jackson could have a field day against a Stanford defense that returns only four starters, especially if Fitz calls his number early and often.
The bottom line: If the Wildcats can win the field position game with scrappy play and strong defense, they should have a chance to upset the Cardinal in a relatively low-scoring game. Stanford's offense, however, is likely too good to contain throughout the course of four quarters.
Prediction: Stanford 31 Northwestern 17
Louie "DePalma" Vaccher
Northwestern wins if… the offensive line keeps Thorson upright and he can make some plays with his feet. The Stanford defense is going to stack the box to stop Jackson, and Thorson will have to make some plays to loosen them up.
Northwestern loses if… Stanford gets McCaffrey rolling to control the clock and wear down Northwestern's defense. Then, Hogan will take some shots down the field to his array of talented receivers and tight ends.
Player of the game: Devon Cajuste. Stanford's fifth-year senior wide receiver is 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds, and he's just the kind of player who can make the big play or two that clinches the game.
The bottom line: With a new QB, a shaky offensive line and what was an underachieving receiver corps last season, there are just too many question marks on Northwestern's offense to predict a win here. The defense will keep the score down and the margin close, but the Cardinal pull away late.
Prediction: Stanford 23 Northwestern 17
Larry "Slick" Watts
Northwestern wins if… the youth of Northwestern's offense out-plays the youth of Stanford's defense.
Northwestern loses if… the offensive line provides Thorson with no protection.
Player of the game: Hogan. Starting for the fourth season for the Cardinal, he has already thrown for 6,518 yards and 48 touchdowns with 21 interceptions. He has three veteran receivers who are 6-foot-3 or bigger and two veteran tight ends at 6-4 and 6-5.
The bottom line: Hogan is one of eight starters returning for the Cardinal offense, but defense should be the strength of Northwestern this year. Hogan will have to earn his yards, but the big question is if the Wildcat offense can move the ball against a defense which returns only two starters.
Prediction: Stanford 31 Northwestern 21"
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Well they're just a bunch of college kids, so what do they know?
The grizzled veterans posting here on Wildcat Report seemed to think we'd win. Turk predicted the win, and that's what really matters, right?Well they're just a bunch of college kids, so what do they know?
Well, he initially predicted a loss on Huddlecast so he was going to be correct in either event!
