Was 2022 the worst season in NU football history?

[NUCat320]

I had blocked out the part where they lost at home to SIU and Miami.

Realistically, it probably wasn’t. Because of weather against PSU and OSU, the average score in conference was held to 26.4-11.6.

But, man, it was unwatchable. And in fact, I didn’t watch.

Yeesh, they went to the conference championship game in 2020.

 

[SmellyCat]

I started watching Cats games in 1989 (0-11 baby!) and last year was terrible, but I would guess that anyone who thinks 2022 was worse than the truly horrible Dark Ages teams probably just never saw them.

 

[winnetkat]

For many schools, last year would have been in the running, but Northwestern has higher standards. However disappointed we might be, last year isn't even in our all-time top 20!

Would love to see better this year.

Go 'Cats!

 

[phatcat]

1981 we gave up 46 points per game and scored 7 ppg. The difference: Dennis Green basically tanked the season to get ready for the next year, in which we won 3 games. I would argue that the coaching job in the 82 season is amongst our top 5 ever. Maybe top 2. Simply remarkable

 

[DaCat]

I started watching Cats games in 1989 (0-11 baby!) and last year was terrible, but I would guess that anyone who thinks 2022 was worse than the truly horrible Dark Ages teams probably just never saw them.

I matriculated in 1980 and lived the Dark Ages experience. 2022 belonged right there with the worst of the seasons, just because of the overwhelming sense of hopelessness before every game as the B1G schedule unfolded - basically we had no chance of winning. It was the same feeling as an NU fan in 2022 as it had been 40 years earlier. Thanks Fitz for turning back the clock. Not.

 

[GOUNUII]

1981 we gave up 46 points per game and scored 7 ppg. The difference: Dennis Green basically tanked the season to get ready for the next year, in which we won 3 games. I would argue that the coaching job in the 82 season is amongst our top 5 ever. Maybe top 2. Simply remarkable

The 1981 season and the 1995 recruiting class top the charts of all time futility.

Been a far too invested fan since 1977.

GOUNUII

 

[ohiovalleycat]

2022 was a bad year, but it is one thing to lose. It is another to be totally blown out in multiple games against both top and mediocre teams. 2022 NU lost just 4 games by 20 or more points. 1977 had 7 games lost by 20+. 1978 had 9 games lost by 20+. 1979 had 7 games lost by 20+. 1980 had 8 games lost by 20+. 1981 had 9 games lost by 20+. Many of the lost games during the period were actually by 30, 40, 50 points or more. Commentary about Northwestern leaving the Big Ten (possibly for the Ivy League) grew due to the perception that NU would not ever be able to compete in the Big Ten. Summary: 2022 bad, but clearly not the worst.

 

[docrugby1]

NU 2022 had a terrible defense and unwatchable offense. NU '22 was the worst team ,I have seen. Fortunately, NU was rarely on TV during the "Dark Ages" so I was not subjected to that futility, other than reading a one paragraph report in the Sunday papers. There has to be a lot of changes at NU for future success

 

[DaCat]

2022 NU lost just 4 games by 20 or more points.

Meaningless stat. Losing our last game of the season to Illannoys 41-3 says it all. Our offense scored single digit points in 6 games out of 12. In the last four games of the season, we scored 7, 3, 9, and 3 points. This was a bad, bad team.

 

[its_the_sauce]

2022 was worse in a way. The results of 78-81 were worse but in a warped way there was still some enjoyment in just how bad we were.

2022 was just thorough disgust.

 

[DaCat]

2022 was worse in a way. The results of 78-81 were worse but in a warped way there was still some enjoyment in just how bad we were.

2022 was just thorough disgust.

What made 2022 worse was the stubbornness of Fitz. After that first disastrous season with JON, the best thing for Fitz would've been to fire him and cut his losses. Instead he kept him around, and continued to refuse to make a change during the second season even after it was painfully clear the defense was the same train wreck under JON. Throw in a Bajakian offense that was simply horrible and it was a disgusting season. The potentially 4 NFL draftees on the roster deserved better, as did the fans and players.

 

[CatManTrue]

What made 2022 worse was the stubbornness of Fitz. After that first disastrous season with JON, the best thing for Fitz would've been to fire him and cut his losses. Instead he kept him around, and continued to refuse to make a change during the second season even after it was painfully clear the defense was the same train wreck under JON. Throw in a Bajakian offense that was simply horrible and it was a disgusting season. The potentially 4 NFL draftees on the roster deserved better, as did the fans and players.

I think it’s also the dropoff between our awful seasons and what came before.

In 2018 & 2020, we were in the B1G championship game. We then went 4-20 the last two years and looked awful. Our 1-11 team had a Top 10 OL, a likely first round DL, and two other NFL players.

The late 70s & early 80s teams were terrible. But they were expected to be terrible and had been bad for years prior.

I’m hoping Sullivan will emerge as the Man, and we’ll find some good DTs in the portal. Hope springs eternal !

 

[DarkSide576]

NU 2022 had a terrible defense and unwatchable offense. NU '22 was the worst team ,I have seen. Fortunately, NU was rarely on TV during the "Dark Ages" so I was not subjected to that futility, other than reading a one paragraph report in the Sunday papers. There has to be a lot of changes at NU for future success

I completely agree with how much being able to watch our futility, week in and week out, on TV, made this last season so devastating.

 

[DaCat]

I think it’s also the dropoff between our awful seasons and what came before.

In 2018 & 2020, we were in the B1G championship game. We then went 4-20 the last two years and looked awful. Our 1-11 team had a Top 10 OL, a likely first round DL, and two other NFL players.

The late 70s & early 80s teams were terrible. But they were expected to be terrible and had been bad for years prior.

I’m hoping Sullivan will emerge as the Man, and we’ll find some good DTs in the portal. Hope springs eternal !

Agree. Fitz said "Never again" after 2019.

 

[Katatonic]

Having also experienced the "Dark Ages," while there have been worse seasons by the nos., agree w/ DaCat in having deja vu in feeling the same hopelessness

Considering all the progress the program has made since Gary took the helm, one could definitely make the case that it is the worst season considering where the program has been and the current expectations.

The blame fully falls at the feet of Fitz.

It's one thing to still not have solved recruiting/development at the O-line and WR positions, but that (not surprisingly) now has bled into the QB position.

Even more egregious is Fitz not only repeating mistakes, but doubling down on it when most everyone could see that change needed to be made ASAP.

The whole "read and react" thing had serious flaws, which Fitz had 1st hand experience on the offensive side of the ball, so he thinks it's a good idea to bring it to the defensive side?

The fact that the new DC had to simplify things so that players spent less time thinking and doing things quicker is exasperating as Fitz had already also experienced that when opposing ho-hum QBs were setting individual passing records against the Cats.

As it turned out, the DB scheme was overly complex which caused confusion, even with a couple of good/experienced players in the backfield.

 

[phatcat]

I matriculated in 1980 and lived the Dark Ages experience. 2022 belonged right there with the worst of the seasons, just because of the overwhelming sense of hopelessness before every game as the B1G schedule unfolded - basically we had no chance of winning. It was the same feeling as an NU fan in 2022 as it had been 40 years earlier. Thanks Fitz for turning back the clock. Not.

We are the same vintage. I think the 81 team was clearly worse, and the 82 team was clearly better, than the 2022 version. Heck, the 1980 version with Kerrigan to Sheets might have given Jon fits (Fitz?)*

*relatively speaking. The athletes now are clearly better overall

 

[Hungry Jack]

The season sucked. Our QB play was terrible, and we all knew the JON defense was doomed from the start. The Nebraska game got me all juiced up, mostly because of the way the offensive line played (and the QB play was decent), but then it turned into a slow motion train wreck, culminating in the beat down at the home hands of the hated Pumpkin heads.

But do we really need to rehash the craptitude of the past? Some people need to wallow in $hit, I guess. My view: just keep looking forward.

 

[NUCat320]

The season sucked. Our QB play was terrible, and we all knew the JON defense was doomed from the start. The Nebraska game got me all juiced up, mostly because of the way the offensive line played (and the QB play was decent), but then it turned into a slow motion train wreck, culminating in the beat down at the home hands of the hated Pumpkin heads.

But do we really need to rehash the craptitude of the past? Some people need to wallow in $hit, I guess. My view: just keep looking forward.

Agreed, in general. Why rehash the crapitude.

But also, the crapitude is all we have. This board is a dead zone.

In what is prime marketing season for the program, NU seems to hardly be trying. 45k for a spring game in Colorado versus what was, I guess a spring game at NU. No stats.

Failing new information, all I’ve got is the old stuff. And the old stuff was putrid.

Meanwhile, three transfers in ~a week for the other program.

 

[DaCat]

Having also experienced the "Dark Ages," while there have been worse seasons by the nos., agree w/ DaCat in having deja vu in feeling the same hopelessness

Considering all the progress the program has made since Gary took the helm, one could definitely make the case that it is the worst season considering where the program has been and the current expectations.

The blame fully falls at the feet of Fitz.

It's one thing to still not have solved recruiting/development at the O-line and WR positions, but that (not surprisingly) now has bled into the QB position.

Even more egregious is Fitz not only repeating mistakes, but doubling down on it when most everyone could see that change needed to be made ASAP.

The whole "read and react" thing had serious flaws, which Fitz had 1st hand experience on the offensive side of the ball, so he thinks it's a good idea to bring it to the defensive side?

The fact that the new DC had to simplify things so that players spent less time thinking and doing things quicker is exasperating as Fitz had already also experienced that when opposing ho-hum QBs were setting individual passing records against the Cats.

As it turned out, the DB scheme was overly complex which caused confusion, even with a couple of good/experienced players in the backfield.

Fitz already replaced a terrible DC once his career, bringing on Hankwitz over Colby. Then after Hank retired, he decides to hire a DC who had basically the same philosophy as Colby, but dressed up in fancy NFL lingo. OK, that's an oversimplification but it turned out to produce the same disastrous results. On the offensive side of things, he finally replaced a disastrous OC with... one that is producing even worse results. That's why looking at last season's results is not merely an exercise in wallowing in misery, it's a look into what went wrong and needs fixing. The last four games tell a pretty eye-opening story of our offense -- 7, 3, 9, 3 points scored.

 

[phatcat]

Fitz already replaced a terrible DC once his career, bringing on Hankwitz over Colby. Then after Hank retired, he decides to hire a DC who had basically the same philosophy as Colby, but dressed up in fancy NFL lingo. OK, that's an oversimplification but it turned out to produce the same disastrous results. On the offensive side of things, he finally replaced a disastrous OC with... one that is producing even worse results. That's why looking at last season's results is not merely an exercise in wallowing in misery, it's a look into what went wrong and needs fixing. The last four games tell a pretty eye-opening story of our offense -- 7, 3, 9, 3 points scored.

Yeah it's funny how our perspective changes because we had so many years of Hank and Mick. Jake's offenses have been putrid, but similar to Mick so not as much attention. JON goes from (Hank's) 5th to 83rd. Get the torches and pitchforks. Jake goes from (Micks) 126th to 128th and barely raises an eyebrow. This with a lot of departing upperclassmen. Jake is the only thing preventing Brian Ferentz from being the worst OC in CFB.

 

[DaCat]

Jake goes from (Micks) 126th to 128th and barely raises an eyebrow.

Well he's on the hot seat for fans who are paying attention and want MOAR!

 

[TheC]

I think I’ve seen every other BIG team’s spring game listed on BTN except, of course, us.

 

[Figrating]

What about the coming season? Let's brace ourselves for the rebuilding process.

Maybe Coach Jake has never had the freedom to run the NU O the way he'd like, so he gets another chance. Anybody got High Hopes?

The NU O coaching staff needs to be rebuilt like the D.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

What about the coming season? Let's brace ourselves for the rebuilding process.

Maybe Coach Jake has never had the freedom to run the NU O the way he'd like, so he gets another chance. Anybody got High Hopes?

The NU O coaching staff needs to be rebuilt like the D.

If Fitz is really handcuffing Jake, I have very little hope a new OC would ever make a big splash. In fact, what OC would even come here if they couldn’t run their own offense.

 

[Rebel II]

Check out Lou Saban teams in the mid 50s. All you guys are pretty much rookies. Gadzooks did we love Ara!!!

 

[Hkjb]

Alas @NUCat320, the Icarian question is posed.

I lived through the years starting with Dennis Green then Francis Peay.
through the Rose Bowl.
through the emergence of Fitz and 2 B1G championship games in 3 years... the intoxicating altitude

The 2020 season melted the wings - emboldened a shocking buddy hire on D and metastasized our coaching hubris. Hopefully, that hubris is gone and lessons are learned.

So when you ask if last season was the worst ever, hell yes it was

Like Icarus, we were close to the sun, so we had much further to fall.

Unlike Icarus, in the 80's we were happily focused on throwing marshmellows at the marching band, without caring much about the pummelling on the field.

 

[Hkjb]

The 1981 season and the 1995 recruiting class top the charts of all time futility.

Been a far too invested fan since 1977.

GOUNUII

What was the story with the 1995 recruiting class?

 

[phatcat]

Alas @NUCat320, the Icarian question is posed.

I lived through the years starting with Dennis Green then Francis Peay.
through the Rose Bowl.
through the emergence of Fitz and 2 B1G championship games in 3 years... the intoxicating altitude

The 2020 season melted the wings - emboldened a shocking buddy hire on D and metastasized our coaching hubris. Hopefully, that hubris is gone and lessons are learned.

So when you ask if last season was the worst ever, hell yes it was

Like Icarus, we were close to the sun, so we had much further to fall.

Unlike Icarus, in the 80's we were happily focused on throwing marshmellows at the marching band, without caring much about the pummelling on the field.

This was near-poetry until you misspelled marshmallow.

I can agree, generally, that "falling further" was more bitter than living up to expected suck. Keep in mind, though, we Dark Agers always fear the worst, and 2021 was enough to plant doubt that we would recover, particularly in Hank's absence. Other than the fool's gold of Nebraska/Dublin, I fully expected the team to lose 9 or 10 games last year.

This year, we may be better and still lose 10 or 11. We've fallen pretty far, as you say.

 

[Just Gary]

Alas @NUCat320, the Icarian question is posed.

I lived through the years starting with Dennis Green then Francis Peay.
through the Rose Bowl.
through the emergence of Fitz and 2 B1G championship games in 3 years... the intoxicating altitude

The 2020 season melted the wings - emboldened a shocking buddy hire on D and metastasized our coaching hubris. Hopefully, that hubris is gone and lessons are learned.

So when you ask if last season was the worst ever, hell yes it was

Like Icarus, we were close to the sun, so we had much further to fall.

Unlike Icarus, in the 80's we were happily focused on throwing marshmellows at the marching band, without caring much about the pummelling on the field.

You are way too young. You missed out on Pont and Venturi and the plague that started the dark ages. I mean Pont was both the AD and head coach and he, as AD, fired his head coach, which was him.

1976 1-10
1977 1-10
1978 0-10-1
1979 1-10
1980 0-11
1981 0-11

All those years were far worse than last year. I mean the highlight of the 1978 season was a 0-0 tie. In 1981 we were shutout 5 games. In 1980 Michigan admitted they practiced for the next opponent the week before playing NU and Ohio State ran the exact same play more than 20 times in the game (and only 6 different plays the entire game) and beat us 63-0. Those are the reasons it was called the dark ages.

 

[phatcat]

You are way too young. You missed out on Pont and Venturi and the plague that started the dark ages. I mean Pont was both the AD and head coach and he, as AD, fired his head coach, which was him.

1976 1-10
1977 1-10
1978 0-10-1
1979 1-10
1980 0-11
1981 0-11

All those years were far worse than last year. I mean the highlight of the 1978 season was a 0-0 tie. In 1981 we were shutout 5 games. In 1980 Michigan admitted they practiced for the next opponent the week before playing NU and Ohio State ran the exact same play more than 20 times in the game (and only 6 different plays the entire game) and beat us 63-0. Those are the reasons it was called the dark ages.

The Michigan game in 1980 was close. My first day on campus, and my roommates were listening to it on the radio (away game). I figured we were getting drilled, but we had the ball late in or near the red zone and lost 17-10. Venturi was quoted afterward that he would have gone for 2 if they scored.

We had to wait 15 years for redemption

 

[Just Gary]

The Michigan game in 1980 was close. My first day on campus, and my roommates were listening to it on the radio (away game). I figured we were getting drilled, but we had the ball late in or near the red zone and lost 17-10. Venturi was quoted afterward that he would have gone for 2 if they scored.

We had to wait 15 years for redemption

That is the game that a week later Bo Schembechler admitted that he spent the entire week before the NU game preparing for Notre Dame and so his team completely looked past NU and almost paid for that mistake.

 

[EvanstonCat]

I started watching Cats games in 1989 (0-11 baby!) and last year was terrible, but I would guess that anyone who thinks 2022 was worse than the truly horrible Dark Ages teams probably just never saw them.

I was here for the 0-fer Peay year. And last year was more unwatchable. At least during those Peay years we had an offense who could move the ball a little bit with Bob Christian and Richard Buchanan. Last year our defense was almost as awful and our offense was perfectly complementary. We were just craptastic on both sides of the ball in ways that we never have exhibited all at once. It’s still a travesty that our OC survived the purge when his offense was even worse than our putrid D for which our inept DC was finally rightfully fired.

And our Peay teams never lost to an FCS school. I recall killing Princeton 30-0.

 

[SmellyCat]

I was here for the 0-fer Peay year. And last year was more unwatchable. At least during those Peay years we had an offense who could move the ball a little bit with Bob Christian and Richard Buchanan. Last year our defense was almost as awful and our offense was perfectly complementary. We were just craptastic on both sides of the ball in ways that we never have exhibited all at once. It’s still a travesty that our OC survived the purge when his offense was even worse than our putrid D for which our inept DC was finally rightfully fired.

And our Peay teams never lost to an FCS school. I recall killing Princeton 30-0.

I thought the 1989 team was a lot of fun for a while. They basically just had no depth, and it showed when they lost like 76-14 and 63-14 in back-to-back weeks.

 

[mountaindrew]

1981 we gave up 46 points per game and scored 7 ppg. The difference: Dennis Green basically tanked the season to get ready for the next year, in which we won 3 games. I would argue that the coaching job in the 82 season is amongst our top 5 ever. Maybe top 2. Simply remarkable

There were 24 freshmen on that 81 team, and 20 (!!!) of them started games. Our starting MLB and leading tackler till he got hurt - Jim Bobbitt (who lived next door to me at The Plex) - was 5'11 200 that year as a freshman. The DTs were also miniture compared to the OL they were facing. It was rough to watch. Absolutely no comparison to last year.

 

[mountaindrew]

If Fitz is really handcuffing Jake, I have very little hope a new OC would ever make a big splash. In fact, what OC would even come here if they couldn’t run their own offense.

Yes Sir. I haven't had a problem with Jake until I hear Fitz say publicly something like, "I've dictated what Mike can run, but now its his show. Now we'll see what kind of OC he really is, and what our offense can do."

Until I hear that, I continue to assume Jake has had his hands tied behind his back. Or until I hear from Wildcatpn, KappaKat, DkeCat or one of the other insiders here what's really going on. Feel free to set us straight, fellas.

 

[CatManTrue]

Yes Sir. I haven't had a problem with Jake until I hear Fitz say publicly something like, "I've dictated what Mike can run, but now its his show. Now we'll see what kind of OC he really is, and what our offense can do."

Until I hear that, I continue to assume Jake has had his hands tied behind his back. Or until I hear from Wildcatpn or one of the other insiders here what's really going on. Feel free to set us straight, fellas.

I get the feeling that the “Fitz is holding Jake back” storyline has always been bullshit. There’s no way that Fitz is telling him to gain less yards or score less points for the sake of complementary football.

I just think Jake, as an OC, has enough scheme & tricks for one or two good seasons at each of his stops. I hope he changes my mind this season.

I’ll also note that Jake clearly needs a mobile QB to run his system. If Sullivan stays healthy we may see some decency.

 

[Hkjb]

You are way too young. You missed out on Pont and Venturi and the plague that started the dark ages. I mean Pont was both the AD and head coach and he, as AD, fired his head coach, which was him.

1976 1-10
1977 1-10
1978 0-10-1
1979 1-10
1980 0-11
1981 0-11

All those years were far worse than last year. I mean the highlight of the 1978 season was a 0-0 tie. In 1981 we were shutout 5 games. In 1980 Michigan admitted they practiced for the next opponent the week before playing NU and Ohio State ran the exact same play more than 20 times in the game (and only 6 different plays the entire game) and beat us 63-0. Those are the reasons it was called the dark ages.

You called me young, so I'll concede just on that basis alone. You make a pretty good factual argument as well....

 

[phatcat]

You are way too young. You missed out on Pont and Venturi and the plague that started the dark ages. I mean Pont was both the AD and head coach and he, as AD, fired his head coach, which was him.

1976 1-10
1977 1-10
1978 0-10-1
1979 1-10
1980 0-11
1981 0-11

All those years were far worse than last year. I mean the highlight of the 1978 season was a 0-0 tie. In 1981 we were shutout 5 games. In 1980 Michigan admitted they practiced for the next opponent the week before playing NU and Ohio State ran the exact same play more than 20 times in the game (and only 6 different plays the entire game) and beat us 63-0. Those are the reasons it was called the dark ages.

Oh if you include the last 6 games of 1975 and the first 3 of 1982, we had a 3-71-1 stretch. Shudder