As you guys know, I was out of town watching Mizzou this weekend, so I didn't get a chance to watch my recording of the game until yesterday. Wow, I didn't see that coming. I knew the score and the stats, but I didn't expect to see that dominant of a performance.
Here are just a few impressions:
- Ben Bryant is a difference maker. When he gets time to throw, the guy is just deadly accurate. He knows where the ball is supposed to go, and he gets rid of it on time and in rhythm. Brendan Sullivan did a good job in his absence -- he's a heckuva backup and a serviceable starter. But I had forgotten just how good Bryant is.
- NU's secondary was lights out. Not only were they playing sound, fundamental shell coverage, but they were flying to the football whenever a Badger caught a pass. Johnson, Hollis, Heard, Joseph...they were just cutting guys down right after the catch. Badger receivers never had a chance to make any plays. And they lost Azema and didn't miss a beat. How many missed tackles did NU have in the whole game?
- That was the best Northwestern has played since 2020, and that first half was a work of art. It was the offense's best showing since the season opener against Maryland in 2020. They ran the ball, they protected Bryant and they were a third-down conversion machine. The offensive line completely controlled the line of scrimmage (I don't know the last time I wrote that sentence). Wisconsin didn't know what hit them.
- Speaking of Wisconsin, Luke Fickell's first year is not going well. His team was flat, the fans were flat and the student section never even filled up. The whole Air Raid thing seemed like an odd fit from the outset, and now I don't even know what their identity is. Neither do they, it seems. Fitz told us last spring that the potential was there for a cultural backlash in Madison, and I think we're seeing it.
- Fox broadcasters Chris Myers and Robert Smith obviously didn't do their homework for that game. Man.
Here are just a few impressions:
- Ben Bryant is a difference maker. When he gets time to throw, the guy is just deadly accurate. He knows where the ball is supposed to go, and he gets rid of it on time and in rhythm. Brendan Sullivan did a good job in his absence -- he's a heckuva backup and a serviceable starter. But I had forgotten just how good Bryant is.
- NU's secondary was lights out. Not only were they playing sound, fundamental shell coverage, but they were flying to the football whenever a Badger caught a pass. Johnson, Hollis, Heard, Joseph...they were just cutting guys down right after the catch. Badger receivers never had a chance to make any plays. And they lost Azema and didn't miss a beat. How many missed tackles did NU have in the whole game?
- That was the best Northwestern has played since 2020, and that first half was a work of art. It was the offense's best showing since the season opener against Maryland in 2020. They ran the ball, they protected Bryant and they were a third-down conversion machine. The offensive line completely controlled the line of scrimmage (I don't know the last time I wrote that sentence). Wisconsin didn't know what hit them.
- Speaking of Wisconsin, Luke Fickell's first year is not going well. His team was flat, the fans were flat and the student section never even filled up. The whole Air Raid thing seemed like an odd fit from the outset, and now I don't even know what their identity is. Neither do they, it seems. Fitz told us last spring that the potential was there for a cultural backlash in Madison, and I think we're seeing it.
- Fox broadcasters Chris Myers and Robert Smith obviously didn't do their homework for that game. Man.
