Fitzgerald earns his first Big Ten coaching honor
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald will add at least one new piece of hardware to his trophy case this season.
Fitzgerald earned unanimous Big Ten Coach of the Year honors Tuesday after leading the Wildcats to their first appearance in the Big Ten championship game, in which they will face Ohio State on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Fitzgerald, who earned his first Big Ten coaching award in 13 seasons at Northwestern, led the Wildcats to an 8-4 record, despite starting 1-3 overall and losing star running back Jeremy Larkin to a career-ending injury midway through the season. The team lost to Michigan by three points in late September, then rattled off seven consecutive conference victories to pull away for the West Division title with an 8-1 record.
The Wildcats repeatedly overcame adversity this season, including losing Larkin. The recruiting classes in recent years paled in comparison to those from conference superpowers Michigan and Ohio State. Also, quarterback Clayton Thorson had to work his way back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
None of that stopped Fitzgerald from keeping the Wildcats motivated and competitive throughout the season. They earned a big road victory over then-No. 20 Michigan State on Oct. 6, which started a four-game winning streak. They also went a Big Tenbest 5-0 on the road.
A loss to Notre Dame — nothing to be ashamed of — snapped that run, but the team rebounded with a 14-10 win at Iowa to start a three-game winning streak.
Fitzgerald has had bigger victory totals, including three 10-win seasons since 2012, but this was arguably his best coaching job.