Seeking ‘swagger,’ Wildcats stagger
NU winless in Big Ten after 5th straight defeat
On Northwestern
After Iowa scored its first touchdown in the first quarter Saturday, Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald was perhaps as disappointed in what he saw on his sideline as what he saw on Ryan Field.
“I was like, ‘Where’s your swagger at, man?’ ” Fitzgerald said he told some dejected players. “‘Let’s go. Let’s go back and play.’ ”
Northwestern never did find that swagger — or the end zone. Heck, they didn’t even make it to the red zone.
The Wildcats lost their fifth straight, falling to the Hawkeyes 20-0 in an appropriately soggy and dismal homecoming game. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak against Iowa.
After a 52-3 thrashing last week by Ohio State, the Wildcats have been outscored 72-3 by their last two opponents. They haven’t scored a touchdown since the third-quarter against Nebraska on Oct. 5, and they haven’t snagged a turnover in three games.
“It’s been a long, negative run,” Fitzgerald said. “For some of the guys, they’re probably listening to too many of the haters.”
The Wildcats (1-6, 0-5 Big Ten) got off to a telling and miserable start. Quarterback Aidan Smith threw an interception on the third play of their opening drive. They gave up a 50-yard Iowa touchdown when Nate Stanley connected with Tyrone Tracey, who spun out of a weak tackle attempt by Northwestern’s Trae Williams.
Northwestern also lost top receiver JJ Jefferson in the first quarter to a “lower body injury.”
“Other guys have to step up,” Fitzgerald said.
The Wildcats played so poorly it looked as if they were trying to clear a pole-vault crossbar without a pole.
Smith was sacked five times and completed 18 of 32 passes for 138 yards. Iowa outgained Northwestern 302-202.
“At times we had guys open and didn’t see them,” Fitzgerald said. “Other times we had critical drops at critical times.
“We had a couple one-man breakdowns against the defensive line. There’s a hole here, and you’re trying to plug it, and a hole here, and you’re trying to plug it, and a hole here. It’s where we’re at on offense. It’s kind of ‘play to play.’ ”
Smith, a backup junior, said he knows there’s room for improvement.
“After crossing the 50-yard line three or four times and not getting any points on the board, yeah, the quarterback (film) room will be disappointed,” he said.
Keith Duncan’s 40-yard field goal in the second quarter made it 10-0, and Makhi Sargent’s 1-yard touchdown run in the third extended Iowa’s lead. Duncan’s 28-yard field goal in the fourth finished the scoring.
Asked about former quarterback Clayton Thorson attending the game, Fitzgerald used it as an opportunity to point out the highs and lows of college football’s popularity.
“Man, he’s a pretty good player, huh?” Fitzgerald said with a smile. “Most underappreciated player in the history of Northwestern football. The haters hated that guy, too, huh? Man, I love the haters.”
But Fitzgerald said he understands fans’ frustration.
“I don’t listen when we’re playing in the Big Ten championship game and I don’t listen now,” he said. “It’s quite a rollercoaster ride. I get it. I’m a fan first. I graduated from here. It’s pretty important to me. I know it’s important to our guys, and they’re disappointed. We have high expectations we’re not living up to.”
He asked that fans back his players anyway.
“I would prefer people, instead of being negative, just continue to support our guys,” he said. “They can be negative to me. Keep sticking with them. They’re a great group. It’s just not clicking.”