Whether it was Homecoming, extra student attention or Rose Bowl talk, No. 25 Northwestern got sidetracked from its regular routine last week, and the results showed on the gridiron.
Players and coaches admitted that the hoopla leading up to last Saturday’s matchup with Purdue somewhat altered the Wildcats’ game preparation. With ESPN rolling tape and a nearly sold-out Ryan Field crowd looking on, NU (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) was thumped 41-28 by the 17th-ranked Boilermakers.
As bowl predictions and comparisons to past glory years floated around Evanston, the Cats faced many new distractions. Adding to the hype surrounding the game was an altered team schedule, which included several Homecoming functions.
“There was a lot of things that flew by us last week that hadn’t been there before,” coach Randy Walker said. “Did we or did we not deal with them effectively? I think we didn’t get to our right place.”
Coming into Saturday leading the Big Ten and on the brink of qualifying for a bowl game, players conceded that they lost concentration.
“While you’re on top of the Big Ten everyone’s preaching it, everyone around campus is patting you on your back, ‘Hey, great job,'” linebacker Kevin Bentley said. “You can kind of lose sight of what you need to do.”
On Thursday night, about 70 players appeared at a sparsely attended pep rally organized by the NU Homecoming committee. It was the first year such an event was organized.
“It was a little bit uncharacteristic of what we do on Thursday, ” tailback Damien Anderson said. “Going into a ballgame, Thursday is usually a time of relaxation and they had us out a little bit after hours celebrating with the students.”
Yet Anderson said the the cameos had little effect on preparation.
“I wouldn’t say it was a big distraction because in the game of football and especially in school you go through distractions every day, ” he said.
Walker stressed the importance of getting ready for each game in the same way and acknowledged that the odd circumstances last week may have affected NU’s performance. Citing a golfer’s pre-shot routine as a model, Walker spoke about the value of “sameness” when preparing for competition.
Recalling his playing days as starting fullback at Miami (Ohio) University, Walker reflected on the unwavering repetition of the all-important pre-game ritual.
“At 9:20 I listened to James Taylor in my room and walked down the same staircase to go dress,” Walker said. “I’m getting to the right place right now and if I didn’t have James Taylor on before the game, man, life was not right.
“Take my dog, take my girl, but don’t take my James Taylor tape. I gotta have that to play.”
Prior to the Purdue game, Walker felt the Cats were, if anything, too prepared for the challenge. His theory proved true as NU sprinted out of the gate with two early touchdowns before fading fast in the second quarter.
Sensing NU was overzealous, Walker tried to calm his troops.
Said Walker: “I reminded our kids a couple times, ‘Listen, no one’s asking you to put an S on your chest and pull that red cape on. You don’t need that, just play like you’re playing.'”
But the Cats were unable to recapture the poise they displayed earlier in the year. NU was outplayed on defense, stagnant on offense and committed three costly second-half turnovers.
With a bye, NU will have more than enough time to perfect its preparation pattern.
“It’s a definite healing process,” Anderson said. “The game works in mysterious ways and we lost and I think we’ve got a good two weeks off in order to get our bodies back and also to develop that hunger going into the game.”
