It’s easy to blame Northwestern’s offensive struggles Saturday on an unyielding Purdue defensive line or unfortunate turnovers, but the yellow hankies strewn across Ryan Field told the true story.
The Wildcats (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) were whistled for 12 penalties totaling 106 yards against the then-No. 22 Boilermakers, who rolled to a 41-28 victory. Flags for false starts, personal fouls and holding pushed the Cats in the wrong direction all afternoon.
For a team that averages 82 penalty yards per game, last Saturday’s infraction explosion added to an NU season full of fouls.
“I have walked in a number of team meetings and said, ‘I’m going to regret the day that I walk in here and look at you and say, you know, that’s stupid football you play sometimes, and it’s going to get you beat,'” coach Randy Walker said. “‘I’m going to hate the day I walk in here and say I told you so.
“On Saturday, I told you so.”
Out of all the Cats’ penalties, one clearly hurt the most.
Trailing 34-14 late in the game, quarterback Zak Kustok found a streaking Kunle Patrick, who took the ball all the way to Purdue’s 12-yard line. But the play was nullified when a Cats’ lineman knocked the helmet off a Boilermakers player away from the play, resulting in a personal foul.
Forced back to its own 29-yard line, NU punted three plays later.
“I feel bad we let those defensive ends tee off on us, but when you hitch and jump and put yourself in long yardage situations, hell, I could pass rush then,” Walker said.
The Cats lead the Big Ten in penalties with 574 yards, nearly 100 yards more than second-place Ohio State, which has accumulated 478.
Walker’s frustration has spilled over to the players, who agreed that penalties took them out of the game.
“We had numerous big plays called back, we weren’t focused for 60 minutes I don’t believe, we made some mental mistakes, missed assignments we normally don’t make,” linebacker Kevin Bentley said. “A lot of that stuff hurt us Saturday.”
CATCHING UP: A lone bright spot for NU’s offense Saturday was the production of the receiving corps. With Purdue stuffing tailback Damien Anderson at the line, the Cats’ wideouts answered the call, racking up 369 yards.
Sophomore wideout Jon Schweighardt led the way with 115 yards on seven catches, both team highs this season. Schweighardt made a key 46-yard reception in the third quarter, giving NU a 1st-and-goal at the Boilermakers 7-yard line.
Teddy Johnson also had a big day for the Cats with 91 yards and two touchdowns. With a 7-yard score in the first quarter, Johnson set a new team record with at least one touchdown catch in five consecutive games.
“I thought it was a positive because Schweighardt got his game back, he had a real good game,” Johnson said. “But we lost, though, so you can’t really feel too good because you always feel you could have done more.”
EYE ON THE BIG TEN: Even with a bye week, the Cats will keep a close eye on Saturday’s Big Ten battles. As one of four teams with a 3-1 conference record, NU’s bowl position will likely be affected by the results this weekend.
The Cats will have a chance to scout their next opponent, No. 22 Minnesota, as the Golden Gophers travel to face Indiana in Bloomington. NU heads to the Metrodome Oct. 28 to face Minnesota, which is fresh off an upset of then-No. 6 Ohio State.
“We have an off-week and they don’t,” Anderson said. “It’s another week for us to get better and work out our game plan.
“I will be watching the game and trying to get the next step better, seeing all their guys play and how they react to some of the situations they’re going to face in our game.”
INCHES TO GO: With his 1-yard scoring run against Purdue, Anderson has scored a touchdown in NU’s last seven games, a team record. … Despite the 14-point output Saturday, the Cats still lead the Big Ten in scoring offense with 41 points per game. … Kicker Tim Long increased his streak of consecutive made extra points to 39.
