COLUMBUS, Ohio – This wasn’t one the Wildcats wanted to mull over or scrutinize. Not now, at least.
Just head to the locker room, load on the bus, board the plane and get home. Get to tomorrow as quickly as possible — and set Saturday’s 38-20 debacle at Ohio Stadium in the corner of the mind, near last season’s losses to Iowa and at the Alamo Bowl.
Just as overwhelming modesty kept Walker and the Cats reticent after nerve-frying wins such as last week’s against Michigan State, a sense of confusion and embarrassment kept any answers about this performance short and abstract.
Not that there was much for them to say:
Quarterback Zak Kustok: “It’s not the plays we’re running — it’s the players out there executing.”
Coach Randy Walker: “Momentum is a strong part of this game. … and we made nothing happen to turn it around.”
Although easier to dish out, abstractions and double-speak keep NU’s problems in the dark — the facts shine light on the problems.
Execution means not fumbling at the end of the first quarter and letting the opponent return the ball 71 yards for the lead. It means not throwing a second-quarter rollout over receiver Kunle Patrick and into the hands of Buckeyes cornerback Derek Ross. It means not leaving your quarterback open to get sacked five times — or buried into the turf after nearly every pass he’s released.
And momentum? For two games, NU’s offense hasn’t clicked.
Momentum means not standing still for two-thirds of the game — 40 minutes passed between NU’s first and second scores. The Cats also went three-and-out every possession for 20 minutes, going without a first down in the third quarter.
“You can’t win football games when you turn the ball over like that,” Kustok said.
Running back Damien Anderson knows that, too. Walker sidelined Anderson for the drive after he fumbled — a rule that dates back to Walker’s years as a running backs coach.
“We talk a lot about respect for the football, and we haven’t had to do that a lot because Damien hasn’t done it very often,” he said.
Saturday’s shellacking retaught the Cats a painful lesson they first learned against Michigan State: The Big Ten is gunning for Anderson. Coming off a disappointing 74-yard game, Anderson rushed for only 80 yards in Columbus — 52 coming on NU’s opening scoring drive.
Anderson said he felt better than last week, and he looked the part after NU’s opening drive. But he was unable to develop a second-half presence, much like his performances at UNLV and Duke.
“ESPN and The Shoe was a great chance to showcase your abilities,” Anderson said. “I thought we had a great week of practice going in, but it didn’t go our way.”
The NU offense displayed the same inconsistency that made last week’s win a defensive struggle. Ohio State seemed prepared for the Cats’ inventive offense.
“The tempo that our scout team gave to our defense all week long, I was sure there was no way (the Cats) were going to run plays any faster than we did,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “We had 100 plays in a 50-minute period on Thursday. … That preparation gave our guys the feeling that the game was kinda moving slow tonight.”
Linebacker Billy Silva said he wasn’t ready to answer most questions until he saw the game tape. Silva said he knew where to be — it was just a matter of execution.
“We just weren’t doing what we’re supposed to do,” he said.
By the numbers, it was NU’s style of football. The Cats maintained even possession time and still managed to run more plays than the Buckeyes. But they did not outrun them. NU’s 170 rushing yards pales next to Ohio State’s 287.
But Walker recognized that the Cats’ offense was a dead fuse in need of a spark to explode.
“Much has been said about our offense — it’s only a good offense if you make positive yards and you make completions,” Walker said. “The key is getting the first first down.”
