For the past 10 months, Northwestern players have picked apart the hourlong fanny-tanning they absorbed at last year’s Alamo Bowl.
Coach Randy Walker and his not-so-merry men have replayed the game tape again and again, trying to pinpoint how a 10-7 lead turned into a Big Red highlight reel. Now it doesn’t take a genius to explain that the Wildcats were outsized, outhustled and outcoached for the final 45 minutes of that contest. In fact, the team has repeatedly acknowledged these facts, vowing to remember the Alamo and learn from its bastion of blunders.
While this “thumb pointing” is both admirable and annoyingly saintly, there is a crucial element of Nebraska’s performance that is absent from the videotapes and scouting reports.
Obscured by the Kyle Vanden Bosch bodyslams and Dan Alexander touchdown jogs was the way the Cornhuskers looked before the whistle blew. When Nebraska ran on the gridiron, everyone in the Alamodome knew they were witnessing one of the nation’s best teams. The Huskers’ self-belief was not crafted, revised or feigned — it had been cemented into every player’s skull the first time they adorned the storied red and white.
Despite some regular-season turbulence, Nebraska played like a preseason No. 1, a consensus Big 12 favorite and a team with its name engraved in the top 10 week after week. The Huskers did not need reminders to get fired up or to put their emotions in check. They were on a business trip to San Antonio, and against a shaky NU squad, they simply did their jobs and left.
Instead of rewinding, recording and reviewing, Walker and Co. should hit the stop button for a minute and take a step back. The Cats have the skills and smarts to bury any team in the land, but once in a while (see: last Saturday), they flat-out forget who they are.
Sure, the Cats know they were penciled in as consensus Big Ten favorites and rose to No. 14 in the Associated Press rankings. Heck, they pass by those three Big Ten championship trophies en route to the practice field every day.
But this team prides itself on avoiding polls, predictions and projections.
“We never use that as motivation,” running back Damien Anderson says. “We know we have a great nucleus here and we know we’ve got to make things happen every time out.”
OK, self motivation is fine. But tell me again why you stumbled into Ohio Stadium and forgot how to block, tackle, cover, run and pass?
The saddest thing about last Saturday’s game was that it could have occurred in any year. Ohio State dominated because it was Ohio State and NU took the plunge because it was, well, NU. Forget last year’s turnaround, an inventive and ultra-potent offense and the sturdy emotional foundation fostered by four unbelievable triumphs. Unfortunately, these Cats played like their predecessors — you know, those guys who thought NU’s national rankings only mattered in U.S. News and World Report.
The Cats need to take a hint from Nebraska. They should take a closer look at what it means to be a ranked team and conference favorite. They need to learn how to be unfazed in intimidating situations. Maybe Walker is right and the numbers are frivolous distractions.
But maybe they can help imbed a winner’s attitude in the mind of an inconsistent team.
Minnesota is the next order of business — let’s see if these Cats can close the deal.
