Northwestern had an opportunity Saturday. Home opener, division I-AA opponent, memories of last week’s dominating win, the emotion of honoring former coach Randy Walker – it was the perfect time to reach 2-0.
But the NU team that showed up at Ryan Field for New Hampshire, the nation’s 2nd-ranked division I-AA team, didn’t seem like the squad that won 21-3 at Miami of Ohio.
Northwestern’s offense and defense struggled as New Hampshire, playing its season opener, displayed its high-powered, no-huddle offense en route to a 34-17 win Saturday afternoon.
“I’m just disappointed with the overall performance of our football team,” said Pat Fitzgerald after his first loss as a head coach.
NU’s defensive line could barely approach New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos, who finished second last year in voting for the Walter Payton Award, division I-AA’s version of the Heisman.
Santos connected on 18-of-24 passes for 206 yards, and he scored two early touchdowns – one through the air and one rushing – to give New Hampshire a quick 13-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.
NU’s 3-4 pass rush managed just one sack, a little more than a week after getting five against Miami.
“They knew our schemes a lot better than we knew theirs,” defensive end Kevin Mims said.
New Hampshire receiver David Ball, who finished seventh last year in Payton Award voting, caught seven passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. But Keith LeVan led his team in receiving with 77 yards on seven catches.
“They did well at exploiting our weaknesses on defense,” said NU linebacker Nick Roach.
NU’s offense amassed 360 yards, 31 more than New Hampshire, but couldn’t score in the second half. NU’s fourth-quarter drives ended in three turnovers on downs and one interception.
“We had some botched snaps, a couple of turnovers, and there it was, a momentum swing,” NU running back Tyrell Sutton said.
Sutton led NU in rushing and passing, with 14 attempts on the ground for 99 yards and four catches for 35 yards. He ran for one touchdown, a 6-yarder in the first quarter that gave NU a 14-13 lead.
But NU was outscored 21-3 through the final three quarters.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Kafka, starting his first game at Ryan Field, completed 19-of-32 passes for 173 yards and an interception. He also ran for a total of 42 yards on 11 carries.
But the offense lacked rhythm for much of the game, and it was missing the spark it seemed to find at Miami.
“In the second half we just weren’t clicking,” Kafka said.
On a day when the legacy of Randy Walker was celebrated, Fitzgerald followed his first loss with a press conference addressing a motto Walker always mentioned: responding to adversity.
Fitzgerald talked about the need to get up off “the mat,” and he accepted responsibility for the loss.
“I thought the entire week of practice we had leading in that we were going to come out and play physical,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s my fault we did not. It starts and ends with me.”
Reach Teddy Kider at [email protected].
