By Patrick DorseyThe Daily Northwestern

A few days ago, a freshman asked me about Northwestern’s latest trip to Wisconsin and Camp Randall Stadium.

“NU lost 41-9,” I said.

The response: “They always get killed.”

Actually, no. They don’t. At least not in the last three or so years, when they went to two bowl games and came close to a third.

But to those who left Ryan Field after Saturday’s punchless, downright embarrassing 31-10 loss to a mediocre Purdue team – and especially to the unsuspecting freshmen experiencing their first Big Ten home game – this is normal.

This is the way it’s supposed to be. This is the way it’s always been.

This is Northwestern.

According to public perception, NU is the “smart” school with all nerds and no jocks, the school whose team lost about 10,000 straight games back in the 1980s.

It’s the school that convinces its own students it’s a loser. Read: that aforementioned conversation about Wisconsin.

Now, as this football team loses game after game in the same fashion, as it continues to look unimproved, NU once again is living up to its all-brains-no-ballers reputation.

This is alarming. Not a year ago, everything was different.

The Cats won seven games last year, beating ranked teams and even earning a national ranking on two occasions themselves.

They were fun. They had one of the nation’s best offenses. They ended last season at the semi-prestigious Sun Bowl.

Yes, that team lost some key leaders. It also lost its offensive coordinator and, tragically, coach Randy Walker.

Those are big losses. But not this big. Not score only 10 points on one of the nation’s worst defenses big. Not get shut out in the second half of each of your first three conference games big.

How did this happen? How does this team keep getting blown out, despite an improved defense?

“We expected a lot of change,” frustrated running back Tyrell Sutton said, “but at the same time, it’s the same offense – same offense, same personnel. So really, nothing should have changed.”

But it did.

And because the players are very similar, the blame rests almost squarely on the coaches.

Yes, they are inexperienced, which would make it forgivable if they honestly seemed to be getting better, showing signs of improvement each week.

They aren’t. At least not from this press box seat.

Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee still insists on circumventing logic – and NU history – by constantly rushing the quarterback, even against the nation’s 118th-ranked pass defense.

This vanilla philosophy has taken the ball out of Sutton’s (and the talented receivers’) hands, given a huge advantage to each opponent, and already has gotten two quarterbacks unnecessarily banged up.

Also, overall, there is little sign of week-to-week improvement. Clich