By Patrick DorseyThe Daily Northwestern
IOWA CITY, Iowa – There it was again, that familiar tune.
No, not coach Pat Fitzgerald explaining away another loss.
A much sweeter tune, at least in the minds of Northwestern fans:
The fight song.
They were singing it after the game Saturday, the team and its few fans who made the trip to the land commonly known as corn country.
For them, it was their first parade since the Big Ten season began. And who doesn’t love a parade?
But, with all apologies to the players, coaches and fans, here’s where I rain on it. Sort of.
Two things came to mind after watching NU essentially dominate one of the Big Ten’s top football programs – in a 21-7 win that saw the Wildcats own both sides of the ball.
No. 1: This team certainly has a lot of hope.
No. 2: It’s a shame they have nothing to hope for this season.
Think about it.
Saturday’s game looked easy. The week before – a 17-3 loss to Michigan – looked like a moral victory. And, a monumental gag notwithstanding, the Michigan State Experience proved the Cats could get it done almost as well as last year.
So where was this all season?
Why did it take this team so long to figure out: 1) The quarterback should throw the ball, 2) the running back – especially the reigning “Sporting News” Offensive Freshman of the Year – should run the ball, and 3) blitzing is good, while “bubble coverage” for its defensive backs is bad?
Do some of those things, and maybe New Hampshire never happens. Or Nevada. Or Purdue. And by winning just two of those games, maybe the Michigan State lead isn’t too scary to keep.
Then maybe we’re booking late-December plane tickets by now, or at least not writing off the possibility.
So there’s the rain. It had to fall on this parade. There’s really no excuse – not even lack of coaching experience – for this team’s limp opening of the season, or for being eliminated from bowl contention with three games left for the first time since 2002.
But here comes the sunshine, in the form of the aforementioned hope:
This truly could be a turning point.
The question about next week’s game against No. 1 Ohio State used to be: Will they lose by 40, 50 or 60?
Now, there’s serious talk of an upset – however unlikely it might be.
The real hope, though, is for next year, when only a few seniors – including injured linebacker Nick Roach and banged-up cornerback Marquice Cole, who have been out or limited the past couple of weeks – leave the program.
The Cats found their quarterback in C.J. Bach
