They say, “Offense wins games, defense wins championships.”
Not this game.
Northwestern moved to 4-0 for the first time in 46 years behind a ferocious effort from its defense and special teams and a sublime performance from defensive tackle Alex Browne. In a game where the Wildcats scored a season-low 16 points and coughed up the ball a season-high five times, the defense kept the Wildcats’ dream of a perfect season alive.
“The defense really rose to the occasion today, ” cornerback Jordan Mabin said. “We knew our back was against the wall, but we came out and put our foot in the ground.”
For the second straight week, the NU defense was at its best. The Wildcats limited Ohio to a microscopic four yards rushing, the fewest yards allowed on the ground in team history.
Defending a short field for much of the game, the defense turned the Bobcats back time and time again and kept them off the scoreboard until midway through the third quarter.
When Ohio did make it deep into NU territory, the defense pulled double duty on special teams. Browne and fellow defensive end John Gill each blocked second-half field goals, saving crucial points in the narrow, hard-fought victory.
“(The blocks) were huge,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “Defensively, your attitude has got to be: ‘Make them take one more snap.’ Good things happen when you make them take one more snap.”
Led by its aggressive front four, the defense helped NU overcome the loss of Tyrell Sutton with a bevy of big plays. The
Wildcats recorded 14 tackles for loss and forced a season-high four turnovers – two interceptions and two fumbles.
That effort led to the Bobcats gaining a paltry 197 total yards on offense.
Both fumbles were forced by the omnipresent Browne, who was playing in only his fourth collegiate game. The redshirt freshman terrorized Ohio quarterback Boo Jackson, pressuring his blind side and delivering several bone-crushing hits.
“(Browne) played a great game today, ” Arrington said. “He’s a young guy out there, just playing balls to the wall. He only knows one speed, and that’s fast.”
On the rare occasions when Jackson or tailback Donte Harden got past the NU front line, the Wildcats’ linebackers were waiting. Led by senior Prince Kwateng, the trio kept Jackson from breaking a big run and delivered a few punishing tackles of their own.
Arrington came up with the big play late in the fourth quarter to help secure the win. The senior stripped Ohio wideout Lavon Brazill at the NU 19-yard-line, and defensive tackle John Gill fell on the ball. It was the final momentum-changing play for a defense long considered the Cats’ weakest link.
“We have a lot to prove,” Arrington said. “We’ve always been a question mark as far as the defense, and we’ve been looked down upon the last couple years. So a lot of guys have a chip on their shoulders.”
Years of criticism have helped fire up this defense, which is currently No. 13 in the nation in scoring defense – a year after finishing No. 88. And with Bacher and Sutton banged up, NU can take heart from all its defensive stands – especially its last one. With 56 seconds left in the game, the Bobcats took over at their own 28 needing a touchdown. They didn’t gain a yard.
