They say you want what you can’t have.
In Northwestern’s 35-24 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, I became suddenly aware of something I’ve never had in my life, and now desperately want: a dominant wide receiver.
As a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, I’ve had the distinct honor of watching Curtis Conway, Marty Booker, Muhsin Muhammad and now Devin Hester line up at the No. 1 wide receiver position. This year’s Wildcats are also without a true go-to wideout. In fact, coach Pat Fitzgerald specifically called them the “no-name wide receivers” as a motivational tactic.
Minnesota’s Eric Decker proved to the Cats why he is well-known among secondaries across the conference, and across the nation. The senior wide receiver finished the game with eight receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns. For most players, it would be a career day. For Decker, it was the first game this season he didn’t break 100 yards receiving.
The thing is, Decker manages to produce week in and week out, even though opposing defenses know the ball is going his way. Only two other Gopher players caught passes in the game, and Decker had more receptions than the two of them combined.
“We script his touches, we move him around, we never leave him as a stationary target, and that’s what you have to do with a great player,” Minnesota coach Tim Brewster said. “You can’t allow defenses to focus on him if he’s lined up in one spot.”
Sherrick McManis did about as good a job covering Decker as any cornerback could be expected to, even jumping Decker’s route on a fourth down to get an interception. But on third-and-goal when it mattered most, Decker easily overpowered sophomore Jordan Mabin on a fade for a touchdown, furthering Minnesota’s lead.
“Late in the game, throwing the ball, a lot of people would probably say don’t do it, run the ball,” junior quarterback Adam Weber said. “But when we have (Decker) out there, one-on-one, I’ll take our chances.”
That’s a chance NU can’t take with its wide receivers. Sometimes they catch the ball, sometimes they don’t. But everyone in the stadium is far more surprised when Decker doesn’t catch the ball than when he does. It seems to be automatic.
And playing off him isn’t an option either. Three times during a Minnesota drive in the first half, Weber took one step back and fired the ball out wide to Decker. Once he got the ball, Decker was able to drag a few NU tacklers with him, or make them miss entirely.
“It’s a comfort blanket as a quarterback,” Weber said. “A lot of times we’re set up, we had a run call, and if they give the cushion to Eric, I’m just going to pick up and throw it out there and let him go get eight, 10 yards.”
Well in that case, the answer would seem to be stacking fewer guys in the box and mixing in a frequent dose of double coverage.
Too bad Minnesota running back Duane Bennett finished with 89 yards and three scores after having 121 yards and a touchdown coming into Evanston. Tight end Nick Tow-Arnett also had five catches for 65 yards, which matched his total receptions for the year, and more than matched his receiving yardage.
Throughout my football-watching career, I’ve never had the pleasure of rooting for a dominant wide receiver. Watching this game, it was obvious the tremendous impact Decker had on the outcome. He forced the NU defense to constantly account for him, opening up opportunities for his teammates. And the second the Cats let their guard down, he burned them himself. I wished he was on my team.
That’s why next year on my 21st birthday, when I blow out my candles, I’ll be wishing for a star wideout so my team can wreak havoc on opposing defenses.
Deputy sports editor Brian Chappatta is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
