What went right:
The Northwestern defense really picked up its play as the game went along.
After being gashed for 65 rushing yards on Iowa’s first drive, the defense began pushing back on the ground. The unit gave up only 10 points in the first half and blanked Iowa in the second half of regulation. Missed tackles stopped being an issue, and the Hawkeyes were stopped on a few key third downs.
Junior linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo especially shined. He produced multiple big tackles on third down and was all over the field. He made the tackle on third down before Iowa’s missed field goal in the fourth quarter.
Ariguzo, who led the defense with 14 tackles, also came up with an interception with fewer than 15 seconds to go, after coach Pat Fitzgerald’s puzzling decision not to call timeout after stopping Iowa on third down.
Ultimately, the defense gave the Wildcats a chance to win.
Senior quarterback Kain Colter delivered a gutsy performance on a bad ankle. He left everything out there on the field for his team in a demoralizing loss.
Sophomore superback Dan Vitale sparked NU’s offense with a juggling 31-yard catch in the third quarter on NU’s first scoring drive, which ended in a Vitale touchdown catch.
Stephen Buckley ran well in the middle of the field. He led the Cats in rushing with 99 yards and showed the speed that NU’s offense desperately needs with the absence of senior running back Venric Mark. Buckley has put together really nice back-to-back games and should see more playing time in the future.
What went wrong:
Penalties. Holding calls and personal fouls absolutely killed the Cats. Junior offensive tackle Jack Konopka had a rough day, and Vitale was flagged for a critical blocking penalty on NU’s last drive in the fourth quarter. It’s hard for any offense to keep drives going when it faces 10- and 15-yard penalties.
Colter also left the game briefly with a leg injury in the fourth quarter after missing last week’s game due to an ankle injury. Colter has been snake-bitten this year, and his absence really slows the NU offense. At times today, he looked hesitant to throw the ball. He will be desperately needed at 100 percent if the Cats hope to salvage this season into something memorable.
Senior running back Mike Trumpy had an extremely forgettable game. He coughed it up in the red zone in the second quarter and had a devastating fumble in the fourth quarter as the Cats were driving to win the game.
What it means:
Not only is a shot at the Legends division title out the door, but the Cats also appear unlikely to advance to any bowl game. NU needs two victories to be bowl-eligible, and looking at the rest of its schedule, the game against Illinois in the season’s final week is the only potential win.
Nebraska, Michigan and Michigan State will all be extremely difficult games for a team that can’t find any spark on offense. NU can’t seem to wake up from its nightmare of a season.
— Rohan Nadkarni and John Paschall
