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| Friday, September 29 Cats win over Badgers has bowl talk starting By Jeff Potrykus Special to ESPN.com | |||||
If any Gary Barnett fans remain within the ranks of the suddenly burgeoning Northwestern football family, they must be in hiding.
Barnett, you will recall, led Northwestern to back-to-back Big Ten titles in 1995 and '96. However, when things turned sour over the next two seasons, he bolted for Colorado, where he led the Buffs to a 7-5 mark last season. After three games this season, though, Colorado is 0-3.
Meanwhile, Randy Walker was genuinely excited to replace Barnett after his successful but relatively anonymous nine-year run at Miami (Ohio). After struggling to a 3-8 mark in his first season, Walker has the Wildcats sitting at 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten after their stunning 47-44 double-overtime victory over then-No 6 Wisconsin.
"It was an exciting victory, one that was significant," Walker said of the victory over Wisconsin. "But let's not look at this as the crowning achievement of our year."
Northwestern fans treated it as such.
Illinois Upon further review, Illinois coach Ron Turner deserves some sort of award for diplomacy. Anyone who saw the Illinois' 35-31 loss to Michigan has to agree that the officials blew two critical fumble calls in the fourth quarter that allowed the Wolverines to rally for the victory. Even Michigan fans can't argue since David Parry, the Big Ten's coordinator of officials, publicly admitted his crew -- excuse the pun -- fumbled the ball. Rather than whine, Turner calmly suggested that someone might consider implementing the use of an instant-replay system, similar to the one used by the NFL. "I think it would help college football and keep the game in the hands of the players on a consistent basis," said Turner, a former NFL assistant with the Chicago Bears. "It wouldn't make it perfect, but it would sure help. You would at least like to get it right and let the players decide it. I'm not saying that didn't happen in our last game." ... Illinois plays at Minnesota Saturday. When the teams met a year ago, the Gophers won easily, 37-7. Considering the amount of emphasis the Illinois coaches and players placed on beating Michigan, some analysts are already wondering if Illinois is headed for a letdown against the Gophers. "We'll be fine," Turner said. "We'll bounce back. That was one football game. It's not going to make or break a program." Indiana Who were those guys playing defense for the Hoosiers last week against Cincinnati? The Bearcats entered the game averaging a respectable 377 yards and 20 points per game. Indiana's defense, which had allowed an average of 41 points per game in two losses, proceeded to hold the Bearcats to a pair of field goals in a 42-6 victory. The last time Indiana had held an opponent without a touchdown was Nov. 1, 1997 in a 23-6 victory over Illinois. Cincinnati's offense was slowed after quarterback Deontey Kenner was injured early in the second half, but the Hoosiers clearly have made some strides. The key was that the Indiana coaches rotated several young players, which kept the defenders fresh. "The fact that we rotated nine defensive linemen in the ball game helped us," Indiana coach Cam Cameron said. "We rotate three or four safeties. We're rotating our corners. We're rotating linebackers. We're just going to continue to do that." ... Indiana's offense remains the No. 1 attraction, though. The Hoosiers have scored 114 points in the first three games this season. With just seven more points, they'll surpass the mark of 120 that the Hoosiers scored all season in 1997, Cameron's first at Indiana. Iowa Twelve and counting. That is the length of the Hawkeyes' losing streak entering their game Saturday at Indiana. Only Ball State (19) has a longer losing streak. At 0-4, the Hawkeyes are off to their worst start since 1973. Their last victory came on Sept. 18 of last season, 24-0 over Northern Illinois. Yet after the 42-13 loss to No. 1 Nebraska, the Iowa players sound as if they are ready to win the Big Ten title. "The Hawks are a damn good football team," center A.J. Blazek told the Des Moines Register. "I want fans to know that. I want everyone to know that." Will the Hoosiers agree after Saturday? ... Quarterback Scott Mullen might wear his arm out trying to riddle the Hoosiers' suspect pass defense. Indiana is last in the Big Ten in pass defense, allowing an average of 326.3 yards per game, with seven touchdown passes and just one interception. A year ago, Mullen completed 36 of 60 attempts for 426 yards in a 38-31 loss to the Hoosiers. ... Iowa players and coaches can at least point to their strong schedule as a reason for their woes. Their first four opponents are 13-1 overall, with the only blemish being Western Michigan's loss at Wisconsin. ... Freshman cornerback Benny Sapp is expected to make his first start Saturday for the Hawkeyes. Sapp is a cousin of Warren Sapp, the all-pro defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Michigan Not surprisingly, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr has no plans to publicly announce whether junior Drew Henson or redshirt freshman John Navarre will start at quarterback against Wisconsin. "He will be able to practice and we'll see how it goes," Carr said of Henson. "I'm not going to say anything because I want to wait and see how he proceeds. He obviously passed a very big test at Illinois on the turf and he has shown no pain." However, anyone who watched Navarre struggle in the first half against Illinois has to believe Henson will get the starting nod. When Navarre misfired on a short pass to tailback Anthony Thomas in the flat, Thomas kicked the air and nearly ripped his helmet off once he got to the sideline. His body language sent a loud message to the Michigan coaches: We need Henson! ... Sophomore tailback Justin Fargas who has returned from a broken leg suffered two years ago, has switched to free safety. He will back up DeWayne Patmon and could play defense against Wisconsin. "I don't know when you're going to see him," Carr said. "But it certainly will not take him as long to make that transition as it would a lot of guys." Fargas was buried on the depth chart at tailback behind Anthony Thomas, junior Walter Cross and freshman Chris Perry. ... Senior Jeff Del Verne will be given the opportunity in practice to beat out junior Hayden Epstein for the team's kicking job. Epstein has made only one of five field-goal attempts this season and seems to have lost his confidence. ... Carr isn't too happy with the Big Ten office for publicly admitting the officials missed those two calls against Illinois. He conveyed his displeasure personally to Parry. Michigan State If the Michigan State players didn't take Northwestern seriously before, they absolutely must in the wake of the Wildcats' victory over Wisconsin. "Our guys are very much in tune with what happened," Michigan State coach Bobby Williams said. "We know we're in for a tough ball game. They're going to come here with a lot of confidence and feeling good about their football team and their ability to win on the road." One factor the Spartans have in their favor is that their defense, unlike Wisconsin's, appears a bit more sturdy at this point in the season. Wisconsin surrendered 544 total yards to the Wildcats (278 passing and 266 rushing) and had several blown coverages in the secondary. The Spartans are second in the Big Ten in total defense (282.0 yards per game) and No. 3 in pass defense (177.3 yards per game). ... Junior quarterback Ryan Van Dyke is still nursing a sore thumb on his throwing hand and may not be ready to play Saturday. Look for freshman Jeff Smoker to make his third consecutive start. ... Williams suspended junior cornerback Tai Brown when he learned that Brown taunted Notre Dame coach Bob Davie after the victory last Saturday. The South Bend Tribune ran a picture of Brown jawing at Davie. Brown has written a letter of apology to Davie. "I talked to Tai, and he said he was caught up in celebration of winning the game," Williams said. ... By beating Notre Dame, Williams became the first Michigan State coach to win his first three regular-season games since George Gauthier in 1918. Minnesota Football fans in the state of Minnesota have grown accustomed to quarterback controversy. But that usually happens with their beloved Vikings. After the debacle last week against Purdue, the Gophers coach Glen Mason might have a dilemma on his hands. After watching freshman Asad Abdul-Khaliq struggle in the loss to Purdue, Mason has decided to start junior college transfer Travis Cole Saturday against Illinois. Abdul-Khaliq, who had shown promise in his first three starts, was pulled late in the first half against Purdue after leading the Gophers to a pitiful 40 total yards and one first down in 23 plays. Cole took over and finished 17 for 27 for 180 yards and two touchdowns. "I make decision (based) on who I think gives me the best chance to win," Mason said. "I made the switch during the game Saturday because we weren't being very productive offensively. Based on the performance of our offensive team in the second half and based on how Travis Cole performed, I think he deserves a chance to start." ... Junior wide receiver Ron Johnson has caught a pass in every game he has played (27). He had a career-high seven catches against Purdue. ... Sophomore Preston Gruening leads the nation in punting with an average of 48.6 yards. Ohio State After winning their first four games, the Buckeyes get a well-deserved break. They have a bye this week and will face Wisconsin on the road on Oct. 7. After stumbling to a 6-6 finish last season, the Buckeyes appear hungrier and better prepared this season. They lead the Big Ten in scoring defense (12.2 points) and are No. 3 in total defense (286.8 yards per game). Let's remember, though, that the Buckeyes' last victory came against a Penn State team in disarray and that they have yet to hit the demanding portion of their schedule. Perhaps someone should remind defensive end Brent Johnson of that fact. "I think we're that good," Johnson told reporters after the 45-6 victory over Penn State. "The type of attitude we went into day with was the attitude we showed on the field. If we keep that going every game, we're definitely going to prove to everyone how good we are. Penn State is good, and they're going to have a breakout game one of these times." ... Wide receiver Reggie Germany is having trouble catching passes. He had 20 catches through four games last season. This year he has five. ... Ohio State has five defensive touchdowns this season. Penn State The college football gods certainly aren't smiling on Penn State coach Joe Paterno. The 39-point loss to Ohio State was the school's worst since a 55-14 loss to Navy in 1944. The Nittany Lions (1-4) haven't gotten off to such a pitiful start since the 1964 season, two years before Paterno replaced Rip Engle as coach. No Penn State team has started 1-5 since 1931, and the Lions have not had a losing record since they went 5-6 in 1988. "My kids are trying," Paterno said, "and one of these days I think we'll be a decent football team." Next up? Purdue quarterback Drew Brees, who is back in form after a one-game slump. ... The Boilermakers are ranked No. 19 in the coaches' poll and No. 22 in the writers' poll. Penn State's last victory over an opponent ranked higher in the writers' poll came in 1996, when the Nittany Lions upset then-No. 11 Northwestern. The Nittany Lions have lost their last five games against teams ranked higher in the writers' poll, including USC and Ohio State this season. ... Freshman cornerback Adam Taliaferro underwent successful spinal fusion surgery Monday at Ohio State University Medical Center. His spinal cord was bruised, not cut, when he was injured making a tackle in the loss to Ohio State. He has feeling in his arms, shoulders and wrists. However, he has not been able to move his fingers and legs. Ohio State's Cooper and several of his players have visited Taliaferro. "I really appreciate it," Paterno said. "Every once in a while you forget how great this game is. You go out and knock each other around, but in the clutch (people) are there for each other." Purdue Brees is 0-2 against the Nittany Lions, who have beaten the Boilermakers five consecutive times. Two years ago, Brees completed 39 of 58 attempts for 361 yards. However, he threw as many interceptions (one) as touchdowns and was sacked five times in a 31-13 loss. Last season, he completed 31 of 48 attempts for 378 yards and two touchdowns. But he gave the Nittany Lions two touchdowns, one on a fumble and another on an interception, as Penn State won by 31-25. Brees needs to shred Penn State's offense without any turnovers this season. ... No Big Ten coach will be more excited to see Brees in the NFL than Minnesota's Mason. Brees passed for 409 yards in a 38-24 victory over the Gophers on Saturday, bringing his three-game totals against the Gophers to 92 completions in 127 attempts for 1,214 yards, with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. ... In the two-point loss to Notre Dame a week earlier, Brees attempted only 22 passes. Against Minnesota, he had 23 completions by halftime, out of 33 attempts. "We just kind of went back to what we're good at," he said. "Spreading it out and throwing the ball. That's what this offense is all about." ... Purdue is 22-2 against unranked opponents under Tiller. Wisconsin Barry Alvarez and his players have been down this elevator shaft before. Going down? After surrendering 544 yards in their stunning loss to Northwestern, the Badgers dropped eight spots in the coaches' poll to No. 14 and 10 spots in the writers' poll to No. 17. They are 0-1 in the Big Ten, as they were last season when they opened with a loss to Michigan. And now they get to face the Wolverines in the Big House. "We've got to win that game," junior defensive tackle Wendell Bryant said. "One loss in the Big Ten and your backs are against the wall. That's how we have to play now." After dropping the conference opener last season, the Badgers rallied to beat Ohio State in Columbus and never looked back. "If anything, I don't think the character of the team should be (questioned) Bollinger said. "I wouldn't want to be in this situation with anyone else. You've got to look at it as a challenge. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off." ... Look for junior cornerback Jamar Fletcher to shadow Michigan wide receiver David Terrell all over the field. "I don't think I'll have to ask," Fletcher said when asked if the coaches would assign him to shadow Terrell. "But if it's looking like I might have to ask, I'm going to have to do that. I'm definitely going to have to go everywhere he goes." ... The Badgers are 6-24-1 in Ann Arbor. Their last victory there came in 1994, when a 3-3-1 Wisconsin team appeared headed from the Rose Bowl to no bowl. A 31-19 upset over the 10th-ranked Wolverines help salvage that season. Jeff Potrykus covers the Big Ten for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. | ALSO SEE Big 12 notebook Big West notebook Conference USA notebook MAC notebook WAC notebook AUDIO/VIDEO   Northwestern's Damien Anderson goes 69 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown against Wisconsin.avi: 1613 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Damien Anderson seals the win for Northwestern with this 12-yard touchdown run in double OT.avi: 2896 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Drew Henson dives for the score following a spectacular catch by David Terrell.avi: 1580 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Michigan State's Jeff Smoker connects with Herb Haygood on a 68-yard TD to beat Notre Dame.avi: 1931 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | ||||
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