SPORTS
ON DECK Women’s Basketball 19 NU vs. Howard, 7 p.m. Monday
NOV.
ON THE RECORD
Everybody in the country on defense has kind of been invigorated by Peanut Tillman. — Pat Fitzgerald, football coach
Monday, November 19, 2012
@Wildcat_Extra
A warm welcome? The potential addition of Maryland and Rutgers to the Big Ten Conference raises an important question: What’s the point?
DAN RYAN
SPORTS EDITOR
I’m not sure what the Big Ten is doing. The potential conference additions of Maryland and Rutgers are highway robbery — unless you’re Maryland and Rutgers. Outside of those two parties, I fail to see how the Big Ten, its component schools or its fans benefit. When we were excited to welcome Nebraska to the conference last year, it was based largely on the school’s tremendous football program, which had amassed the fourth-most victories alltime of any FBS team. The basketball program? Not so much. But hey, they’re from the Midwest, and that whole thing seemed to make sense. As for our potential new recruits ... Well, Rutgers is currently ranked No. 21 in the nation, which represents about the most impressive thing ever accomplished between the two of them. Maryland is primarily known for that hideous uniform-helmet combination that made them relevant in the national conversation for the two weeks after the revealing. That was fun. But from a purely competitive standpoint, how does the addition of two programs such as these help build the conference? Adding schools with a flimsy track record of even marginal success dilutes the strength of the Big Ten, plain and simple. I suppose you could argue that this is a huge boon to Illinois and Indiana, who will no longer be the worst football teams in the conference. Perhaps Illinois will rack up more than zero conference victories in a few seasons by beating up on Maryland year after year. From a fan perspective, this is very tough to
swallow. The Big Ten is a Midwestern conference, and its identity is more closely associated with its region than any other conference in the nation. Composed exclusively of Midwestern schools until Penn State’s addition in 1990, the Big Ten is a traditional organization appealing to a region where tradition is all too important. Even the style of play in the Big Ten is traditional. Remember when that guy from Mizzou made that ridiculous comment about the Big Ten playing “old man football”? The conference is known as much for running the rock and playing defense as it is for its Midwestern roots. So I’m left wondering about two things. A few years back when the Big 12 was going to hell, the rumor that was all the rage was Mizzou and Kansas joining the Big Ten. It made sense from all angles: two Midwest schools with big fan bases and successful programs and a complete monopoly on the region for the conference. Word on the street at the time, however, was that the Big Ten wasn’t all that interested. Instead, we get Maryland, a school bleeding money and cutting sport after sport, and Rutgers, a program trying to escape from the doormat that is the Big East. I just can’t see why this is more appealing than the option that was turned down. Perhaps Commissioner Jim Delany wants to expand the reach of the Big Ten geographically, getting the conference’s foot in the door on the eastern seaboard. But this seems like a very desperate way to do that, almost like a reaction to the other conference shuffles happening around the country. I’d love to know the reasoning — we all would. But for now, we’re left scratching our heads about the direction of the Big Ten. danielryan2014@u.northwestern.edu
JOSH WALFISH
GAMEDAY EDITOR
There are rumors swirling that at any moment Maryland and Rutgers will be joining the Big Ten as its 13th and 14th members. Theoretically, it will transform the Big Ten into a power player in Division I athletics, but for Northwestern, the move would have minimal positive effect. The Wildcats build their program on regional rivalries, as evidenced by the schedules for all 19 sports.There are some notable exceptions to the rule, mainly football and softball, but even these programs have a very heavy dose of the region. Athletic director Jim Phillips told The Daily two weeks ago that scheduling games with regional opponents is a crucial part of his philosophy. Last time I checked, Maryland and New Jersey are not in the same area as Illinois. More games on the East Coast means fewer games in the Midwest and less time to build a brand in the region. It’s a net loss for NU. Then there’s the competition perspective. What does having the Terrapins and Scarlet Knights in the conference do for the Cats? Maryland’s athletics have been so bad in recent years that the students have become apathetic. The football team is 4-7 in a weak Atlantic Coast Conference and was just obliterated by Florida State at home Saturday. The men’s basketball team has been decent and would probably slot in at roughly the same Big Ten level as NU. Rutgers’ major sports have been on the
rise: The football team is 9-1, but then again, it plays in the absurdly weak Big East. Its only loss this season came at the hands of Kent State. The basketball team has hovered around .500 the last three seasons — but then again, it plays in a ridiculously tough conference. So if it doesn’t benefit the Cats regionally or in terms of competition, could it help NU financially? That must be a joke: You get more dough when you divide a pot by 12 than when you do it by 14. These are teams that most likely won’t bring in a ton of money, so I don’t expect the pot to get bigger by adding more teams. There is only one place these additions will help the Cats, and that’s recruiting. The move will open up the Washington, D.C. metro area to NU, and it will also open up parts of New York and New Jersey. However, the Cats will always recruit the Midwest heavier than any other region of the country. If NU can’t benefit competitively, financially or regionally, why should it vote to allow these two schools into the conference? NU is a founding member of the Big Ten and must use its power as a member to protect the best interests of the conference. I applaud the Big Ten for trying to expand its footprint, but if it doesn’t benefit the member schools, why make the move? The only school this benefits is Penn State, because it gives them some regional allies. From NU’s perspective, this move makes little sense. Therefore, I ask President Schapiro and Dr. Phillips to veto any move to bring Maryland and Rutgers to the conference. It won’t benefit this school and its rising athletic program. joshuawalfish2014@u.northwestern.edu
Cats overcome demons, beat Michigan State By JOSH WALFISH
daily senior staffer
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Northwestern came home last week after losing to Michigan and immediately started to prepare for Michigan State. The weeklong training paid off as the Wildcats overcame their late-game demons to beat the Spartans 23-20 in their final road contest of the season. “The guys responded when we got off the bus a week ago from Ann Arbor, Mich. — That’s when this game started,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “I’m proud of our seniors, a great team win, way to bounce back.” The Cats held four different leads in the contest, and the Spartans came back three times to either tie the game or take the lead. However, Michigan State’s lastditch effort ended when tight end Dion Sims dropped quarterback Andrew Maxwell’s fourth-down pass. Sims looked like he made the catch before NU’s senior safety Jared Carpenter knocked the ball free, but the referees ruled that Sims
never completed the catch and the Cats held on for the victory. The dropped pass signified NU’s senior class’ first win over Michigan State. Senior linebacker David Nwabuisi did not hold back his excitement. “It was great in so many ways,” Nwabuisi said. “In our career, everyone on the team hasn’t beaten Michigan State. … It felt great to get the win.” Nwabuisi broke the game open for the Cats early in the second half, when he intercepted a fluttering pass from Maxwell and returned it 43 yards for a score. NU forced four turnovers from Michigan State: two interceptions and two fumbles. However, the Cats failed to score off any of the other three takeaways and gave up a safety after the first fumble recovery. Fitzgerald said he wishes he had called a different play on that safety, and he was disgruntled with much of the first half as a whole. The first 30 minutes resembled a baseball game, and the Cats held a 6-5 lead at the break. Fitzgerald said he didn’t like many things about the half, but NU
Northwestern
23
Michigan State
20
found a way to correct them in the second stanza. “We got to be smarter with the ball,” Fitzgerald said. “The two minute drill we were a little bit critical of. Third downs we got to be better on both sides. A road win in the Big Ten comes with a great price.” All season, NU’s offense has been led by junior quarterback Kain Colter and junior running back Venric Mark. Both were ineffective early and missed large chunks of the second half due to injury, forcing the rest of the offense to step up in a big way. “Coach Fitz always says someone has to be ready to pick up the flag,” sophomore quarterback Trevor Siemian said. “My opportunity came up and I just tried to execute. The entire guys on the field on offense played their butt off too, so that helps.”
Meghan White/Daily Senior Staffer
RUN TO DAYLIGHT Northwestern linebacker David Nwabuisi returns an interception for a touchdown. NU forced four turnovers in the game.
Siemian completed 13-of-23 passes for 165 yards and led NU on two critical scoring drives. The Cats used a lot of quick passes with the running game
being effectively neutralized by the Spartans’ defense, and superback Dan Vitale » See FOOTBALL, page 7