88
11
24
(1-6)
JONAH DYLAN
18
DAILY COLUMNIST
8
15 99
66
50
18
65
20
71
95
70
7
5
28
6
42
44
51
84
9
97
54
99
73
92 91
13
20
55
8
61
2
65
RUTGERS
22
72
2
41
88 3
5
NU excels on both sides of penalty battle
(3-3)
NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS vs. RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS NORTHWESTERN
GAMEDAY
The Daily Northwestern
Friday, October 19, 2018
7
Northwestern Offense
Rutgers Defense
Northwestern Defense
Rutgers Offense
18 QB Clayton Thorson 20 RB John Moten 88 WR Ben Skowronek 2 WR Flynn Nagel 8 WR Kyric McGowan 84 SB Cam Green 72 LT Blake Hance 66 LG Nik Urban 65 C Jared Thomas 71 RG Tommy Doles 70 RT Rashawn Slater
99 DE Kevin Wilkins 50 DT Julius Turner 95 DT Jon Bateky 7 DE Elorm Lumor 5 LB Trevor Morris 6 LB Deonte Roberts 44 LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams 11 CB Isaiah Wharton 22 SS Damon Hayes 9 FS Saquan Hampton 20 CB Avery Young
97 DE Joe Gaziano 99 DT Jordan Thompson 92 DT Fred Wyatt 91 DE Sam Miller 28 LB Chris Bergin 42 LB Paddy Fisher 51 LB Blake Gallagher 24 CB Montre Hartage 41 SS Jared McGee 13 FS J.R. Pace 3 CB Trae Williams
8 QB Art Sitkowski 2 RB Raheem Blackshear 18 WR Bo Melton 7 WR Hunter Hayek 15 WR Shameen Jones 88 TE Jerome Washington 54 RT Kamaal Seymour 73 RG Jonah Jackson 55 C Michael Maietti 61 LG Mike Lonsdorf 65 LT Tariq Cole
Northwestern led Purdue late in the fourth quarter of its season opener, but the Wildcats were about to face a fourth down and a likely punt. Then Lorenzo Neal threw sophomore running back Jeremy Larkin to the ground well after the whistle, and the ensuing unnecessary roughness penalty sealed the victory for the visitors. After losing its next three games, NU — which had struggled mightily in the second half all season — blew a lead against Michigan State in the third quarter. After Naquan Jones lit up junior superback Cameron Green to force a third down in NU territory, he stepped over Green for no reason and drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Cats scored seven plays later, and won the game.
”
When NU does commit penalties, they’re almost never the ones ... that make you want to declare you aren’t a sports fan anymore.
After blowing yet another lead against Nebraska on Saturday, the Cats got the ball back inside their own 1-yard line, down 7 with just over two minutes left and no timeouts. And the Cornhuskers — the most penalized team in the country — proceeded to rough the passer to give the hosts some breathing room. NU drove down the field, scored and won the game in overtime. All this isn’t to say that NU didn’t deserve to win these games. The Cats have played well at points of all their games, and their matchup with Duke was the only one where they trailed for much of the game. But all three of those penalties were ill-advised and completely unnecessary, and if they hadn’t happened, NU could be sitting at the season’s mid-point at 0-6. By the way, the Cats are the second-least penalized team in the country, behind only Duke. And there’s something to be said for the fact that when NU does commit penalties, they’re almost never the ones — a roughing the passer in the end zone, an unsportsmanlike penalty or a late hit — that make you want to declare you aren’t a sports fan anymore. Pat Fitzgerald’s ability to reign in this type of behavior is rarely talked about. NU’s impressively low penalty numbers are usually looked at as a footnote in a list of things the team does well. The Cats have been one of the top-15 least penalized teams for three of the last four years. It’s more important than that, though. Winning these games — and not committing awful penalties — isn’t just a fluke. Can anyone remember the last time NU was flagged for a dumb penalty, especially one late in a game? I can’t. Fitzgerald does a lot of things well as a coach, and that’s why he’s been at NU for 12 years and is under contract through 2026. He gets a lot out of the talent he has and he motivates his players at an elite level. More important than all of this, though, might be the sense of discipline his players have on the field. In a lot of cases, that’s the difference between winning and losing, between making a bowl game and not making a bowl game and between competing in the Big Ten and being Illinois. jonahdylan2020@u.northwestern.edu
GAMEDAY Gameday Editors Cole Paxton Ben Pope
Writers
Design Editors
Ella Brockway Jonah Dylan Joseph Wilkinson
Caitlin Chen Madeleine Fernando
Gameday is a publication of Students Publishing Co. A four-page issue is usually published on the Friday prior to Northwestern home games and a two-page issue is published on the Friday prior to Northwestern road games. All material is © 2015 Students Publishing Co. Questions or comments should be sent c/o Gameday Editor Cole Paxton, 1999 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL 60208.
STANDINGS EAST Ohio State Michigan Michigan State Maryland Penn State Indiana Rutgers
WEST (4-0, 7-0) (4-0, 6-1) (2-1, 4-2) (2-1, 4-2) (1-2, 4-2) (1-3, 4-3) (0-4, 1-6)
Northwestern Wisconsin Iowa Purdue Illinois Minnesota Nebraska
(3-1, 3-3) (2-1, 4-2) (2-1, 5-1) (2-1, 3-3) (1-2, 3-3) (0-3, 3-3) (0-4, 0-6)