college football

Cats refuse to go away, defeat Nebraska on homecoming

October 13, 2018 by Charlie Bevins

The Northwestern Wildcats seemed down and out Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Faced with the daunting task of a 99-yard touchdown drive with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, it seemed the Wildcats were going to fall short yet again at home.

Against all odds, quarterback Clayton Thorson led his team on that march. He kept his offense on schedule and remained calm in one of the most improbable drives of his career. He found J.J. Jefferson for the touchdown and the extra point tied it up.

“That’s just absolutely spectacular,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “You know, 99-and-a-half yard drive with no timeouts to get us into overtime, you know, I think that was a huge huge huge huge confidence builder for our offense.”

But to those who thought the story of this game couldn’t get better, Drew Luckenbaugh stepped in.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald: SRN Broadcasting

The Wildcats’ defense did its part in overtime and the offense moved the ball into field goal range. The sophomore kicker from Spring Grove, Pennsylvania had a chance to leave his name in the Northwestern history books. One swing of the leg sent the ball sailing 37 yards in the air and through the uprights to secure the Cats’ third Big Ten victory of the season.

It was also his first collegiate start at placekicker.

“It still hasn’t really hit,” he said afterward.

Charlie Kuhbander, NU’s regular placekicker, was ruled out for this week’s homecoming game, meaning it was Luckenbaugh’s time to step up. Despite missing a field goal in the third quarter, he delivered when it mattered most.

“I was just, yeah, a little bit excited to go out there for the first one. But, you know, as I was growing up we had a saying, ‘Fix it and forget it.’ So, you know, I realized what I did and then just moved on and fixed it for the next one.”

Nebraska jumped out to a touchdown lead on their opening possession of the game, but the scoring came to a halt as the two teams sized each other up. Northwestern broke through with 7:41 left in the second quarter as Thorson found Flynn Nagel in the end zone to knot it at seven apiece. The Cats later scored on a strip sack of Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez to take the lead. The half ended with a Nebraska touchdown but a missed extra point kept the momentum with the Wildcats.

We’ve seen that story, however, and it has ended with Northwestern snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Such seemed to be the case on Saturday, as the Cornhuskers went ahead by 14 to start the fourth quarter. This time, however, the script had changed.

“We realized that was the issue the first few weeks,” Thorson said of their early second-half woes. “And so we just addressed that, and address that in practice and move on. But the guys are playing real resilient right now.”

Thorson, looking for the end zone, threw a pick at the Nebraska three to start the half, and a 97-yard touchdown drive from the

Northwestern kicker Drew Luckenbaugh: SRN Broadcasting

Huskers ensued. NU got an interception on Nebraska’s next drive but missed the field goal. The Huskers responded with a touchdown and suddenly they had a 28-14 lead to begin the fourth. That “Here we go again” feeling began to creep in.

But as Thorson said, the Cats remained resilient. Thorson, under pressure, found Nagel, who made a contested catch and broke free for a 61-yard touchdown to make it a one-possession game with 12:31 left in the fourth. A Nebraska field goal with 5:41 remaining, however, put Nebraska back up by 10.

Of course, it wasn’t enough, as the cats scored 10 unanswered and won in overtime.

“Great team win. We found a way to get it done. Obviously, we put ourselves, I think, in a hole to start it,” Fitzgerald said. “To have the guys be resilient and find a way to make some just huge plays down the stretch in all three phases.”

The story could not have been written without the efforts of Thorson and Nagel, though. Thorson threw for 455 yards and three touchdowns, while Nagel had 12 receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns. The duo linked up three times for 52 yards on the final drive.

“He was playing out of his mind,” Thorson said of Nagel. “On that last drive there, when he ran kind of a little wheel route, he turned to me and said, ‘Throw me the ball. This is why I’m here.'”

“They came up with a saying, Justin Jackson the Ball Carrier, around here. Right now it’s Clayton Thorson the thrower,” Fitzgerald said.

The Wildcats travel to New Jersey to face the lowly Rutgers Scarlett Knights next week before a showdown with the Wisconsin Badgers at Ryan Field on October 27th.

“The [students] that, you know, are thinking about coming out in a couple weeks, we’re going to need them. And I hope they come out and I hope they enjoy it.”

Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

Hear audio from Pat Fitzgerald, Clayton Thorson and Drew Luckenbaugh:

Explosive plays, turnovers cost Wildcats loss vs Zips

September 16, 2018 by Charlie Bevins

The Northwestern Wildcats fell 39-34 to the visiting Akron Zips on Saturday, bringing them to 1-2 on the season and to a search for in-game consistency.

Northwestern scored quickly off a botched Akron punt but otherwise came out of the gates struggling to get going offensively. The defense, however, played with tenacity and the discipline needed to contain Akron quarterback Kato Nelson. Their coverage was sound, and they kept Nelson from escaping and making plays with his feet, affording the offense the time needed to get going.

The Wildcats’ offense got the jump it needed when Clayton Thorson dropped a 43-yard pass into the hands of Kyric McGowan. Three players later, Jeremy Larkin lined up in the wildcat formation and punched it in from five yards out.

After stymieing an Akron drive sparked by a 43-yard Kato Nelson pass, the Wildcats got the ball back with 38 seconds left in the second quarter. Starting from his own 44, Thorson worked an efficient, 56-yard drive that ended with a strike over the middle to Cam Green. They went into the locker room up 21-3.

Things changed in the second half.

The Zips kicked a field goal and scored a touchdown on their first two drives of the half. Northwestern seemed to have a drive going, but Thorsen, throwing to his left while rolling to his right, sailed a pass to Flynn Nagal right into the hands of Alvin Davis. Davis turned on the jets and went 97 yards for a touchdown and just like that, a 15-point lead shrunk to two.

Linebacker Paddy Fisher commented on the change between halves, saying, “They didn’t do anything different. You know, it was on the defense. We didn’t play disciplined enough. We didn’t play well enough.”

The two teams exchanged touchdowns on the next two drives and Northwestern appeared ready to further cement their lead, this time on a drive led by T.J. Green. A missed field goal, however, gave Akron the ball back with 12 minutes in the fourth quarter. Northwestern played soft coverage in response to some of the big plays given up, but Nelson took advantage of that with a dink-and-dunk drive. When Northwestern responded with press coverage, Montre Hartage seemed beat by Kwadarrius Smith, but he made an excellent recovery and broke up the pass, forcing an Akron punt. His gutsy play put the Cats back on offense with a chance for some much-needed insurance.

Hartage’s great play would be for moot.

The Wildcats took over with the ball at their own three and got all the way out to the 19 before a sack knocked the ball loose from Thorson. A scramble for the ball finished with an Akron touchdown and the Zips had the lead, 32-28. Northwestern got the ball back with a chance to take back their lead, but a Clayton Thorson pick-six dashed those hopes.

The Wildcats scored late in the fourth to bring themselves within five, but it was too late, and the Zips went home with a 39-34 victory. Akron scored off three turnovers and stopped any shred of second-half momentum from Northwestern. The turnovers took the game out of the hands of the Cats’ typically strong defense and made life easier for Akron.

“You lose the turnover battle the way we did, it puts it really difficult, especially when you don’t have a chance to go out there and play defense,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said postgame.

Nelson finished the game 17-for-28 for two touchdowns and 277 yards, good for an average of 9.9 yards per attempt. Explosive plays were a theme on the night, and it carried over from two weeks ago against Purdue.

“Last week I think it was our inability at the line of scrimmage. right? This week it was turnovers and explosive plays. The Purdue game was explosive plays,” Fitzgerald said postgame. “I think there’s some themes, yeah, absolutely.”

Thorson quietly had a nice night with 383 yards and three touchdowns. His first interception was a result of trying to make a play on fourth down and some bad luck was at play on his second. Regardless, he took responsibility for his performance, saying, “I gotta be better with the ball in my hands… The ball’s gonna be in my hands all year and, you know, it can be three times out of… 80-90 plays we run and that’s the difference in the game.”

Northwestern has a bye week between now and Michigan, meaning they will have extra time to get their bearings straight before the toughest challenge to this point in the season. Saturday night’s loss was tough, but it won’t affect their Big Ten standings. If they can beat Michigan, the tide will certainly turn in Northwestern’s favor.

Twitter: @crbevins11

Hear audio from Pat Fitzgerald, Clayton Thorson, Paddy Fisher and Montre Hartage:

Northwestern falls short vs Duke

September 8, 2018 by Charlie Bevins

Wildcats struggle at home against Blue Devils

Northwestern running back Jeremy Larkin and wide receiver Flynn Nagel stole the show Saturday at Ryan Field, but it was not enough to lift the Wildcats past the Duke Blue Devils, losing by a score of 21-7.

Northwestern started the game strong, marching to the end zone all the way from their own 21, thanks in large part to a 40-yard run from Larkin. Two players later, Larkin punched it in to go ahead 7-0. That touchdown, however, would be the extent of Northwestern scoring for the day.

The Wildcats made life hard on themselves and opened the second quarter with back to back interceptions, one of which resulted in wide receiver Cameron Green being ejected for targeting on the return. On the very next play, with the game tied, Jones found Johnathan Lloyd in stride to score from 52 yards out to give Duke the momentum and take a touchdown lead.

“[Cornerback Greg Newsome II’s] eyes were stuck on two which probably means his eyes were back in the backfield,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said on the broken play. “He knows exactly what happened, gave up leverage. It’s a cover-four beater. 10-yard hitch to occupy the safety, throw the post over the top.”

Both quarterbacks Clayton Thorson and T.J. Green struggled to get into much of a rhythm, largely because of the pressure they faced. The two were sacked a combined four times and faced pressure all day behind an offensive line that struggled to contain the Duke defensive front. “Offensive football, when the timing and rhythm is off, is just really ugly,” Fitzgerald said. “It all starts up front. I’m not pinning the blame on the O-line but it looked like we had guys who just didn’t perform very well today.”

Northwestern moved the ball well, out gaining Duke’s offense with 381 total offensive yards. Execution played a big factor, however, and it prevented the Wildcats from taking advantage of some chances. “We just got to finish drives,” quarterback Clayton Thorson said postgame. “That’s what it comes down to. We just got to win our one-on-one battles… Obviously, we had the ball a few times at the 50 and didn’t take advantage of good field position.”

There are certainly positives to take away for Northwestern. Running back Jeremy Larkin had an excellent day, reliably getting the Wildcats yards they needed it. He displayed great patience and vision to wait for the holes to open, then used his natural quickness to get through the hole and make a play. He finished his day with 24 carries for 124 yards and a touchdown. There were big questions about how the void left by Justin Jackson would be filled, but after two impressive rushing performances, Larkin appears ready to fill that immediately.

Though he didn’t have any touchdowns, Flynn Nagel led the way for the Cats in receiving, hauling in 12 receptions for 133 yards. He was the go-to option for both Thorson and Green and garnered specific praise from Thorson, who said, “I think Flynn Nagel had an awesome game… getting separation all day, I think that was pretty good.” Flynn played much bigger than his 5’11 frame would suggest and was a big reason why Northwestern was able to move the ball so effectively.

“For me personally, I think I did a good job of moving guys, you know, creating separation on man-to-man coverage,” Nagel said postgame. “Just trying to get open for the quarterback and for the offense.”

Despite what the score suggests, Northwestern played a sound game. Their execution must improve if they want to be players in the Big Ten, but they put themselves in position to put points on the board. They impressed last week against Purdue, which Fitzgerald discussed by saying, “A week ago [the offensive line] played outstanding. And so we got a little Jekyll and Hyde going on right now.” If the Wildcats as a team can get the good part of that Jekyll and Hyde on a consistent basis, players like Larkin and Flynn, amongst many others, will make them a very difficult team to face.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11

2018 Big Ten Football Preview-Day Two

July 24, 2018 by Charlie Bevins

Day two of Big Ten Media Days got underway in Chicago, featuring both the hunters and hunted of the Big Ten. After another day of interviews, plenty was left to unpack in regards to the upcoming season.

Iowa

Iowa football is synonymous with old-school, smashmouth football. Kirk Ferentz, approaching his Iowa school record 144th win, will have to continue that track record without Josh Jackson, James Daniels, Josey Jewell or Akrum Wadley, all of whom are in or beginning NFL training camp. After losing four linebackers, the Hawkeyes will rely on a deep defensive line to pick up the slack at the second level, and Nate Stanley is ready to take a step at quarterback behind an experienced offensive line. However, without a true go-to back, Iowa’s offense could look much different than it has in the past. Ferentz acknowledged this fact, saying “We’re obviously lacking experience at running back.” Iowa will be solid, but with so much star-power heading out the door, it’s tough to imagine them dethroning Wisconsin as the West’s top dog.

Indiana

Leading a football program at a school more associated with basketball, Tom Allen enters his second season as Indiana’s full-time coach. “My vision has not changed,” he said Tuesday. “I want the Hoosiers to break through.” Step one of that breakthrough will be deciding on a quarterback, which remains anyone’s game to this point. Allen did a tremendous job at turning a Hoosiers defense that was a liability into a strength, but he now has to plug many holes that were opened by departures of three defensive linemen and two linebackers. They mostly return a secondary that was last in the Big Ten in turnovers a year ago, but Allen has shown an ability to get the best out of his defense. With most of the offense returning, finding a capable quarterback may be all Indiana needs to make a bowl game.

Michigan State

Coming off a bounce-back year for the Spartans, Mark Dantonio has a chance to improve even further with a veteran group that returns 10 on offense and nine on defense. Michigan State’s best teams thrived with a strong quarterback-running back tandem (Kirk Cousins and Le’Veon Bell, Connor Cook and Jeremy Langford), and this year presents a similar situation with Brian Lewerke and L.J. Scott. They have one of the best receivers in the Big Ten in Felton Davis III, and the defense loses very little production-wise, bringing back one of the nation’s top corners in Josia Scott. Michigan State has a chance to be real players in the East this year, and if Lewerke can improve even further, Michigan State may find themselves in Indy come December.

Illinois

Illinois football has been utterly dormant in recent years, and in 2017, started a whopping 16 true freshmen. Led by former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith, Illinois will have to hope that their young crop develops into a formidable player in the Big Ten. The quarterback competition is up for grabs, and with such little proof of talent, Illinois may end up with a revolving door under center as they try to feel out the position. Lovie Smith’s third year as Illinois’s head coach will probably be another year in the Big Ten’s basement, but maybe down the road, some noticeable improvement may occur (maybe).

Wisconsin

Paul Chryst’s Badgers are in another great position for a Big Ten title run. After a perfect regular season in 2017, Wisconsin returns a ton of talent, including Jonathan Taylor–third in the nation yards in rushing yards as a true freshman in 2017. Alex Hornibrook is a less than inspiring quarterback, but behind an offensive line that returns four starters, he can be a game manager and find success playing off the threat of Taylor. Additionally, they will be stout defensively and return one of the nation’s best safeties in D’Kota Dixon to lead a young secondary. Wisconsin should be the favorite to win the East.

Ohio State

The J.T. Barrett era has officially ended in Columbus and now begins the Dwayne Haskins era. After an impressive but brief performance against Michigan, the former four-star recruit has generated plenty of buzz as the next in line to lead the Buckeyes back to the promised land. Though they lose a lot on both sides of the ball, their tandem of Haskins and J.K. Dobbins should put fear in the hearts of defenses throughout the conference, and the return of much of its receiving corps’ production will only add to that. Defensively, the Buckeyes should be one of the best in the country with Nick Bosa and Dre’Mont Jones up front. They’ve shown to have no difficulty replacing elite cornerbacks, and after Denzel Ward left for the NFL draft, Damon Arnette figures to be next in line. The Big Ten is by no means set, but Ohio State is absolutely good enough to win the conference and capture another playoff birth.

Maryland

Now one year dismissed from a decimation to their quarterback depth chart, Maryland enters 2018 with optimism around year two of D.J. Durkin’s tenure. The Terrapins appear to be solid all around, with a talented running back and reliable front seven that can anchor the team. The health of their quarterbacks will be the deciding factor of this season. While their signal-callers are capable, their health will ultimately decide how this season plays out.

Twitter: @crbevins11

Hear audio from Kirk Ferentz, Tom Allen, Mark Dantonio, Paul Chryst and Urban Meyer

NFL Preseason Week 3, College Football Preview

August 28, 2015 by Steve Leventhal

on the Weekend Sports Report with Packer Dave and Steve Leventhal

….Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune joins us to for a College Football Preview. We’ll look at Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin atop the Big Ten, as well as the local schools – Northwestern, Illinois, and Northern Illinois. Jeff Rich will talk about the NFC East and the controversy involving Cris Carter’s comments to NFL rookies that recently came to light.

John Poulter discusses the baseball races as we head into the last month of the season and his views on the third week of the English Premier League. Lastly, Steve and Dave previews the upcoming games for the Packers and Bears with audio from Aaron Rogers, Julius Peppers, Sam Bradford of the Eagles, as well as John Fox, Jay Cutler, and Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.

Don’t miss a cameo from ABC’s Brent Musberger.

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Big Ten Media Day Recap

August 5, 2015 by Sam Dintruff

The offseason for college sports is like when a really hyped movie releases a trailer months before it’s actual release. Fans can’t wait until it comes out. But instead of full length trailers, you get lots and lots of teasers from your favorite teams. Considering the Big Ten won the first championship in the 4-team playoff format, there’s a lot to look forward to this year. And the most exciting previews come from the Big Ten media day. Urban Meyer comes off his third championship, Wisconsin moves on from their record setting running back, Michigan introduces a coach known for team turnarounds, and Penn State’s future looks bright.

Here’s a Big Ten preview culled from the recent Media Days in Chicago

Ohio State

The main story out of Ohio State these past few days has been the suspensions of four players due to academic issues. Among them is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Joey Bosa, as well as running backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson, and wide receiver Corey Smith. “I kind of knew about this for a little bit. It was a university — I think the department has policies that we expect and I 100 percent am fully supportive of it.” Coach Urban Meyer said in his opening statement. The comment I did make, we are playing an extremely talented team, very well-coached team on the road in a tough environment. However, we have recruited very well. So get going, move forward.” He continued. The four players will miss the season opener against Virginia Tech, the only team to beat the Buckeyes last year.

No surprise, Ohio State opens as #1 in the preseason coaches poll. The Buckeyes won their first national championship since 2002, and Urban Meyer wins his third overall after previously winning two at Florida. The one question that was asked to almost every player at each big ten school was, “How are you going to prepare for the game against Ohio State?” Nobody had a definite answer, only that they would cross that bridge when they got to it.

Michigan

After leading the San Francisco 49ers to three conference championships and a super bowl appearance, Jim Harbaugh returns as head coach for his alma mater Michigan. “I’m excited to see all our players, how they come back from the summer. The players have a chance to work on their skills, and people improve over those months and those summers, and you don’t really

know how until you get onto the field.” Michigan has struggled in recent years, finishing 2014 with a 5-7 record and no bowl appearance, which led to the firing of Brady Hoke after four seasons. Harbaugh was already an Ann Arbor fan favorite. As the Wolverines starting quarterback in 1985 and 1986, he won more than 80% of his games. As a head coach, he has a history of turning teams from worst to first. After taking over a 1-11 Stanford team in 2007, the Cardinals won the Orange Bowl in 2010. This success earned him the head coaching job with the San Francisco 49ers, who went from 6-10 to 13-3 in 2011 and ended their nine season playoff drought. It’s almost a perfect fit that Harbaugh takes over the struggling Michigan Wolverines.

Northwestern

Last off-season, Northwestern hit a bit of a rough patch. Running back Venric Mark was suspended and then announced his intentions to transfer, and wide receiver Christian Jones was out for the season with a torn ACL. Not wanting the injury to

distract him, Jones spent last season getting ready for his return. “Watching the guys play, trying to tell myself this isn’t as big of a deal as I’ll make it. Trying to keep myself from getting down.” Jones said. In 2013, he piled up 54 receptions for 668 yards and four touchdowns. Coach Pat Fitzgerald had his own thoughts on the offense this year. “We’ll be much improved, we gotta settle the quarterback battle, we have a dynamic running back crew, you look at the success we’ve had over time with our offense, I fully expect that we’ll be right back to where we’ve been.”

Nebraska

Towards the end of the 2014 season, Nebraska made the surprising decision to fire coach Bo Pelini after seven seasons, despite never amassing less than nine wins per year. The Cornhuskers hired Oregon State coach Mike Riley as his replacement last January. “The transitioning part is not easy.” Riley said. “But it’s also

exciting. I’m personally exciting about being in a new conference. In my world of coaching football and going to new places, new stadiums with a great history like there is in the big ten, it will really be a lot of fun.” He went on to say. Riley finished with a 93-80 record in twelve years with Oregon State.

Penn State

It took a few years, but things are finally looking up for Penn State following the Sandusky scandal. The NCAA reinstated their wins from 1998-2011 in January, and coach James Franklin is optimistic about the coming years. “So many positive things are falling into place now. Penn State is able to get scholarships back, having an opportunity to go to bowl games, the way recruiting is going, the way we played in the bowl, and the way the season ended.” He said. Penn State appeared in their first bowl game since 2011 after their four year bowl ban was lifted, and all scholarships restored in 2015.

Illinois

It’s not an easy start for Illinois coach Tim Beckman. Following accusations that he mistreated players, on top of not having a winning season in his three years with the team, his future remains uncertain. “You know, we’re focused right now on a 2015 football team. We took off from last year after a great end of the year. And we’ve been focused since January on becoming a better football program. The philosophy that we continue to use is what these football players believe in football.” Beckman’s record as coach has steadily improved during his tenure, from 2-10, to 4-8, to 6-7. Although he was asked more than once about receiving a contract extension, he says all he is focused on is the first football game.

Wisconsin

It’s always hard to replace a star college player after they leave for the draft. For Paul Chryst, he has no worries about Melvin Gordon’s successor. But can you really replace the guy who set the NCAA record for rushing yards in a game? Then again, Gordon replaced Montee Ball, the guy who set the record for most NCAA rushing touchdowns in a season and a career. With

Gordon going to the San Diego Chargers, Corey Clement is set to be the next big Wisconsin running back. “I finally get the chance I’ve always wanted. Melvin has only taught me the finer things of how to prepare for each game and how to come into camp ready, and I’m just anxious to get out there for the first game against Alabama.” Clement said. In his two years with Wisconsin, Clement has rushed for 1,496 yards and 16 touchdowns. “I think Corey has got a clear expectation of what it is to be the running back at Wisconsin. He knows who he is and he knows he doesn’t have to be Melvin. So I like where he’s at now.” Paul Chryst said.

Sentiment Thawing for Four Team NCAA Football Playoff

February 8, 2012 by Steve Leventhal

In an AP story carried by SI.com, BCS Executive Director says he’s pleased the Big Ten is revisiting the notion of a four-team playoff to replace the current BCS championship.

“The Big Ten, which helped squash the notion of a four-team playoff to crown a national champion in college football several years ago, is taking another look.

BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock said Tuesday night that’s good news.

“Our process is working perfectly,” Hancock said. “One of good things about our process is that there’s no timetable so that a deliberate and thoughtful decision can be reached.”

Coverage of Alabama’s Win from the Locals

January 10, 2012 by Steve Leventhal