NU looks to erase bad memory
The best thing about a home-and-home series is that it guarantees one team the chance to wipe away the recent past.
Given the multitude of mistakes it made last season against Nevada, Northwestern hopes to dip a broad brush into a well of Wite-Out today at Ryan Field.
No game better exhibited the bad habits that led to a 4-8 season than Northwestern's 31-21 loss at Nevada in Week 4. The Wildcats had a season-high 5 turnovers, including an interception that Nevada returned for a touchdown with 2:14 left to seal the win.
The special-teams woes that have plagued NU for years surfaced with a missed 39-yard field-goal attempt and a blocked 32-yard attempt.
There also was questionable playcalling, as running back Tyrell Sutton received only 16 carries -- and just one touch in the final quarter -- despite averaging 5.9 yards per rush.
"We'll be ready to play," said Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, repeating himself a second time for effect. "You've got a team coming in that a year ago we didn't play very good football against. We're looking forward to another opportunity."
After posting its first shutout in a decade, NU's defense gets another crack at the pistol offense, a modified shotgun formation where the quarterback lines up slightly closer to the center with the running back several yards behind him rather than on his hip. Nevada coach Chris Ault installed it in 2005 and had impressive results with quarterback Jeff Rowe.
Sophomore Nick Graziano now has his finger on the trigger, though the pistol fired blanks last Saturday at Nebraska, as Nevada had only 185 yards of offense. The Wildcats can't lose sight of M&M wideouts Marko Mitchell and Mike McCoy, but they shouldn't be puzzled by the pistol.
"We've got a little bit better handle of what we need to do," said NU defensive coordinator Greg Colby. "It is unique, but when you really study it, it's the same offense everybody else runs. They just put the tailback behind the quarterback.
"That takes away some of the reads that we have -- you don't know for sure which way the zone play's going. It creates a little bit different timing."
Colby was pleased with the shutout but not with the overall play against Northeastern. NU had no takeaways or sacks in the game.
The Wildcats' secondary could get a boost today from strong safety Brendan Smith, who practiced Wednesday without a no-contact jersey for the first time in weeks and "should be ready to go," Colby said. An experienced line will try to pressure Graziano, who completed just 8 of 24 passes with an interception at Nebraska.
Northwestern's specialists started strong last week as place-kicker Amado Villarreal went 2-for-2 on field goals and Stefan Demos placed 2 punts inside the 20-yard line and blasted two touchbacks on kickoffs. Demos said his injured hip is improving and that punting puts the least amount of stress on it.
"Amado and I talked about how improving special teams is our job," Demos said. "It's a good first week, but we've still got a lot of work to do."
Starting center Trevor Rees returns from a one-game suspension as NU's offense tries to build on a streak of six quarters without a turnover.
"He brings a leadership ability to really galvanize that offensive line," Fitzgerald said.
Nevada (0-1) at Northwestern (1-0)
When: 11 a.m. at Ryan Field
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: WGN 720-AM
Series: Nevada leads 1-0
Coaches: Chris Ault (185-79-1, 23rd year at Nevada and overall); Pat Fitzgerald (5-8, second year at Northwestern and overall)
Players to watch: Nevada senior linebacker Ezra Butler, the reigning WAC Defensive Player of the Year, returns after serving a one-game suspension. Butler had 17½ tackles for loss last season. Northwestern junior running back Tyrell Sutton had 94 rushing yards and a touchdown on only 16 carries last season at Nevada.
The skinny: This figures to be Northwestern's toughest test of a manageable nonconference slate. Nevada struggled last week at No. 16 Nebraska, but with the dangerous pistol offense and top defender Ezra Butler coming off a suspension, the Wolf Pack can't be overlooked. "He's going to be drafted on the first day," NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said of Butler. "He's as good of a linebacker as there is in the country." Wildcats quarterback C.J. Bacher reunites with his best friend and former high school teammate Josh Catapano, the starting center for Nevada. Northwestern has scored on its last 13 trips to the red zone, a streak stretching back to 2006.
-- Adam Rittenberg