Conteh keeps Cats' ground game alive
Life without Tyrell Sutton might not be so bad for Northwestern.
Three weeks after Brandon Roberson replaced an injured Sutton and rushed for 128 yards against Nevada, junior running back Omar Conteh stepped up in Saturday's loss to Michigan.
Making his second career start, Conteh had 115 rushing yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries, igniting a run game that had zero net yards at Ohio State.
"We needed a back to step up and be the back we could go to," left tackle Dylan Thiry said. "It is a coming-out party for him."
A 49-yard scoring run in the first quarter marked Conteh's first career rushing touchdown. Before the sprint, NU's longest touchdown from scrimmage had been a 16-yard pass Conteh caught against Nevada.
"It was supposed to be a play up the middle," Conteh said. "I just made a cut to the outside and it was there. I just kept running."
After gaining 73 yards in the first half, Conteh received only 2 carries in the fourth quarter. The 205-pound Texan remained a weapon in the passing game, catching 4 passes for 24 yards.
Sutton didn't dress and missed his third consecutive game with a high ankle sprain. He will be re-evaluated this week.
No complaints: In a game dominated by replay review, NU coach Pat Fitzgerald was satisfied with a decision not to re-examine a key goal-line play. With Michigan up 21-16 in the fourth quarter, running back Mike Hart sprinted for the end zone and lost the ball as he went out of bounds.
Whether the ball went through the end zone for a touchback seemed debatable, and Fitzgerald positioned himself near an official. But the game was never stopped and Hart scored on the next play.
"They tell you any play that's questionable around the goal line, they're going to review," Fitzgerald said. "So I'm going to trust the Big Ten officials. It was about as a reviewable of a game as I've ever been a part of.
"I was listening to (NU coaches in the press box), I was watching Michigan, they didn't accelerate to the line of scrimmage. … From where I saw, it didn't look like a fumble."
Smith finished: Wildcats junior safety Brendan Smith will miss the rest of the season with a right-shoulder injury.
Smith, who had off-season surgery on the shoulder, reinjured it toward the end of training camp. After sitting out the season opener, he played in the last three games but was visibly limited, making only 9 tackles.
Smith will undergo a second surgery in the next few weeks.
"He's a valiant fighter," coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "That shoulder just has not responded the way that he would like to."
Inches to go: Linebacker Eddie Simpson (leg) didn't dress and missed his third straight game. … NU place-kicker Amado Villarreal is 7-for-7 on field goals after kicking 3 on Saturday, including a career-long 49-yarder.