NU now 4-0, thanks to 'D'
Pat Fitzgerald doesn't want to talk about being 4-0, Northwestern's first such start since it was ranked No. 1 nationally in 1962.
"All I know is we're 1-0 today,'' the third-year head coach said after his Wildcats survived an offensive meltdown by quarterback C.J. Bacher and Co. on Saturday afternoon at Ryan Field to hold off Ohio University 16-8. "And when we all get up in the morning, we'll be 0-0 and looking to go 1-0 again at Iowa (next Saturday in the Big Ten opener).''
After three years of being the laughingstock of the Big Ten, the Northwestern defense is rejuvenated under new coordinator Mike Hankwitz. Bobcats quarterback Boo Jackson was under relentless pressure throughout the day as Ohio only netted 4 yards rushing and Jackson completed 27 of 44 passes for 228 yards.
Along with fumble recoveries by John Gill and Corey Wotton and interceptions from Brad Phillips and Jordan Mabin, Gill and Vince Browne also blocked field-goal attempts of 27 and 38 yards in the second half.
Half of Ohio's 72 offensive plays went for no gain or negative yards as the Wildcats chalked up 14 tackles for loss, including 5 sacks, 3 by Browne, a defensive end.
"He (Jackson) made us work for it today, but we had a great game plan presented to us all week,'' said senior linebacker Malcolm Arrington, who led the way with 11 tackles. "We have a lot to prove; we've always been a question mark as far as defense, and we've been looked down on for the last couple of years. A lot of guys play with a chip on their shoulder.''
Fitzgerald was especially pleased with the blocked field goals.
"Good things happen for a defense when you make them take one more snap. And that's what we did,'' he said. "Lining up to block those field goals was huge.''
"The defense really carried us today,'' said Bacher, who was only 18 of 35 for 133 yards with 4 interceptions. "That's the foundation of a great team, when one side is down and the other side picks it up. They made a lot of big plays.''
Against Ohio (0-4), the fifth-year senior engineered the Wildcats to a 16-0 lead before the half and nearly handed the game to the Bobcats with 3 interceptions in the second half when the Cats only generated 4 first downs.
"I know I didn't play well,'' said Bacher. "I take responsibility for us only putting up 16 points. I forced one of those throws and I had receivers open on all the others.''
Bacher, who had two fingers bandaged on his throwing hand after striking an Ohio lineman's shoulder pads in the first quarter, refused to blame the injury or the absence of senior running back Tyrell Sutton (9 carries, 76 yards) in the second half for the offense breaking down. Sutton left the game with a leg injury following a 31-yard run to set up the Cats' lone touchdown near the end of the first half. Bacher expects Sutton to make a healthy return at Iowa.
"It basically came down to one guy not doing his job,'' Bacher said of the breakdowns in the second half. "In order to be effective, you need all 11 players on the same page. We were out of rhythm and it was frustrating. But when we play like this, I put the onus on me.''
Northwestern used Amado Villareal field goals of 33, 46 and 23 yards to build a 9-0 lead before senior running back Omar Conteh (16 carries, 35 yards) finally found the end zone with 1-yard dash around the right side with 13 seconds remaining in the half.
Ohio cut the deficit to 16-8 when Jackson connected with tight end Andrew Mooney for a 12-yard scoring strike with 2:08 remaining in the third quarter, the first TD pass yielded by the Cats this season. But the Northwestern defense would not break the rest of the way.