Northwestern to face Auburn in Outback Bowl
It's a sense of prestige. A stamp of approval. A chance to expose an inside joke enjoyed by Northwestern's coaches.
"Every time we go on the road recruiting, I always want to know if I can go eat at Outback," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "It's kind of funny. They were all laughing at me in the staff meeting."
Chances are Fitzgerald and his Wildcats will get all of the Outback Steakhouse fare they can stand during the final week of 2009.
That's because Northwestern (8-4) was chosen over Wisconsin to ring in the New Year against Auburn (7-5) at the Outback Bowl in Tampa (10 a.m., ESPN).
It marks the Wildcats' first appearance in a Jan. 1 bowl and their first game in Florida since Fitzgerald, in his final college game, led NU against Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl.
"You couldn't ask for a better challenge," Fitzgerald said. "That's what you want - you couldn't script it any better."
Well, it could get a little better. NU could deliver the school's first postseason win since the 1949 Rose Bowl.
"For me, that'd make things complete," said senior safety Brendan Smith, who'll become the first Wildcat to appear in three bowls.
"It would make my five years at Northwestern really successful. I'd be very proud to be one of the four captains to lead the team on to a bowl victory and do something this program hasn't seen for a long time."
It promises to be an arduous task. At first glance, Northwestern's 3-0 finish with wins over Iowa and Wisconsin looks great compared to Auburn's 2-5 finish.
But the Tigers, who run a spread offense balanced almost perfectly between the run and the pass, showcased their potential in a 26-21 loss to Alabama on Nov. 27.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide never led the Iron Bowl until 1:24 remained.
"I can't say I know enough about them to give an opinion at this point," Fitzgerald said. "But based on what I saw in that game, it's going to be a huge challenge for us."
But the challenge Northwestern craved. Conventional wisdom suggested Wisconsin, with its 9-3 record, would earn the Outback bid and the Wildcats would drop to the Champs Sports Bowl.
NU impressed the selection committee with its 33-31 win over Wisconsin on Nov. 21, then NU's athletic department mauled the Outback folks with its intensity.
Apparently AD Jim Phillips took a lesson from last year's bowl process, when the Outback chose Iowa ahead of the Wildcats.
"One of the things maybe we did more this year was, instead of every other day, call every day," he said. "And in the last week, instead of calling every other hour, call every hour."
Phillips' best call, though, was the one he took from Outback Bowl director Jim McVay at 3:31 p.m. Sunday while driving home from the Bears game on Lake Shore Drive.
"Almost crashed my car," Phillips said. "Got one hand back on the wheel and told him we would graciously accept. It's just a tremendous opportunity."
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