After ugly finish to last season, NU football needs attitude adjustment
If you stopped paying attention to Northwestern football the moment Dan Persa released his last-minute touchdown pass against Iowa on Nov. 13, then you’re not going to comprehend the Wildcats’ sense of urgency this spring.
Not only did you miss Persa’s ruptured Achilles’ tendon on the throw that beat No. 13 Iowa, you missed NU’s three-game losing streak to close out the season.
The skid felt worse than 3 losses because Illinois, Wisconsin and Texas Tech combined to pound the Wildcats by a 163-88 count.
“My utmost concern is getting our attitude back,” said Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. “That’s the area where I feel I failed the most last year. We lost our attitude and we turned the ball over 10 times in our last two regular-season games. You can’t do that and win.”
NU didn’t lead at any juncture in the final three games and, once the points started flowing, the opponents seemed to score almost at will.
“After the Iowa game, we were playing better through 10 games statistically than we were the year before,” said NU defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz. “The last three games were just atypical. It wasn’t like we’d played prior to that, so it was frustrating. Disappointing. But it happened, so we’re going to do something about it.”
The Wildcats get their first chance since Jan. 1 to work on their football skills when spring ball opens Monday at 6:45 a.m.
Fitzgerald and his guys have been working on their attitudes, however, since off-season workouts began two weeks after the TicketCity Bowl loss in Dallas.
Among the mental concepts at work this spring? The depth chart shows the players listed in alphabetical order, even though NU retains 16 starters.
“I made sure it was crystal clear,” Fitzgerald said. “My point was to the team, based on the way we played our last three ballgames, why should anybody feel — myself included — that our jobs are in a good place right now? There needs to be a sense of urgency for all of us to improve and to fix our attitude.”
Some Wildcats have a pass this spring. Persa, whose rehab remains well ahead of schedule, won’t compete during practice.
The same goes for starting defensive tackle Jack DiNardo (shoulder surgery), guard Doug Bartels (shoulder) and nickel back Hunter Bates (broken leg in bowl game).
Starting linebacker Bryce McNaul also underwent shoulder surgery in February, but Fitzgerald hopes he’ll return after spring break.
Why, you ask, are the Wildcats breaking with tradition and starting practice before winter quarter final exams and spring break?
“We just wanted to see the change and how it will impact some consistency: Our winter workouts bang right into football,” Fitzgerald said.
As an added bonus, Northwestern’s earlier spring game (April 16) allows the players and coaches to resume working earlier than normal. They’ll get four weeks together before spring quarter concludes in June.
“I think it’ll be a great way for us to springboard the summer,” he said. “The guys will get a good break before we start our summer workouts. I think they’re going to be able to recover a little more after spring practice and kick off into the summer workouts.”