Fifth straight loss for Northwestern
Shortly before kickoff Saturday night, Northwestern announced a flurry of changes in the starting lineup, all on defense: two new defensive ends, two linebackers and a safety.
Needless to say, this was a reaction to giving up an average of 40 points in the first three Big Ten games.
Coach Pat Fitzgerald was blunt when asked whether there was open competition in practice this week before facing Penn State.
“I gave the guys a quote: ‘It’s OK to make a mistake once, but if you make a mistake a second time, it’s a choice.’ We’ve got too many guys making the wrong choices,” Fitzgerald said.
“That being said, I think the No. 1 motivator in the world is a ‘watch.’ It’s called the bench. If you don’t get it figured out and don’t play fundamentally better and don’t play consistently, I’ve got one of the best seats in Ryan Field and you’re going to stand next to me.”
The Wildcats finally put together a decent defensive effort in the second half, limiting Penn State to a single short-field touchdown after a long interception return.
Unfortunately for Northwestern, it was the only score after halftime and the Nittany Lions won 34-24, handing NU its fifth straight loss.
With his 408th career victory, Penn State coach Joe Paterno pulled even with Grambling’s Eddie Robinson for second place on the all-time list of coaching wins in college football. John Gagliardi of Division III Saint John’s, Minn., ranks first at 480 and counting.
Northwestern (2-5, 0-4) would be happy with a single victory right now. The Wildcats need to win four of their last five contests to become bowl eligible.
They should have a decent chance next week at Indiana, then later at home against Rice and Minnesota. But to get to 6 wins, they need a victory either at Nebraska on Nov. 4 or at home against Michigan State in the season finale.
“We have to turn that frustration into motivation,” NU safety Brian Peters said. “We’ve got to start making things happen.”
Once again, Northwestern came close. For the second week in a row, an untimely interception and long return played a key role in the Cats’ demise.
Trailing 27-24, Northwestern took the third-quarter kickoff and drove to the Penn State 22 before Dan Persa’s pass was tipped by rushing lineman, intercepted by Gerald Hodges and returned 63 yards. Silas Redd (18 carries, 164 yards) went 19 yards for a touchdown on the next play and the Nittany Lions led 34-24.
“Every game we’ve been in here over the last month or so, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to win the football game, and we just have not done that,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s our responsibility.”
The Wildcats suffered a heartbreaking moment early in the fourth quarter. After Persa scrambled to the Penn State 13-yard line, he was tripped up from behind and left the game favoring his right ankle.
It should have been a minor exchange for the Wildcats, considering backup Kain Colter was their leading rusher at the time and also had completed 2 passes. But Colter tried to scramble out of trouble on the next play, slipped on the grass and suffered a 17-yard loss.
Colter was sacked again on the next play and instead of an easy field goal to make it a one-possession game, Northwestern had to punt with 7:58 on the clock.
“The first one was stupid. I should have thrown the ball away,” Colter said. “I just feel like we’re beating ourselves.”
When the Wildcats got the ball back, third-string QB Trevor Siemian, a redshirt freshman from Windermere, Fla., was behind center. But Fitzgerald felt after the game Persa will be OK and probably could have played again.
Another huge turnaround for Northwestern came late in the first half. Leading 21-20, Persa hit Jeremy Ebert for a 54-yard game to the Penn State 15. The Cats settled for a field goal, then let the Lions (7-1, 4-0) drive 63 yards in 40 seconds for the go-ahead touchdown.
Northwestern unveiled a special alternate uniform a couple of hours before the game. It included a purple jersey on top of purple, stripeless pants. A silver helmet contained no ‘N,’ just the player’s number.