For each of the last 10 weeks, even as the chances became increasingly remote, Northwestern’s goal was the same: Go to a bowl game.
As the losses began piling up, the Wildcats began lowering their aim. The Rose Bowl became the Sun Bowl became the Copper Bowl. . . . became Shecky’s Roadside Chalet Bowl.
The Wildcats hung on until Saturday, when there wasn’t any bowl to hang on to anymore.
The best thing Northwestern can hope for now is that the pounding inflicted by Ohio State came with some memory loss. It’s either that or carry a 49-6 loss into this week’s game against Penn State.
“We’re just acting like it didn’t exist this week,” coach Gary Barnett said Monday. “Some things you’ve got to forget about.”
These are trying times for Barnett. The 3-6 Wildcats have no chance of a bowl bid now, not that they had a realistic chance the last several weeks. As for motivating his team for the rest of the season, it’s apparent Barnett has put on his thinking cap.
“What we’ve got to do as a team is take this thing and look at it like a golfer (might look at it): We’re no longer in stroke play, we’re in match play now,” he said. “It’s not a matter of cumulative scores. It’s a matter of playing one hole at a time. That’s the way we’re going to play this one and make the best of it.”
They’re going head-to-head with Tiger Woods then, or at least a Nittany Lion. No. 2 Penn State comes to Ryan Field on Saturday. Barnett said he understands that, human nature being what it is, there could be some sort of hangover effect.
“It’s not easy for young people to put (things) out of their mind,” Barnett said. “It’s not easy for any of us to do, whether you have a bad hole playing golf or a bad at-bat the time before or a bad free throw the time before. That’s where mental toughness comes in. That’s where everybody gets tested. That’s the beauty of sport.”
After the Ohio State game, defensive end Casey Dailey said the Wildcats “to some extent laid down” in the second half, when they were outscored 35-0. Barnett disagreed.
“Until this season’s over, until somebody tells me they laid down, I won’t believe that anybody laid down,” he said.
Even though Northwestern has no chance of a bowl bid, Barnett said he has no plans to sit some of his seniors in order to give younger players more game experience. Barnett has been playing two true freshmen–wide receiver Teddy Johnson and safety Mycal Jones–and doesn’t want to play many more for redshirt purposes.
Et cetera: Cornerback Fred Wilkerson suffered a slightly separated shoulder but still might play Saturday. Safety Eric Collier will have his hand in a cast, although he doesn’t have a broken bone, Barnett said. Defensive end Keith Lozowski is questionable with a sprained ankle. . . . Each week, NU coaches select the players who performed best in the preceding game. No players were chosen for the Champion Club this week, the thinking being that no one would feel good about making it after losing 49-6.
