After playing well against undefeated Ohio State, Northwestern appeared on the verge of success.
Since then, however, the Wildcats have been hammered at Minnesota and Penn State, leaving senior center Austin King near tears after Saturday’s rout by the Nittany Lions.
“We’ve got to do something,” King said in tones barely above a whisper. “I don’t know what. But we’ve got to make sure everyone shows up on Saturday.”
Now Wildcats coach Randy Walker must get his battered players prepared to play host to Purdue.
His defense, which had shown signs of improvement against the Buckeyes, has been little more than a rumor in its last two appearances.
His offense, which was productive even in the loss to the Golden Gophers, is without starting quarterback Brett Basanez, whose return from a fractured fibia is day-to-day.
And his special teams, which once featured Jason Wright as the top kickoff returner in the nation, are a mystery best exemplified by the five straight field-goal attempts missed by David Wasielewski.
“Right now it’s real evident we have a real confidence-level problem, and that’s where we’ve got to start,” Walker said.
“At this point, I’d have to agree,” senior cornerback Raheem Covington said. “At times during a game I see guys maybe look up and wonder what’s going on. They should not be looking like that. They should know what’s going on and get out there and make a play.”
Skip Myslenski.
OHIO STATE
Krenzel adds to OSU attack
The scouting report on fourth-ranked Ohio State is simple: contain star tailback Maurice Clarett and force quarterback Craig Krenzel to beat you.
It may be time to find a new scouting report.
Krenzel was the difference in Ohio State’s 19-14 victory over Wisconsin Saturday. The Badgers mostly bottled up Clarett, who managed 133 rushing yards, 8 below his average, and did not score.
But they had no answer for Krenzel, who fired two touchdown passes and made a critical 16-yard run to keep the game’s decisive scoring drive alive.
Krenzel, a junior, completed 12-of-19 passes for 204 yards. More important, he did not commit a turnover.
“It’s another way for him to show the media and show the fans that he’s a championship-caliber quarterback,” said tight end Ben Hartsock, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass with 10 minutes to play. “But we on the offense have known that all along.”
Andrew Bagnato.
NATION
Oklahoma gains 1st-place votes
Oklahoma gained ground on No. 1 Miami, picking up four first-place votes in the Associated Press Top 25.
The second-ranked Sooners (7-0) beat Iowa State 49-3 Saturday, while the Hurricanes (6-0) were idle. The Hurricanes got 61 first-place votes to the Sooners’ 13. Miami’s margin over Oklahoma decreased 15 points to 1,837-1,787.
– UCLA senior quarterback Cory Paus, who prepped at Lincoln-Way, has played his last game for the Bruins after breaking his right ankle Saturday.
– North Carolina sophomore quarterback Darian Durant, first in the Atlantic Coast Conference in total offense with 293.7 yards a game, will miss the rest of the season after breaking his right thumb.
– For the third straight time, Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo, who threw five TD passes Saturday, was named Ohio Valley Conference offensive player of the week.
Tribune news services contributed to this report.
