Northwestern defensive lineman Vince Browne didn’t know the number. Surely didn’t want to know it.
But facts are facts, and Mikel Leshoure ran over, around and through Northwestern for 330 yards Saturday in Illinois’ 48-27 beatdown.
“That’s certainly a little embarrassing,” Browne said after being informed of the total. “That’s not us.”
The 330 is the highest tally of the season for an FBS player and the fifth-highest in Big Ten history. It broke the Illinois school record, and — almost certainly — the Wrigley Field record.
“I thought we tackled very poorly,” NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “That epidemic popped up a couple of weeks ago (at Penn State) and for some reason, and it did again today.”
Fitzgerald took the blame for a defensive scheme that let Jason Ford to go untouched on a 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
“We tried to put more guys than they had at the point of attack,” he said, “and obviously we did a terrible job collectively as a coaching staff.”
Fitzgerald last week suggested a “great article” would be on the ability of NU offensive coordinator Mick McCall to prepare NU quarterbacks. Two years ago Mike Kafka replaced an injured C.J. Bacher and beat Minnesota; last year Dan Persa contributed when Kafka tweaked a hamstring.
First-time starter Evan Watkins, Fitzgerald said, “will be ready.”
He didn’t look ready.
Watkins waited too long to release most passes, took three sacks (fumbling once), threw a first-quarter interception and ran effectively only once.
“My fault,” said Watkins, who completed just 10 of 20 passes for 135 yards. “There are a lot of plays I wish I had back.”
A reporter asked Illinois coach Ron Zook how much he thought Persa’s injury affected the NU offense.
“How much did not having Martez Wilson affect our defense last year?” he replied.
Point taken. Injuries are part of the game.
To add a running threat, Northwestern unwrapped freshman quarterback Kain Colter. He showed quickness but rushed just three times for 10 yards.
“I think the flow of the game really disrupted that,” Fitzgerald said.
In other words, when you fall behind 21-7 in the first quarter, it’s hard to commit to a running game. Northwestern rallied to draw even late in the second quarter but got outscored 21-3 in the second half to fall to 7-4, 3-4 in the Big Ten.
“The (Wrigley Field) environment was awesome,” said tailback Mike Trumpy, whose 80-yard touchdown marked NU’s longest run since 1986. “But we wish the outcome had been different.”
