GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 11 • 10
points involved — a four-yard
touchdown drive and a PAT blocked
and returned for two points — but
regardless, the offense came alive
more so than it had in any game pri-
or, and could have done even more.
Northwestern dropped numer-
ous passes, including three possible
long touchdowns.
"They really could have scored
60 points," Vaccher said.
And the Wildcats overcame
four turnovers, two off lost fumbles
and the other two off interceptions.
Prior to Notre Dame, North-
western hadn't made a field goal of
30 yards or more all season, its spe-
cial teams shaky most of the season
aside from a penchant for blocking
kicks.
Sticking to its baffling pat-
terning, at Notre Dame it made a
46-yarder to start the fourth quar-
ter; a 45-yarder to force overtime;
and a 41-yarder to win.
Go figure.
"Not carrying over what we
work on in practice to the game,
it's the sign of an immature team,"
Fitzgerald told Northwestern media
regarding some of his team's incon-
sistencies. "I think we have some
guys who are growing up. There's a
lot of issues we have that we can't
fix until the offseason. We're not go-
ing to use that as an excuse or as a
crutch, but it just is what it is."
The Notre Dame win may have
given Northwestern new life during
what appeared to be a lost season
during the four-game slide.
While Purdue is playing for off-
season momentum and validation
of progress made this season, North-
western smells the postseason.
Having just "stolen one" — the
term often used when a team wins
a game it's not supposed to — the
Wildcats now see just Purdue, Il-
linois and their combined 2-10
league record standing between
them and bowl eligibility.
Purdue's hoping to snap a four-
game losing streak, same
way Northwestern was
when it traveled into the
state of Indiana last week-
end.
The matchup, on
paper, would seem like
a more favorable one for
Purdue relative to the
murderer's row of domi-
nant running games and
fierce pass rushes it just
faced.
Again, Northwestern's offense
numbers are what they are, though
freshman Justin Jackson — he ran
for nearly 150 yards at Notre Dame
— has given the Wildcat running
game a distinct pulse and one-time
five-star recruit and USC signee Kyle
Prater is a formidable weapon in the
passing game.
"They're going to try to spread
you out," Purdue coach Darrell Ha
-
zell said. "And they have a million
different route combinations. You
have to be careful not to put too
much in your guys' heads."
Having a healthy — or at least
healthier — defense post-bye week
certainly bodes well for Purdue.
Defensively, Northwestern has
been less than consistent as well.
"They seem to be a bend-but-
don't-break unit," Vaccher said, "so
they'll give you some yards but
come up with a stop when they
have to or come up with a key
turnover that kind of keeps them
in games. We'll see where they're
headed this Saturday."
Purdue will need to run the ball
effectively against Northwestern,
which has been true for every op-
ponent it's played this season. To do
so, though, it may have to be more
credible in the passing game than
it's been lately, particularly since the
loss of Danny Anthrop.
A thorn in its side has been
protection; opponents have sacked
Austin Appleby seven times the
past two games.
Hazell hinted at some chang-
es coming to Purdue's blocking
schemes.
The biggest change this week,
though, might come in the fact that
Northwestern isn't the threat Ne-
braska and Wisconsin were.
The Wildcats' 14 sacks are far
and away a Big Ten-low.
j
OPPONENT NEWSSTAND
ChicagoTribune.com: Northwestern motivated to extend season for
seniors with bowl game
DailyNorthwestern.com: Writers ruminate on where the Wildcats stand
InsideNU.com: Notes from Pat Fitzgerald's press conference
NUSports.com: Northwestern game notes
NUSports.com: One down, two to go
WildcatReport.com: CoachSpeak: Fitz post-practice
Stephen J. Carrera
Linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo is Northwestern's leading tackler with 84 stops.
