The Wolverine Now

NOV. 7, 2012 always been considered more of a dynamic playmaker than a traditional pass-first quar- terback. In 2011, he threw for 673 yards, rushed for 654 yards and added 466 yards receiving, but coming into this year, with quarterback Dan Persa's eligibility expired, Colter was expected to focus solely on his signal-caller responsibilities. Still, NU had no illusions about making him a full-time drop-back thrower, prepping a game plan that would utilize Colter in both the passing and running games, giving de- fenses more to worry about. The coaching staff liked what they saw out of redshirt sophomore Trevor Siemian, though, and altered their approach, believ- ing Siemian's ability to throw the football, and Colter's capability to run it out of the backfield, and play some occasional wideout, would provide the Wildcats the best chance to be successful offensively. During the first six weeks of the season, with Northwestern going 5-1, Siemian at- tempted 120 passes, throwing for 808 yards, while Colter had 68 pass attempts and rushed for 439 yards and seven scores. Even though the Purple and White were winning, something felt amiss. The offense stagnated for long stretches, and when NU was shut down in the fourth quarter of a 39-28 loss to Penn State Oct. 6 — a game the Wild- FORGING A NEW IDENTITY M uch like Michigan's Denard Robinson, Northwestern junior Kain Colter has Northwestern junior quarterback Kain Colter has rushed for 622 yards and 11 touchdowns, and thrown for 517 yards and three scores this year. PHOTO BY STEPHEN CARRERA/NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY cats led 28-17 after three quarters — head coach Pat Fitzgerald met with his staff to decide how Northwestern wanted to proceed. "With the passing game, it felt like they GAME FACTS Midseason Switch To A Run-Centered Offense Has Rejuvenated The Wildcats BY MICHAEL SPATH almost a 2:1 ratio (1.9:1). The Wildcats have generated 737 yards on the ground and have scored eight touchdowns, with just 272 yards and three scores through the air. "As we went back and kind of evaluated some of the things we were doing very well, and some of the things we obviously strug- gled with, we felt like if we could control the line of scrimmage, we'd give ourselves a great opportunity to win," Fitzgerald said. "We are going to do everything we can to win. Some of the things that we have done well have had Kain there at quarterback, so we made some decisions to focus on that." "We're running the ball well, and that's the key to victory," Colter added. "When you can dominate the line of scrimmage and control the clock, that's always a good thing. "We also have unselfish receivers on the were forcing it to work," WildcatReport.com publisher Louie Vaccher said. "They were giving the majority of snaps all of a sudden to Siemian, but when he was in the game it was predictable that they would pass, and when Colter came in they would run and defenses just really figured it out. "They just said, 'Let's give Colter the keys and see what happens.' With him and Venric Mark, the read option is the best option." Over the last three games, in going 2-1 with wins over Minnesota and Iowa and another blown lead in a loss to Nebraska, NU has run the football 121 times with just 64 passes, outside that might not be catching passes, but they're blocking and helping us out." While Colter's ability to impact the game more consistently with his legs played a part in Northwestern's decision to emphasize the run more than the pass, Mark's emergence played perhaps a bigger role in that adapta- tion. The 5-8, 175-pounder became the first rusher in the Big Ten this season to hit the 1,000-yard mark, and he currently ranks third overall among conference ball carriers with 1,077 yards and nine touchdowns on 166 car- ries (6.5 yards per rush). "We had him at receiver for two years, so I wouldn't say we were the smartest guys," the game. The contest can be heard on the Michigan Sports Net- work (950 AM in the Detroit area, SiriusXM (channel 196) and Armed Services Radio (channel 92). Coaches: Michigan: Brady Hoke What: Michigan vs. Northwestern. When: Nov. 10 • 12:01 p.m. Radio-TV: ESPN will broadcast (17-5, second season). Northwest- ern: Pat Fitzgerald (47-38, seventh season). History: Michigan leads the se- ries with Northwestern 53-15-2, last beating the Wildcats 42-24 in 2011. Northwestern Notes: Fitzger- ald, with 47 career victories, needs three more wins to become the first coach in Northwestern history with 50 … Over the last four sea- sons, NU is 10-5 in November, and is 13-8 all time in November under Fitzgerald … The Wildcats became the first bowl eligible team in the Big Ten with their 21-13 win over Minnesota Oct. 13, and they are one of four conference programs already eligible for the postseason … Northwestern's senior class has posted more wins (37) than any class in program history.

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