It was a rollercoaster of a game at Wrigley Field this time for Northwestern. Down 21-9 at one point, the Wildcats rallied to take a 22-21 lead in the fourth quarter, before a last second field goal sent
the ‘Cats back down to .500 on the year. Amidst the ups and downs of the game, some players and position groups were standout performers, while others will be looking to bounce back next time out against Minnesota.
Stock Up
Turnover battle
Michigan outgained the Wildcats by over 100 yards. Underwood nearly had as many yards through the air as the Wildcats did in total. The Wolverines led the time of possession battle as well.
But NU closed the gap by forcing five turnovers, while keeping the ball clean on the offensive end. Special teams especially had a much better day this Saturday than it did last Friday, forcing a fumble on a punt return.
The thing about the turnovers is that they were all extremely timely. Saka’s huge hit on Andrew Marsh in the first half was a momentum booster in the first half. Both of Underwood’s interceptions were in the fourth quarter, with his second coming in Northwestern territory in a one score game. Braden Turner’s fumble recovery was also in Northwestern territory and came on a 4th-and-one with Michigan threatening.
If you give yourself enough chances to put points on the board, you’re bound to score, and NU’s ability to give itself extra possessions kept them competitive in this one right to the very end.
Defensive Line
It was always going to be an uphill battle facing off against a running game that is as potent as the Wolverines’, but all things considered the Northwestern front had a positive outing at Wrigley.
The unit was absolutely dominant in the first half, holding the Michigan ground attack to 30 yards on the ground in the first half. The loudest plays the defensive line made in the run game were forcing two fumbles Anto Saka’s huge hit on Andrew Marsh on an end-around to force a fumble
The front four also made its presence known when Michigan dropped back to pass. Underwood had only been sacked 12 times coming into the day’s game, but NU got to him 3 times in the first half. The first-year also faced pressure on numerous occasions, constantly being forced to leave the pocket and either try and create out of structure or use his legs to move the sticks.
This performance is extremely positive for a defensive line that has struggled to bring down quarterbacks and get to opposing running backs down behind the line. Yes, Jordan Marshall’s statline for the game was still extremely impressive, but the defensive line consistently showed up on a down-to-down basis for most of the game, something it hasn’t been able to confidently say most of the year.
Brus, Turner & Fitzgerald
In a game filled with so many momentum-swinging plays on the defensive end, it was impossible to pick out just one standout from the defense, so instead there are three, all of whom impacted the game in different ways.
Braydon Brus was truly everywhere in this one. The linebacker had eight solo tackles and 13 total. He was immense in the run game, recording a TFL and numerous tackles that lead to one-yard or no gains for the Wolverine rushing attack.
The one player who can say they had more tackles in this game than Brus was Robert Fitzgerald. A game-leading 15 total tackles proved huge. Fitzgerald found himself in the perfect position to force Underwood’s second interception of the day and swing momentum back towards the Wildcats.
Fitzgerald did it both near the line of scrimmage and in the secondary, helping out the run game, recording a TFL and recording a pass breakup in addition to his interception.
Lastly, Braden Turner had two game-changing plays. He didn’t record the same number of tackles as Fitzgerald or Brus, but he recovered a fumble and picked off Bryce Underwood, two seismic plays that are enough on their own to win most games.
Honorable Mentions: Hunter Welcing [4 REC 81 YDS], Preston Stone’s deep ball in the second half, The PA playing Mr. Brighstide and turning it into a Rickroll
Stock Down
Missed Opportunities
If there was one thing for Northwestern to take away from its game at the Coliseum on Friday, it’s that opportunities to take control of a game against a ranked opponent are few and far between. So far, the Wildcats have been wasteful.
NU entered the Michigan red zone twice in the first half, both times finding itself inside the seven-yard line, but settled for field goals both times.
In the first red zone half trips NU saw an offensive pass interference call negate a touchdown catch by Eligon, moving the ball back 15 yards and forcing a field goal.
The second trip was a similar story for the Wildcats. A Komolafe one-yard run was sandwiched between two incompletions, one a tipped ball with Welcing wide open in the endzone, to force an NU field goal. A third redzone trip in the third quarter was similar to the first, with flags backing up the ’Cats offense.
Later on, Northwestern had a chance to take a three-point lead after Komolafe’s go-ahead touchdown, but the two-point conversion was a pass into the dirt. This of course, turned Michigan’s eventual field-goal into a game-winning one instead of sending it to overtime.
Additionally, the Wildcats could not seem to sustain drives for most of the day, being 2-of-10 on third downs throughout the game. A huge part of this were holding penalties negating what would be big plays in the run game, with a Joseph Himon II run in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats left eight first-half points on the board in a game they went into halftime down one and ultimately lost by two. If NU wants to clinch a bowl, and be successful in it, it needs to take advantage of its opportunities.
1st half Passing Defense
In Andrew Marsh’s three games leading up to Saturday’s contest, the first-year had 128 yards receiving. In the first half NU allowed him to tally 135 on nine receptions.
Northwestern’s secondary struggled out of the gate. Bryce Underwood completed his first nine passes of the game for 108 yards, and the secondary seemingly had no answer at all for the true first-year. By the end of the first half Underwood had already surpassed his full game total against Purdue the week before.
NU’s passing defense has been one of the team’s strong points throughout the season, ranking in the top-25 in total yards allowed per game, but Michigan was able to take advantage of defensive backs playing off the line of scrimmage early on, before Underwood used his arm talent to stretch the field as the first half progressed.
Reliable names falter
If you asked a Wildcat fan who the team’s five best performers have been this season, not a single list would omit any one of Komolafe, Fussell, or Wilde. But none of those three could say they had their best day against Michigan.
Komolafe has been the engine that has driven NU’s offense all season, but “The Beast” was tamed by Michigan’s defensive line in this one. The B1G’s fifth leading rusher entering the day was held to only 31 yards on 12 carries, with Braun electing to use Joseph Himon II as the lead back as the second half wore on. While he did have the go-ahead touchdown, a 50 yard drop off from his average on the season does warrant a stock down.
While Wilde caught a 32 yard deep shot late in the third, by far NU’s biggest passing play of the afternoon, the South Dakota State transfer will rue some of the catches he didn’t bring in, as he only caught two of his eight targets.
Wilde let a perfectly placed deep ball from Preston Stone go right through his hands in the third quarter, and he dropped an admittedly difficult catch in the first half, but one that would’ve been a rare third down conversion for the ’Cats (2-of-11).
Josh Fussell has arguably been the Wildcats best defensive back on the season, but he had a rough outing. Fussell had the task of guarding Marsh for much of the game, and was unable to contain the first-year as he went for a Michigan program record of 12 receptions and 189 yards. A defensive pass interference call in the endzone that set up Michigan at the two yard line, and giving up a first down on 3rd-and-10 in Michigan’s game-winning drive were unfortunate lowlights in what has otherwise been a stellar season for Fussell.
