Outplayed, OutStatted, but not Outscored - Cats Survive!

In years prior to Pat Fitzgerald joining the Cats as a player, Sunday mornings were fillled with silver linings, which were euphemisms for losses. So, it is with great pleasure that we've arrived to the point where Cats fans can bemoan the "what happened?" questions involved in a WIN. Saturday night in Durham, the Cats escaped with a 24-20 win despite being outplayed and completely dominated on the stat board. The Northwestern defense somehow managed to stretch the bend-but-don't-break cliche to new limits as NU survived 24-20.

Duke had an apparent game-winning TD called back on a holding penalty and then were held on 4th and 15 to seal the game. Take the money and run. The Cats gave up nearly 500 yards of offense to Duke and were dominated in the Time of Possession stat at a nearly 2-to-1 clip, yet somehow managed to win the game.

Yes, Tyrell Sutton posted two rushing TDs but the run game was grounded and the offense never really found a rhythm despite coming up with big plays when they were needed. CJ Bacer was a pedestrian 14-31 for 226 yds 0 TD, O INT, but was able to connect on the big play when needed. Rasheed Ward and Eric Peterman came up big with clutch plays throughout the game, including a Eric Peterman pass to CJ Bacher. Here are the stats that defy a Northwestern win:



Tyrell and the Cats were held in check on the ground registering only 93 yards on 27 carries with Sutton accounting for 66 yards on 16 carries (4.1 ypc/2 TDs). On the flip side, Thaddeus Lewis and J. Williams lit up the Cats secondary for 135 yards as Williams posted 11 receptions. The Cats primary receivers - Peterman and Lane - came up big with only 4 combined catches but tons of yardage (Peterman - 2 rec, 73 yards, Lane - 2 rec, 46 yards).

No matter how you slice it, this was not the Cats greatest day, yet they emerged with a win in a hostile environment. Wildcat Nation should be officially concerned about the lack of fluidity with the offense. Yes the defense coughed up a Colby-era-esque 472 yards but they came up big with 2 stops on 4th down down the stretch. Lots to improve on, but we'll take it. All eyes will turn to the SIU game next week in Evanston to see if the expectations of a senior-led offense can start meeting expectations.

Statistic	Northwestern	Duke
Rushing Yards	78	178
Passing Yards	251	294
Total Offense	328	472
Time of Poss.	20:45	39:15
First Downs	14	28

Big Ten Wrap-Up

The number of the day was "42" as four Big Ten teams posted this offensive score en route to blowout wins in a perfect 11-0 day.

Michigan State 42 EMU 10

The 2009 Cats non-conference opponent was smoked in part by Javon Ringer's record-setting 5 TD 135-yard rushing effort.

Purdue 42 N. Colorado 10

Curtis Painter posted impressive 286 yard passing numbers and 2 TDs in Purdue's season opener.

Iowa 42 Florida Intl. 0

Ricki Stanzi stole the show with 3 TD passes in the first half and Shonn Greene answered the "who will be the RB" question by posting 130 rushing yards as Iowa served notice with a 2-week combined score of 88-3. Who knew????

Ohio State 26 Ohio 14

The Buckeyes were flat-out lucky to escape this home game with a win as Ohio dominated for 3 1/2 quarters with a BACK-UP QB thanks to the fact their starter, Theo Scott was injured early. A slew of Ohio TOs gave the Buckeyes life in a game that was the Bobcats for the taking.

Michigan 16 Miami (OH) 6

The spread again showed growing pains, but thankfully the Red Hawks continually punished themselves with mental errors. The Michigan - ND game next week may be the lowpoint in the vaunted series history.

Wisconsin 51 Marshall 14

This went from a Madtown scare to a laugher quickly as the Badgers rolled-off 51 unanswered points after digging a 2 TD hole.

Illinois 47 Eastern Illinois 21

Juice ran for more yards - 174- than he passed for - 124, eclipsing his own record en route to racking-up a combined 3 TDs in a laugher in the home opener.

Penn State 45 Oregon State 14

What suspensions? The JoePas and Evan Royster ran all over the Beavers with 141 yards and 3 TDs along with 2 TD passes from Darryl Clark.

Indiana 45 Murray State 3

It was the Marcus Thigpen show as he accounted for a ton of offense including 2 TDs on his first two touches and 5 plays of 20+ yards in the first half.

Minnesota 42 Bowling Green 17

Mike Dunbar's crew came of age as Adam Weber shined with 3 TD passes in a game in which the Gophers were underdogged on the road and doubled their 2007 win total.