Northwestern vs. Central Michigan Recap

I haven't posted on the blog in a while, but that is not because i have been completely neglecting it. The only reason I didn't post a preview is because i had wi-fi issues Friday night. In fact, I actually had some stuff written up that I just couldn't post. In short, here was my prediction: NU would win in a tough, nerve-racking four-point game. Well, I was close on the score as the 'Cats won by 5, but the game never made me as nervous as I anticipated. Despite the fact that the game was tied at halftime, and the 'Cats never ran away with the game, I never felt terribly nervous. I always had a feeling the game was well-in hand. Now, let's take our point-by-point look at the game.

• The Attendance: Again, I was very pleased. We drew a solid 30,000+ for a non-conference game. Granted, we were a long way from a sellout, but we could only dream about having the stands so full in any of our non-conference games last year. Looks like the marketing campaign might actually be working. 
• The Officiating: Oh boy this was bad. Penalty flags were flying all over the place, many of which were for illegal substitutions. I'm all for calling this penalty in obvious situations, such as 12 men in the huddle, but on multiple occasions yesterday, the referees called penalties for seemingly innocuous situations such as a player entering the field and leaving without participating. Players do this frequently and are very rarely penalized for it. This really should not be a penalty. Furthermore, the refs missed innumerable obvious calls that had to be overturned by official reviews. This interrupted the flow of the game, and was completely inexcusable. One of my favorite moments of the game involved a situation where the refs spotted Jeremy Ebert a couple yards short of where the ball should, in fact, have been spotted and short of the first down. The offense, shocked at the call, did not leave the field, and Sidney Stewart came over to the sideline to encourage the fans to chant "bulls***" even louder than they already were (which, believe me, was pretty loud).
• Persa: Persa had another very good, maybe even great, game but for the first time looked human. He threw an ugly interception and often looked flustered in the pocket. That being said, his upside was much better than his downside, completing 23 of 30 passes for 280 yards and 2 TDs, without once throwing the ball in the fourth quarter. On top of that he rushed the ball 17 times (4 were sacks) for 43 yards. Persa is again on top of the QB rating leader board, tied with Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State with a 186.3, and he remains the best in completion percentage, completing 80.2% of his passes. 
• Running Backs: Again, Arby disappointed. He put up only 16 yards on 7 carries, while his longest run of the day went for a measly 5 yards. He also had a key fumble on a drive that looked as if it would put us up 37-13. But due to this mess, the redshirt freshman Mike Trumpy got to see playing time. He performed well, putting up 53 yards on 12 carries and generally looking the way a running back should look. I would expect to see him start against Minnesota on Saturday. Jacob Schmidt also played fairly well, putting up 32 yards on 6 carries with two touchdowns. 
• The Receiving Corp: Minus a couple drops by Dunsmore and Fields, our receivers again had very good performances. The passes were spread out quite well, with Ebert and Stewart each getting 5 catches, Fields getting 4, and Dunsmore getting 3. Schmidt also had a successful role in the passing game, making 4 catches out of the backfield. Both of our passing touchdowns went to Ebert. 
• The Offensive Line: This continues to be a weak point of the offense. I have to blame some of the lack of success in the running game to the guys up front, and a guy as agile as Persa should not get sacked 4 times in a game. 
• The Defensive Line: This line, on the other hand, has been one of the strongest units on the team. The defensive line consistently got good pushes up front and both Quentin Williams and Corbin Bryant got sacks. Williams also added an interception, our second interception by a lineman this season. 
• The Linebackers: Quentin Davie was not as dominant Saturday, but nonetheless looked good. He only had two tackles, but one was a huge sack, and he covered the field well, disrupting the Chippewa running game. Ben Johnson also played a smaller-than-average role, making only two tackles. Nate Williams had arguably the best game of all our linebackers, with 6 tackles. Bryce McNaul also contributed with 3 tackles, as did David Nwabuisi, who had two tackles and an interception. 
• The Secondary: There were some problems here. Cornerback remains our worst position, from my point of view. And there are injury problems at safety. Jared Carpenter is injured, and David Arnold remains out, forcing Hunter Bates to step into the full-time safety role with Peters. It was obvious the Chippewas were picking on Bates, as they kept throwing to his side of the field, and he was beat early and often. If Carpenter or Arnold is not back soon, we may be in serious trouble, as we faced 347 passing yards against us. Don't read too much into my criticism of Bates though. I like him a lot if he's playing his standard special teams or nickelback role, but he simply is not cut out to be a strong safety. 
• Special Teams:  Well, there were continued issues with Demos, but we've heard all that before, so let's focus on the positives. Minus one shanked punt early, Williams again looked good, and best of all, we blocked two kicks. That is not something I'm used to from the 'Cats. 

Well, we are a solid 4-0, and are sure to be favorites in our next two games. Can we really get to bowl eligibility without losing a single game? It's certainly possible, and at this point I will remain cautiously optimistic. With that, I will leave you with the highlight real of the game, courtesy of NUBears.