Sorry guys. I'll try to never take that big a hiatus ever again. I've just been trying really hard not to fail my midterms, but I'm basically done with them now, and I think it's mission accomplished.
Now before I get to a point-by-point breakdown, let me say something about the game: it was weird. For some reason, I found the game very discouraging, and, with a few exceptions, I have no idea why. Almost every unit played fairly well, but as a team, I felt we looked significantly worse than we did against Michigan State, a game we lost. Again, I can't explain it, but let's take a look at the breakdown to see if we can get some idea.
Dan Persa: Despite not being at his best, Dan Persa had a very good game. He showed his characteristic elusiveness,which seemed to be gone a bit against Michigan State due to injury, and showed an incredible ability to throw on the run. His run game was not at its best: 11 rushes for 19 yards (2 of those carries being sacks), but an 18-28, 212 yard, two touchdown game through the air is not too shabby. The one worrying incident was his concussion. He has been cleared to play against Penn St., however, and he shouldn't be suffering any noticeable consequences.
Mike Trumpy: I don't want to say he's the solution to our running woes, but he certainly is a start. He consistently looked good, spinning out of tackles, fighting for extra yards, and moving the pile. In other words, he looked the way a running back should, fighting for 110 yards on 21 carries, becoming our first 100 yard rusher since 2008. He also looked good in the passing game 54 yards on 3 catches, while running very smart routes.
Jeremy Ebert: Mr. clutch. 5 catches for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns, all on third downs. Those numbers pretty much speak for themselves.
Venric Mark: He finally has sole returner duties, and, boy does he look good doing it. The guy makes a 32 yard return look easy. I would be willing to bet quite a bit of money he'll bust open a return for a touchdown by the end of the year.
The Defense: I don't really have any individuals to point out on the defensive side of the ball, but the defense as a whole looked quite good. Ben Chappell did break break 300 yards, but it took him 54 attempts to do so, and the Indiana rushing attack was completely shut down for only 65 yards. My one real criticism is in regards to Indiana's last touchdown. Indiana was clearly going for the deep ball. They really had no other shot. How the safeties let a guy behind them is beyond me.
Stefan Demos: For the last two games, Demos has looked good. Everything has been dead-center and he nailed a 45 yarder against Indiana. There is reason to be optimistic.
Indiana Gameday Atmosphere: Boy was it depressing. The student section was almost empty (we have a much larger one, and we have a quarter as many undergrads) and many left by half. The stadium was almost empty by the time the Hoosiers scored their last touchdown, bringing the game within three. Not only that, but they really have no original traditions. It was seriously kind of sad. But I can now happily say with confidence Northwestern does not have the worst gameday atmosphere in the Big Ten. Not even close.
In other news, check out this picture of Wrigley Field from Lake the Posts:
If that doesn't get you excited for the Wrigley game, I don't know what will.
And of course, the highlight reel:
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