Western Michigan @ Northwestern Recap

Well, the game wasn't pretty, but we got the win. The offense was sloppy, the defense looked weak, and there was no energy. Yet we still won by 21. How should we take that? Let's give it a point by point look.

Kain Colter

Colter started this game very poorly, throwing an interception on a play that was, in short, a mess. He made a bad read and a bad throw into double coverage, giving Dan Vitale no chance to make a play. He was not asked to do much in the passing game after that, throwing for only six more passes. That being siad, he completed all of them, and threw a TD, but only picked up 40 yards. He looked better in the run game, making guys miss, shedding tackles, and showing his signature speed, resulting in 106 yards and a TD on 15 carries. 

Trevor Siemian

Trevor wasn't bad in this game, but he was less sharp than last week. His decision making, while not awful, was at times suspect, and his accuracy was at times off, most notably on a pass that got Christian Jones lit up. Furthermore, he was not asked to do all that much, throwing only 14 passes. All things considered, however, he was adequate. He completed a solid 64% of his passes for 99 yards and did not turn the ball over.

Treyvon Green

Another very good game for Treyvon. Given the uncertainty of Venric's health moving forward, this is certainly encouraging. Green demonstrated a nice package of quickness, speed, and especially power, hitting holes hard, breaking tackles, and pushing the pile. In the process, he picked up 158 yards and 2 TDs on 20 carries. While the team is unquestionably weaker without Venric, Treyvon certainly is a solid starter in his absence.

Mike Trumpy

Trumpy continues to look like a decent backup option, as he rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries, including a nice 14 yard, outside the tackle run. 

Warren Long

Long was the talk of the week as the news broke that he may be burning his redshirt this week, and, in fact, his redshirt was burned. This decision is still somewhat confusing and concerning to me, as we have several other running back options. It  makes me question whether Venric's health is worse than commonly presumed. That being said, Long looked good in his very limited time, including a very impressive 13 yard run. Here's to hoping the redshirt was burned due solely to the fact that he is too good to keep on the bench. 

Tony Jones

Solid game for Tony, but not nearly as impressive as the last, putting up 38 yards on 4 catches. 

Dan Vitale

Not much of a performance for Vitale as he only caught one pass, a 4 yard shovel pass from Colter. Dunsmore 2.0 watch: Sophomore Dunsmore has surpassed Vitale. At this point of his sophomore year, Dunsmore had 4 more catches, 15 more yards, and as many TDs as Vitale currently has this year. 

Rashad Lawrence

Lawrence again oddly faded into obscurity, making no catches this week, after his solid performance last week. 

Christian Jones

Christian led the team in receiving this week, catching 5 passes and recording 60 yards, while also catching the team's only TD pass. He did a good job of shaking off an early injury and looked impressive after. 

Kyle Prater

Oof, ugly. Caught only one pass for two yards, and fumbled on the play. I think it's getting safe to assume he's never going to live up to the hype, but I owuld be delighted to be proven wrong. 

Pass Defense

This was kind of a mixed bag. The 'Cats allowed the Broncos to catch fewer than 50% of their passes and allowed just over 200 yards, both very impressive statistics for Northwestern. However, the corners, particularly Dwight White, looked shaky. White got burned on a simple go route for a 75 yard TD. This is highly concerning as we approach Big Ten season. Northwestern also recorded only one interception, whereas I expected more. On the plus side, however, the interception was recorded by Ibraeheim Campbell, and marked his fifth consecutive game with a pick
. 

Rush Defense

Also kind of a mixed bag. Tyler Van Tubbergren, not a running quarterback, managed 33 yards on the ground. Running back Brian Fields also managed a fairly solid game with 79 yards on only 13 carries. On the other hand, co-starter Dareyon Chance managed only 30 yards on 11 carries. All things considered, however, you have to assume the coaches expect more from this run defense. 

Jeff Budzien

Budzien is perfect no more after missing a 42 yarder. The occasional missed 40+ yarder is to be expected however, and Budzien is still a very good kicker. 

Punt/Kick Returns

We still don't have a punt return, but Matt Harris may be the kick returner we badly need, as he put up an impressive 47 yard return.

Bottom Line

I don't think any fan is going to call this the most encouraging win we've ever had, but there are both optimistic and pessimistic ways to look at it. I'm leaning towards the optimistic view. Alright, fine, the team played poorly and lackadaisically, but we won by 21 points. This is key. If we were to talk to Northwestern fans from just a few years back and complain about our three touchdown win, they'd look at us like we're crazy. Sure, we were playing a bad team, but games like the 2009 EMU 3-point victory come to mind. Heck, the game we perceived as a blowout against Rice in 2010 was a 17-point victory. The fact is, being able to win by 21 while playing well below average is the mark of a good team. Besides, the simple fact is, Fitz-coached teams do not tend to look as impressive against weak opponents. Certain coaches (e.g. Bret Bielema) seem to inspire their players to come out at their best against weak opponents. Fitz is not one of those guys, for good or for bad. Simply put, I recommend not reading too much into this game and just being happy with this win.