Posts Tagged ‘Northwestern’
Could We Not See Persa Until 2012?
By Paul Myerberg // Sep 9, 2011
The progression: head in hands; hands completely over eyes; just fingers over eyes; eyes peeking through narrow finger slits; eyes uncovered, hands clasped in prayer near chest; eyes open, mouth open, hands open; eyes wide, mouth in a smile, hands raised over head. Pre-game, post-game. Could you blame Northwestern fans for being a bit nervous — even a bit skeptical — about the offense’s ability to move the ball effectively against Boston College without the program’s Heisman contender under center? Any concerns were unfounded, however, after sophomore Kain Colter led the offense to one of most balanced performances in recent memory. The last time Northwestern had at least 200 yards rushing at least 190 yards passing in the same game? That would be in the 2009 season opener — against Towson University.
Tags: Dan Persa, Kain Colter, Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald, The Heisman Trophy
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No. 35: Northwestern
By Paul Myerberg // Jul 30, 2011
Go ahead and call. You won’t be blamed; instead, you’ll be lauded for your diligent research and big-picture point of view. Have your people call his people. Charter the private jet. Sign a blank check. Don’t even waste the time needed to bankroll, name and organize the ever-popular search committee, as those suits will sit, eat, drink, dally for days and still, a week later, come up with the same name. Just do it. Call, email, snail mail, smoke signals, semaphore, what have you: just reach out and check. Maybe you’re the suitor he’s waiting for? Maybe you have what others don’t? It can’t hurt. You’d never regret it. Just one problem: Pat Fitzgerald’s not going anywhere.
Tags: Al Netter, Big Ten, Brian Peters, Bryce McNaul, Dan Persa, Jordan Mabin, Niko Mafuli, Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald, Patrick Ward, Vince Browne
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Home is Where the Heart Is
By Paul Myerberg // May 10, 2011
The news that Pat Fitzgerald is on the verge of a long-term contract extension is cause for celebration in Evanston, even if it’s no surprise. Fitzgerald is nothing if not comfortably loyal to his alma mater, Northwestern, and for all the talk that he’s next at Penn State – or Michigan, or another Midwest power – the simple truth is that for all that chatter, Fitzgerald remains ensconced at home, with his family, at the site of his greatest days as a player and a coach, in the perfect situation. So he’ll ink that ten-year extension and prepare for the next generation of Northwestern football, which is good news for all those who appreciate a sense of commitment.
Tags: Joe Paterno, Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald, Penn State
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A Grab Bag of Quarterback Depth
By Paul Myerberg // Apr 25, 2011
It was never a fair comparison: Iowa and Wisconsin both lost a senior quarterback, but the Hawkeyes have had a succession plan in place since 2009, while Wisconsin — prior to losing Curt Phillips — wanted Jon Budmayr to win the job, not have it handed to him. When Wisconsin revealed late last week that Phillips had suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury, it became clear that Budmayr’s time is officially now, even if this is how the quarterback competition might have eventually played out. As noted last week, however, this hurts the Badgers’ depth at the position.
Tags: Big Ten, Dan Persa, Denard Robinson, Devin Gardner, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, James Vandenberg, Jon Budmayr, MarQueis Gray, Matt McGloin, Michigan, Minnesota, Nathan Scheelhaase, Northwestern, Paul Petrino, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
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Non-Conference to Watch: 8-15
By Paul Myerberg // Mar 31, 2011
The following teams enjoyed last season’s meeting so much they decided to get together for a second – or third – time in 12 months: Washington and Nebraska; T.C.U. and Baylor; Notre Dame and Michigan; and L.S.U. and West Virginia. There’s the beauty of the home-and-home schedule so common among the more prestigious members of the F.B.S., which guarantees that both sides of the date have the opportunity to host the other in front of the home fans. For Washington and Nebraska, schedules prepared years in advance could not have predicted that the pair would meet in last season’s Holiday Bowl, meaning Washington’s Sept. 17 trip to Nebraska is the rubber match of a three-game series – it is officially baseball season, by the way.
Tags: 2011 schedule, Arizona State, B.Y.U., Baylor, Boston College, L.S.U., Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon State, T.C.U., West Virginia, Wisconsin
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Northwestern’s Win Tinged by Injury
By Paul Myerberg // Nov 13, 2010
Whether in Iowa City or Evanston — it doesn’t matter. There’s a reason Northwestern fans make the following joke: Iowa is never Iowa in written conversation, but “Io–a.” You see, there’s no W in Iowa, at least for Northwestern. The Wildcats have now won five of six over the Hawkeyes, three straight, in fact, with today’s victory perhaps the best of the bunch: there were no Iowa injuries, such as was the case with Ricky Stanzi last fall, merely an impressive team win piloted by Dan Persa, the first-year starting quarterback who ended this game right at the top of the heap in the conference player of the year conversation.
Tags: Dan Persa, Evan Watkins, Iowa, Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald
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Week 11 Viewing Schedule
By Paul Myerberg // Nov 12, 2010
In advance of tomorrow’s festivities, here are a few games I know I’ll be watching. No, this week lacks the cachet of week’s past — there’s no marquee game, it seems, even if there several games of consequence being played on the B.C.S. conference level. South Carolina heads to Florida, for example, with the SEC East championship going to the winner. In the SEC West, Mississippi State’s run towards nine wins hits a major test in a trip to Tuscaloosa, where the Crimson Tide hope to turn the page on a disappointing loss in Baton Rouge. There are always games to watch, obviously, and lest we forget: the season is winding down; make sure to get your fill before we enter bowl play.
Tags: Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Central Florida, Florida, Fresno State, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, San Diego State, South Carolina, Southern Mississippi, T.C.U., Texas A&M, Utah, Virginia Tech
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Week 10 Viewing Schedule
By Paul Myerberg // Nov 5, 2010
In advance of tomorrow’s festivities — the live blog commences at 11:45 a.m. EST — here are a few games I know I’ll be watching. There’s no 11:30 p.m. start, sadly, though the late Pac-10 games will still extend into Sunday, making this a two-day event. My biggest contention with this weekend’s schedule? I understand it’s out of our hands — the T.V. contracts determine the slate — but I have a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that Saturday’s best games, T.C.U.-Utah and Alabama-L.S.U., are being played at 3:30, not in the evening. In a perfect world, the best games are played at night, in front of a national audience. That’s merely a minor issue; at least we’re still smack dab in the middle of college football season. For now, at least — like sands through an hourglass, the season is slipping away.
Tags: Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, Baylor, Boise State, Hawaii, Illinois, L.S.U., Michigan, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford, T.C.U., U.S.C., Utah, Washington
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