NOTE: Trying out a different feature, with the "too long, didn't read" Brainless Summary for anyone reading who has been brainwashed by the ESPN-ification of sports and can't handle analysis with anything deeper than "That quarterback is good because he wins." Maybe you'll enjoy it?
So, wow. Where does one start with a football question as troubled as what's wrong with the 2014 Northwestern Wildcats?
After watching the first two games, the simple answer: A lot. But a decent amount of it is fixable. This season, even. Seriously.
Obviously, after following Northwestern for, what, 20-something years now, seeing a team in purple flop on the shores of Lake Michigan is no great shock. What is a bit surprising is the speed at which this squad has sunk.
Losing to teams such as Ohio State and the backbreaking last-minute clunkers against Nebraska last year was one thing. But the first half against Cal this year? At home? Woof.
The sad thing is this year's team has put together a couple of decent halves of football -- just not in the same game. Which ain't good, especially once the tough teams come calling.
Let's run down the real issues, starting with the painfully obvious:
* Have these receivers and Trevor Siemian actually, you know, met one another? Watching this passing game try to connect is like watching me try to reach a par-5 green in three. It'll happen at some point, but you'll get a whole bucketful of ugly and mental scarring before then.
* Injuries, man. Injuries. This squad doesn't have a lot of depth, and when you're forced to send out second- and third-stringers for sizable chunks of time at key positions (like safety or cornerback) ... ouch. Witness Matthew Harris' toast-a-palooza in the second half on two NIU touchdown passes.
* The offensive line has too many leaks. The unit as a whole played well in the first half against Northern Illinois, but in the second half, the same players kept getting beat, flagged for holding and doing a remarkable turnstile impression.
* So, with that a problem, the running game is in trouble. That said, there is quite a bit of promise at running back. I think Justin Jackson has the talent to be outstanding. The freshmen haven't quite learned how to pick the right hole (if there is one) and just go, but they're true freshmen. They'll learn.
* With a leaky line, little running game to take the load off and an offense not exactly designed to work in power formations, any quarterback's going to have trouble looking good. Siemian's no different. However ...
* The offensive play-calling has done him no favors, Siemian takes off running too often, at the wrong times, has held the ball too long too often, and when he does have time to throw, has been curiously inaccurate for long stretches in both the first two games.
* Which makes the drops from the receivers all the more painful. (See also Miles Shuler, sure TD, right through the hands)
* And obvious personal fouls that kill plays that would have been crucial positives.
* Why can't Pat Fitzgerald recruit players in the defensive back seven who have speed and display they know how to wrap up opponents? If there's ANY area you'd expect Fitzgerald to make work, it's that. Yet, season after season, we see too many players in the secondary and a linebacker or two dead-set on laying the smack down on an opponent instead of making sure they get the man on the ground.
* What's worse, this season, the defensive line has shown an alarming ability to get beat repeatedly by opponents simply bouncing runs to the outside. Time after time in both games, the defensive ends would inexplicably start working inside, only to see blockers and the back head their way and race past them to the outside. Without gap control, the defense might as well just sit down.
Now, the first two games have obviously been brutal for the most part, and it's no stretch to say we might have to celebrate if this team finishes 5-7. But there are positives, and -- if you squint really hard and take a giant swig of optimism -- reasons to expect a bit better.
* The penalty problem that played a big role in sinking NU against Northern Illinois is fixable. We can't expect a zero-penalty game like the Wildcats had against Cal, but a personal-foul fest isn't going to happen every game, either.
* Siemian figures to settle down even more as the season goes along, and it stands to reason he and the receivers, especially Kyle Prater and Shuler, will figure out how to connect better. Which should also help get Vitale free a bit more.
* Both freshmen running backs figure to only get better as the season progresses. We've already mentioned Jackson, and Vault looks talented, though clearly raw.
* With a bye week before facing Western Illinois, the defensive line has to get better at gap control. Right? ... Anyone?
Bottom line: No sane fan went into this season thinking a title for this squad was realistic. Based on what we've seen so far, the second half against Cal and first half against Northern Illinois (a lot better team than most give them credit for, by the way), I see no reason why the Wildcats can't wind up with four, maybe five wins. Purdue and Illinois aren't particularly good, and with a good overall game, it's possible NU could grab a win over Nebraska or win at Penn State.
Then again, with another injury or two, a 2-10 campaign wouldn't be completely out of the question. At least, the purple and white would get the first pick in the draft. Wait, what's that? No draft? (Sigh) All right, then. Break out the old "Beat the Spread" chant...
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