Northwestern News Network

by: Noah Fromson

Evanston, Ill.— In a game lacking offensive execution, the Michigan Wolverines beat Northwestern by a final score of 10-9 after the Wildcats failed to complete a game-winning two point conversion with three seconds left in the game.

The first quarter started slowly as both struggling squads’ drives stalled near midfield. Michigan’s rush defense, second in the Big Ten in opponent yards per carry coming into the game, stuffed Justin Jackson on 4th and 2 with just under seven minutes left in the first quarter to halt Northwestern after two big third down conversions.

The game was scoreless after one quarter, but a careless interception from Trevor Siemian with 1:30 to go in the first quarter gave Michigan an opportunity in NU territory. But the Wolverines got greedy on 4th and 1 at the NU 16, and Chi Chi Ariguzo stopped Michigan running back De’Veon Smith short to end the drive two minutes into the second quarter.

Matthew Harris picked off Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner with 90 seconds remaining in the half, but Siemian gave it right back on a tipped-pass interception by defensive lineman Matthew Godin at the NU 35 yard-line. Michigan attempted a 41-yard field goal with 15 ticks to go, but Nick VanHoose leaped in to block Matt Wile’s kick, and the half ended in a scoreless tie.

Michigan’s offensive woes continued as Northwestern recovered a fumble on a shotgun snap to Gardner that ricocheted off a receiver in motion at the MICH 27. But Jack Mitchell’s missed 36-yard field goal extinguished the Cats’ momentum.

Both teams’ opening drives in the third quarter were duds, but with just over seven minutes left in the quarter, Tony Jones muffed a punt return that Michigan recovered at the NU 21. After an 18 yard pass from Gardner to Funchess, Michigan struck first as De’Veon Smith took it to the house from three yards out to give Michigan at 7-0 lead with 6:49 left in the quarter.

“I forgot to lock my elbows and it was a very costly mistake,” Tony Jones said. “Those plays can change the outcome of the game…[and] I have got to be better. I take full responsibility for the play.”

Northwestern gave it right back on a quick three-and-out, but Michigan couldn’t capitalize. With around five minutes left in the quarter, Gardner fired a bullet that was nabbed by Ibraheim Campbell and returned for 79 yards to the MICH 11. In the game’s fashion, a sack and intentional grounding call dropped NU back to the MICH 43, and they punted for the seventh time. Michigan led by seven at the end of the third quarter.

Michigan’s Delonte Hollowell made an athletic catch to down another punt at the NU 1 yard-line at the beginning of the final quarter. But Siemian began the drive 4/4 for 47 yards and led the Cats 95 yards, but NU could only come up with a field goal to make the score 7-3 with 7:26 left in the game.

After a 16-yard pass from Gardner to to tight end Jake Butt and a few big runs by Smith at the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Michigan hit a 37 yard field goal to make the lead 10-3 with 3:10 remaining in the game.

NU started its final drive at its own 26 yard-line, and Siemian drove the offense to the MICH 28. Michigan’s Raymon Taylor committed a pass interference penalty that gave NU first and goal with 45 seconds remaining, and Siemian hit Tony Jones for a touchdown with three seconds left on the clock.

In a risky two-point conversion attempt, Siemian tripped over his own feet, and Northwestern’s hopes of a last second victory ended in sadness.

When asked about his decision to go for two at the end of the game, head coach Pat Fitzgerald said he made the decision with six minutes remaining in the game.

“As poorly as we played last week, I thought the guys prepared well, but at the end we just ended up three yards short,” Fitzgerald said.

NU started the game in no huddle offense fueled by a 19 yard strike from Siemian to Prater. However, an illegal formation penalty negated a Justin Jackson huge gain, and the Cats were forced to punt.

Matt Alviti entered the game for a few snaps rushing two times for five yards. NU could not get the rushing game going at all: Justin Jackson had nine carries for only 12 yards.

Siemian targeted Prater on four of his first five passes as he started the game 4-6 for 49 yards. His first five completions went for an average of 13 yards, atypical for an offense that rarely passes beyond the first down marker, but the progress was squandered by a telegraphed interception with just over a minute left in the first quarter.

Michigan had good field position after Jake Ryan picked off Siemian, but Chi Chi Ariguzo  stood-up De’Veon Smith at the NU 16 on 4th down and one.

Siemian ended the half 13-20 for 119 yards and 2 INTs. A higher completion rate than his 56.2 percent coming into the game, but when third down came, he under threw his targets and NU couldn’t finish a drive.

Both Gardner and Siemian were picked off late in the second quarter, and neither team could capitalize. Michigan’s 41-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Nick VanHoose. The teams ended the half scoreless.

-Noah Fromson, NNN Sports

By Mike Marut

In their season opener against McKendree University, Northwestern showed off its new freshmen and high-octane offense in a 102-52 victory.

Freshmen Bryant McIntosh, Vic Law, Johnnie Vassar, Gavin Skelly and Scottie Lindsey put the pedal to the metal in the game. The Freshmen Five have taken well to the coach Chris Collins high speed offense combining for 50 points for NU. Not only could they score, they were able to move the ball well and make plays. Especially in the first half, the Cats proved they could pass only giving up three turnovers while notching 18 assists.

McIntosh led the freshmen in scoring with 15 points as well as led the team in assists with 11. Overall, the freshman pointguard came out as a strong candidate for leader of the NU squad.

“My role is kind of to run the team,” McIntosh said. “A pointguard’s job is to get us in the offense, and create for myself or others. If I have an opportunity to score, then that’s what I have to do for my team. If I see an opportunity for a teammate, I’ve got to create and get them the ball.

Also getting the job done on the floor was Law. After throwing down the first dunk of the season, he went on to score eight more points, a team-high three steals and four rebounds. Law has seen himself as a utility player in Collins’s offense, and on Friday, he played that role perfectly. He was able to create space, find open teammates to rotate the rock, and make plays when that was his only option.

Not only did Collins recognize the leadership of the freshmen and development of his team, but so did senior Jershon Cobb. Cobb saw the immediate impact of the newcomers was able to capitalize on that impact. Because of the freshmen filling playmaker roles, Cobb can “go back to (his) natural position at the two” guard which opens up scoring opportunities and playmaking opportunities more so than last season.

“It helps me be more of a scorer,” Cobb said. “There’s really no need for me to play point(guard) a lot. We’ve got (McIntosh), (Dave Sobolewski) and Johnny (Vassar).

As much as fans were impressed with the ‘Cats’ play Friday night, Collins was even more impressed and excited about the freshmen. They stepped up immediately, in Collins’ opinion, and will lead the team to great heights. Last season, NU had to rely on its defense to get the team through tough scoreless stretches, in Collins’s eyes the team will no longer need to rely so heavily on their defense.

“This is a team with different guys who can score the basketball,” Collins said. “We have a lot of shooters, a good inside presence, and we’re going to be one of these teams where, on a different day, you’re going to have a different leading scorer. … When you can shoot and score, it allows your defense a little bit more margin for error and that’s what we didn’t have last year. We had droughts, seven, eight minutes in games we couldn’t score. It put so much pressure on our defense to save the day.”

By Mike Marut

In the first half, Northwestern ran the floor with extreme aggressiveness. In the second half, although still aggressive, the Wildcats seemed to turn the intensity dial to the left and slowed down the pace of their game. The freshmen still showed off their athleticism with Scottie Lindsey attempting a dunk and all still hustling down the floor. Coach Collins rotated his team in fives, giving everybody a breather and consistently keeping fresh legs on the floor.

Free throw shooting really did not improve in the second half, as the team finished with under 50%, only 10 for 21 overall. Downtown Dimes (3-pointers) kept at a high percentage though with 10-14 overall, but that does not excuse the poor FTM/FTA. In the middle of the half, passing seemed to get a bit sloppy with many dishes going off the hands of Cats and out-of-bounds. NU dominated the transition game, with most scores coming on fast breaks and from paint points.

To end the night with some style, Gavin Skelly had a strong putback slam emphasizing the ‘Cats’ dominance over the Bearcats.

Final Score: 102-52 Wildcats over Bearcats