All through a sunny Saturday at Ryan Field, Northwestern had performed with a passion and a purpose and a persistence it had lacked in so many of its earlier efforts. Now, as the fourth quarter opened, the Wildcats were up two points on Michigan and awaiting those 15 minutes they believe they own.
“We put an emphasis on that in practice,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “Typically, we’ve been very solid in the fourth quarter.”
In the last 14 games decided by seven points or fewer, Northwestern had won an estimable 11 times.
“We always harp on the finish — get it to the fourth quarter because we know we’ve been able to pull things out when we needed to, make plays when we needed to,” left tackle Dylan Thiry said. “But we made turnovers. We didn’t give ourselves a chance to win.”
They instead gave the game to the Wolverines, who took advantage of NU’s largesse to escape with a 28-16 win.
Their go-ahead score, a 16-yard pass from Chad Henne to Adrian Arrington, came after a fumble by Wildcats quarterback C.J. Bacher, who was stripped while trying to pass.
That left Northwestern down five with nearly 10 minutes remaining. And on its very next series Bacher was hit while throwing. The ball popped into the air and was collected by Wolverines defensive end Tim Jamison. The Cats dodged this bullet when the Wolverines’ Jason Gingell missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt, but Bacher immediately turned it over again.
This time he threw behind Rasheed Ward on a crossing pattern. Ward tipped the ball but couldn’t corral it, and Wolverines linebacker Obi Ezeh intercepted. That led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Mike Hart at 4:31, which Bacher followed with yet another turnover, this time fumbling after Michigan linebacker Shawn Crable sacked him.
“We were right there,” Fitzgerald said, disappointment evident in his voice.
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Said Thiry: “We shot ourselves in the foot.”
The self-inflicted wounds marred an otherwise admirable effort by the Cats, who rebounded from their embarrassment at Ohio State with a performance that reclaimed their manhood. Their defensive line won the majority of the battles waged in the trenches and constantly thwarted Hart, who gained 45 of his 106 yards rushing in the fourth.
Their defense controlled the Wolverines through the first half, when they were guided by freshman Ryan Mallett on all but one series, and did not implode even when confronted with senior Henne, who had missed the previous two games with a sprained right knee and was scheduled to play just two series, one in each half.
“But it looked like our offense was kind of getting sloppy,” Henne said after playing the entire second half. “When we were in at halftime, coach asked if I’m ready to go, and I said I was.”
The Wolverines needed him, which is why coach Lloyd Carr asked him, and Henne’s presence clearly was a key.
More puzzling was the Wildcats’ use of running back Omar Conteh, who ran for 11, 5 and 9 yards on their first three plays of the second half, giving him 98 yards on just a dozen carries. Then he virtually disappeared, carrying just three more times.
Freed up from worrying about Conteh, the Wolverines went after Bacher with vigor, forcing those turnovers and holding the Wildcats to 37 yards on 18 fourth-quarter plays.
“I’m proud of the way our men fought,” Fitzgerald said, and with good reason.
But then he concluded, “Now we have to go out and learn how to finish.”
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Wildcats 2-minute drill
Getting offensive: Wolverines quarterback Chad Henne played all of the second half after appearing for just one series in the first. He finished 18 of 27 for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Wildcats running back Omar Conteh netted 115 yards on 15 carries and caught four passes for 24 more.
On the defense: After getting hammered at Ohio State, the Wildcats’ line put on a performance that deserved a better ending.
The number: 5. That’s how many turnovers Wildcats quarterback C.J. Bacher had — three interceptions and two fumbles.
They’re still talking about: NU’s fourth-quarter meltdown in which its four possessions ended in turnovers.
Sick bay: Linebacker Prince Kwateng suffered an undisclosed injury a week earlier against Ohio State but could be back next week.
Audible: In his last three games, Bacher has no TD passes, three lost fumbles and seven interceptions. … Amado Villarreal is 7-for-7 on his field-goal attempts after going 3-for-3 Saturday.
Looking ahead: Now comes Michigan State, which has been one of the conference surprises this season.
— Skip Myslenski
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