Northwestern vs. Ohio State

THE GOOD: Clayton Thorson. Thorson continued to improve in this game. He made string throws and showed off his speed. The most impressive thing about Thorson's performance, in my opinion, was his poise under pressure. He made countless strong throws with defenders  closing in on him. This is the most improved aspect of his game.
THE BAD: Tackling. Northwestern missed too many tackles in open space. This is simple fundamentals and needs to be corrected. Northwestern did seem to get better in this area as the game went on.
THE UGLY: The end. Northwestern had a great chance to win this game. The defense allowed Ohio State to march right down the field and take the lead back. After a Northwestern field goal , the defense allowed Ohio State to run the clock out despite having multiple opportunities to get the ball back for the offense. The most notable was a long run on quarterback draw on 3rd & 10. Northwestern needs to become more consistent at finishing games out.

Beavers vs. Washington State

Positives: Ryan Nall was a beast. McMaryion stepped and showed us that he is a good quarterback.

Negatives: Defense. They gave up 2 big passing TD's and one long TD run. They need to stop the long plays.

Beavers @ #5 Washington

Sorry it's late. I was busy

Positives: They managed to score 17 points with their third string QB on #5 Washington. They never backed down.

Negatives: Their defense has to stop the big plays. John Ross was catching long passes all day long.

Indiana vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: The receivers. All of Northwestern's receivers stepped up. It was not only Austin Carr, although he did score a touchdown. Macan Wilson and Solomon Vault also scored touchdowns. Vault was very impressive as he consistently got open.
THE BAD: The finish. Northwestern played a good first quarter and that's all. The defense did not allow Indiana to score much, but they were the definition of bend but don't break. The offense was atrocious after the first quarter.
THE UGLY: The defensive play calling. Northwestern continued to have their corners sit fifteen yards off the line and allow Indiana to gain ten yards a completion. This strategy is beyond stupid. No team can willingly give up ten yards a play and expect to win. Northwestern also seemed to forget about covering the flats.

Northwestern vs. Michigan State

THE GOOD: Clayton Thorson. Thorson made some great throws and lead the offense down the field. This was the kind of confidence building performance Thorson needed.
THE BAD: The start. Northwestern started very poorly. They cannot continue to do this or it will catch up with them.
THE UGLY: The defense. The defense gave up more than thirty points for the second straight game. This needs to be corrected soon.

Beavers vs Utah

Positives: The defense played great.

Negatives: The offense needs to pass the ball better. Also injuries killed them such as Nall and Garretson.

Beavers vs. California

Positives: The offensive line finally held up together as a whole. Ryan Nall AKA WreckingNall was a beast with 221 yards and 3 TDs. Garretson finally stepped up.

Negatives: The defense can't give up 40+ points consistently.

Bye Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Rest. Northwestern gets to rest and hopefully get some key players healthy, like Matthew Harris.
THE BAD: The timing. The bye week comes just as it appeared the offense had figured it out; hopefully, they do not lose their rhythm.
THE UGLY: No game. As frustrating as Northwestern games can be, Saturdays just aren't the same without them.

Northwestern vs. Iowa

 THE GOOD: Ifeadi Odenigbo. Odenigbo had the best game of his career. He consistently harassed Iowa's quarterback and was a big part in stopping the run. Odenigbo is becoming the perfect defensive end this year.
THE BAD: The defense. The defense gave up 31 points. This was largely due to bad field position as they held Iowa to a low amount of yardage. They cannot continue to give up this many points, however.
THE UGLY: The kick coverage. No matter who was returning kicks or punts for Iowa, they were ripping off huge returns. Northwestern needs to get this issue fixed or it will hurt them down the line.

Beavers @ Colorado

Positives: nothing

Negatives: everything