Bowl Preparation Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Almost here. Northwestern has one last chance to end their season on a successful note.
THE BAD: End. As the college football season rapidly races to the finish, it has been a great season, and it will be sad to see it end.
THE UGLY: Packers. Rumors as swirling about the Packers and Pat Fitzgerald. Losing Pat Fitzgerald would be a very sour end to a season where Northwestern was able to achieve many of their goals.

Bowl Preparation Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Bowl season. As bowl season carries on, there are constant reminders of why it is the greatest sports event of the year. The excitement and intensity are unmatched.
THE BAD: Time off. Northwestern has had a long break since they last stepped on the field. This creates the risk of becoming rusty. Northwestern will need to stay loose and keep focused in order to end the season successfully.
THE UGLY: Clayton Thorson. Thorson has done so much for Northwestern, and his final game is quickly approaching. It will be sad to see him go after all he has done.

Bowl Preparation Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Practice. Northwestern gets extra bowl practices as a great way to help the team continue to grow and get better.
THE BAD: Missed opportunities. Northwestern missed some great chances to make this season even more special. In the future they will need to capitalize when presented with great opportunities.
THE UGLY: Seniors. Northwestern's seniors only have one more game left. This senior class has done so much for Northwestern, and they have one last chance to leave their mark.

Bye Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Rest. Northwestern gets to rest and recover from various injuries that have affected them down the stretch.
THE BAD: Almost done. Northwestern's season is nearing its close. So far it has been an awesome year with many goals accomplished, but still many more to work towards.
THE UGLY: No game. Any week without a Northwestern game is worse than a week with a Northwestern game.

Northwestern vs. Ohio State

THE GOOD: Clayton Thorson. Thorson came up big all night long. He made countless big plays to bring life to the Northwestern offense. Whether it was with his legs or his arms, Thorson was driving the offense. He was in command and consistently made big plays. Northwestern will need Thorson to continue playing like this in order to have success.
THE BAD: Receivers. Northwestern's receivers struggled to get separation at times. This is what caused the offense to stall at times, and made life difficult for the rest of the offense. Northwestern will need to rely on their receivers to run crisper routes and make more plays downfield to help the offense reach its full potential.
THE UGLY: Secondary. Northwestern's secondary struggled mightily. They gave the receivers too much cushion and struggled to match their speed downfield. The general youth and inexperience in Northwestern's secondary was on full display. The inability to step and make a big play was a constant in the back end for Northwestern. Northwestern will need someone to come up big and make plays in the future.

Illinois vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Running game. Bowser and Hanaoka were able to find huge lanes to run through. This got the offense rolling and will be a huge key in the future.
THE BAD: Defense. Northwestern's defense gave up way too many yards. They were able to do a nice job of forcing field goals after long drives, but giving up that many yards is a recipe for disaster in the future and must be corrected.
THE UGLY: Pat Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald pulled the starters way too early and nearly cost Northwestern the game. Northwestern will need great coaching from Fitzgerald in order to have success in the future.

Northwestern vs. Minnesota

THE GOOD: Clayton Thorson. Thorson rebounded nicely in this one. He made a ton of great throws to keep drives moving and make the offense work. He also had a couple key runs to keep the defense honest. Northwestern will need Thorson to keep leading the offense if they want to have success down the stretch.
THE BAD: Adjustments. Northwestern didn't seem to adjust very much on defense. Turnover bailed them out multiple times, but Northwestern really failed to stop the slant route. Northwestern's coaching staff will need to get better at recognizing patterns in the future. Northwestern gave up too much success on the same route. Adjustments will need to made in the future in order to continue to have success.
THE UGLY: Running game. Northwestern started the game running the ball well, but struggled mightily as the game went on. The offensive line began to get pushed around, and there was little room for the running backs to work with. The running game will be a key for Northwestern in the future, so this will need to turn around. The offensive line will need to toughen up and become the ones doing the pushing in order to open up lanes to run. It all starts with physicality up front, and Northwestern's offensive line needs to rekindle that.

Northwestern vs. Iowa

THE GOOD: Big Ten West champions. Northwestern did it. They clinched the Big Ten West. They've played hard all season and have achieved one of their biggest goals. This is a huge step in the right direction for them program, but they still have to continue to perform well to continue achieving their goals.
THE BAD: Clayton Thorson. Thorson struggled to make plays down field for most of the game. He held onto the ball too long sometimes and struggled to be accurate when hitting receivers for big plays. He will need to find consistency if Northwestern wants to achieve their goals.
THE UGLY: Receivers. Flynn Nagel is the only Northwestern receiver who can consistently get separation from defenders. Now that defenses are focusing on him, the rest of Northwestern's receivers cannot seem to get open. This has greatly hindered the passing game, and needs to be corrected by running different route concepts to scheme receivers open or giving new guys a chance to play.

Notre Dame vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Isaiah Bowser. For the third game in a row, Bowser ran with a purpose and was able to have great success. He has done a great job of taking advantage of his opportunity and has really changes Northwestern's offense for the better.
THE BAD: Pass rush. Northwestern generated almost no pass rush. This forced the secondary to cover for long periods of time and they could not maintain tight coverage for extended periods of time. This led to some big plays being given up through the air. Northwestern will need to generate pass rush in order for their defense to be effective in the future.
THE UGLY: Adjustments. Northwestern failed to adjust on defense. They continuously put their corners ten years off the line and were content to give up big plays on flat routes. They crashed down on the middle on run plays, but failed to account for the quarterback run on multiple occasions. Northwestern will need to make adjustments to what their opponent is doing in the future if they hope to have success.

Wisconsin vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Defense. Northwestern's defense was flat out dominant. They completely controlled the game and helped overcome mistakes by the offense. Montre' Hartage continued to dominate on the outside. He was in complete control of one side of the field and showed how important he is to this defense. The defensive line stuffed the run and got to the quarterback. It was amazing to see Nate Hall back in the linebacking corps and he picked up right where he left off and helped power the defense to a breathtakingly dominant showing.
THE BAD: Play calling. Northwestern's offensive play calling seemed very predictable. They were still able to move the ball both on the ground and through the air, but they would've been able to find more success had they mixed up the play calling a little bit.
THE UGLY: Clayton Thorson. Thorson made enough plays to win and that is what counts. His legs were one of his biggest weapons, but he made some horrible decisions. Three interceptions is unacceptable, and needs to be cleaned up in the future. Mistakes like those cannot happen if Northwestern hopes to achieve their goals this season.

Northwestern vs. Rutgers

THE GOOD: Isaiah Bowser. Northwestern found a running game. Bowser carried the ball across the goal line twice and his hard running carried Northwestern to the finish line. Northwestern will need Bowser to keep up this pace if they hope to have success in the future.
THE BAD: Pass blocking. Northwestern's offensive line struggled to protect the quarterback at times. It hurt the rhythm of the passing game and slowed down the offense as a whole. This will need to be corrected immediately.
THE UGLY: Clayton Thorson. Thorson struggled mightily. He was wildly inaccurate at times, and dragged down the offense. He will need to right the ship immediately if Northwestern is going to have success.

Nebraska vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Passing game. Clayton Thorson and Flynn Nagel balled out once again. Northwestern was able to march up and down the field by throwing the ball. This is the identity of Northwestern's offense now, and they will need to keep up the success in the future.
THE BAD: Running game. Again Northwestern struggled to get any push up front in the running game, and the running backs struggled to make anything happen. Northwestern will need to get some diversity in their offense moving forward.
THE UGLY: Tackling. Northwestern missed tackles all over the place. They constantly allowed running backs to make people miss and gain extra yardage. There were a number of screen passes that could've been stopped for a loss, but missed tackles allowed the screens to go for positive yardage. Normally, Northwestern is a good tackling team, but they really struggled to wrap up and get players on the ground. This will need to be corrected going forward.

Northwestern vs. Michigan State

THE GOOD: Passing game. Everything came together through the air for Northwestern. Thorson was accurate and smart with ball, the receivers got open consistently, and the offensive line did a great job of protection. It was a welcome sight for a struggling offense.
THE BAD: Running game. Northwestern again struggled to run the football. Northwestern needs to become less one dimensional in order to unlock the full potential of their offense.
THE UGLY: Kicking. This is getting ridiculous. Northwestern can't keep leaving points on the field. It's time to find a new kicker.

Michigan vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Defense. Northwestern's defense balled out once again. They need to keep this up in order for Northwestern to turn this season around.
THE BAD: Running game. Northwestern's running game was obviously dealt a huge blow with Larkin's retirement, but someone needs to step up in his absence.
THE UGLY: Blocking. PLEASE FIRE ADAM CUSHING. PLEASE FIRE ADAM CUSHING. PLEASE FIRE ADAM CUSHING. PLEASE FIRE ADAM CUSHING. This is getting ridiculous. How many games does Northwestern have to lose because of poor offensive line play before Fitzgerald realizes Cushing needs to go. On almost every big play in the second half, Thorson was under extreme pressure. This needs to be fixed immediately if Northwestern wants to turn this season around.

Bye Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Rest. Northwestern gets to rest up heading into conference play.
THE BAD: Momentum. Northwestern had no momentum coming into the bye week, so it is tough to find much to springboard off of during the bye week.
THE UGLY: No game. No game meant there was not a chance for northwestern to improve heading into conference play, something they could've used.

Akron vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Jeremy Larkin. Larkin has been the only consistent force for Northwestern. It's nice to see that at least one player cares.
THE BAD: Kicking. Northwestern can't continue to leave points on the field. That's unacceptable and is demoralizing for the team.
THE UGLY: Tackling. Northwestern had so many opportunities to put Akron away if they wrapped up and tackled. Normally this is a strong suit for Northwestern, but this year it has been very costly. This needs to be fixed immediately.

Duke vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Defense. Northwestern's defense had a little rough patch in the second quarter, but other than that they were dominant. It was great too see a dominant performance from the defense after struggling early in the game. They will need to keep this up in order for Northwestern to be successful.
THE BAD: Receivers. Flynn Nagel was the only receiver who showed up. Drops and failure to get separation plagued Northwestern all game and really hurt the offense.
THE UGLY: Blocking. Adam Cushing needs to be fired this instant. If Fitzgerald refuses to fire assistants, then he goes too. Northwestern can't start every year struggling offensively because no one blocks. That's no way to build a program, and it needs to stop now.

Northwestern vs. Purdue

THE GOOD: Clayton Thorson. It was great to see Thorson out there so soon after his knee injury. He looked very strong in the first half, but like most of the offense he struggled in the second half. Hopefully, he will continue to get back to top speed in his recovery.
THE BAD: Offensive line. The first half saw the offensive line open up gaping holes for the Northwestern run game. The second half was completely different. Northwestern had no room to run and the offense was completely ineffective.
THE UGLY: Tackling. Northwestern did not tackle well. All three levels of the defense missed countless tackles. Northwestern usually prides themselves on being a fundamentally sound defense, but they were sloppy and lazy when it came to tackling.

CatsCast #1

- Northwestern football recap
- Northwestern basketball late season review

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KrcGC_nfUmuku2btX0YS_THN1ipeGaFb

(Intro song: "Whatever it Takes" by Imagine Dragons)

Kentucky vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Matt Alviti. Alviti ended his career in tremendous fashion, leading Northwestern to a huge win. He came in a highly-touted recruit, spent his whole career as a backup, but leaves a champion.
THE BAD: Finale. The end of Justin Jackson's amazing career. I can't imagine life without seeing him in the backfield. He truly defined Northwestern football during his four years in Evanston. It was an honor to watch him play, and it is truly sad that he will never suit up for the Wildcats again.
THE UGLY: Coaching. I honestly don't know what Fitzgerald was thinking on some of those fourth down calls. He's lucky that his boneheaded decisions didn't cost his team the game.