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.