Northwestern vs. Wisconsin

THE GOOD: Defense. Northwestern's defense put together an amazing performance. They were able to make plays all over the field, and will need to continue to play well as the season goes on.
THE BAD: Blocking. Northwestern's offensive line turned in another abysmal performance. They generated no push up front in the run game and had far too many breakdowns in pass protection that led to free rushers at the quarterback. Something has to change in order for Northwestern to find success.
THE UGLY: Mick McCall. Mick McCall is the definition of incompetence. He continues to put his players in a position to fail. McCall constantly fails to make adjustments that would benefit the offense. McCall fails to see what would be in the best interest of the offense and continues to make the same mistakes time and time again.

Michigan State vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Defense. Northwestern's defense played aggressive and was able to make many good plays. They will need to continue to make strong tackles and play aggressive.
THE BAD: Offense. Mick McCall needs to be fired immediately. He is the definition of incompetence. He runs an extremely outdated offense, and within that offense he never seems to make the proper play call. He consistently puts his players in a position to fail and limits the team as a whole. If Northwestern wants to reach their potential they need a play caller who will maximize the talent he has to work with.
THE UGLY: Offensive line. Northwestern's offensive line was flat out soft. They got pushed around all game long. Northwestern will need their offensive line to turn it around in order to find success this season.

UNLV vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Backfield. Northwestern got great play from their backfield all game long. They were able to find success running and throwing the ball through out the game. This is something they will need to continue to build upon as the season progresses.
THE BAD: Tackling. Northwestern continued to struggle with missed tackles. It was devastating in the first half as it created multiple big plays that hurt the defense. This is a serious issue that Northwestern will need to correct immediately.
THE UGLY: Red zone. Northwestern was forced to settle for field goals on multiple occasions in the red zone. Converting those opportunities into touchdowns is something they will need to focus on correcting if they hope to have success this season.

Bye Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Rest. Northwestern gets time to recover and get healthier before they continue on with their season.
THE BAD: Rhythm. Northwestern misses an opportunity to continue to establish a rhythm on both sides of the ball. This is something they will need to continue striving for as the season progresses.
THE UGLY: No game. There was no opportunity for Northwestern to get more live game practice. They will need to quickly get up to game speed in order to achieve their goals for this season.

Northwestern vs. Stanford

THE GOOD: Isaiah Bowser. Bowser looked both fast and powerful when he had the ball in his hands. He will need to keep improving as the season goes along in order to help the offense move the ball and stay on the field.
THE BAD: Tackling. Northwestern missed far too many tackles. This contributed to extended drives, and forced the defense to be on the field for long periods of time. This issue needs to be figured out soon.
THE UGLY: Sloppiness. Northwestern played very sloppy and shot themselves in the foot too many times. The mistakes in all three phases of the game continued to pile up as the game went on. Northwestern will need to play much cleaner in the future if they hope to reach their goals.