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NU Alltime Best Games - #21 - "Badge(r) of Honor"

The Game: NU vs Wisconsin -"Badge(r) of Honor"

Dateline: November 21, 1992

Ranking: 21 (of 24)

The Setup: In what seemed like a Badger home game, Barry Alvarez' troops entered Dyche Stadium hoping to secure their first bowl game in eons. Wisconsin was 5-5 and a win on this final weekend of Big Ten play would guarantee a Bowl game. Gary Barnett was completing his first season at the helm and the Cats were 2-8 and playing for pride.

The Game: The game was definitely not a classic by any means. All you need to know is the Badgers were marching on their final drive and the NU faithful stood with a collective "here we go again" attitude waiting to watch the Cats snag defeat from the jaws of victory. The Badgers, down 2, had a last second field goal attempt go awry and NU hung on 27-25.

Indelible Moment: The throngs of completely silent Badger fans walking down Central Street on the verge of tears.

You Bleed Purple If...: You saw this in the rankings and thought "Greg Gill".

Why it Ranks: It marked the 3rd Big Ten win of the season for the Cats (Illinois in "the comeback" and Purdue were the other two) - a feat that hadn't been accomplished since 1971. Barnett's ability to motivate the Cats, who were playing for nothing in front of a partisan Wisconsin crowd, against a team that was playing for everything was admirable.

Lasting Legacy: I point to this game as the foundation for the glory years. The 3 Big Ten wins served as a great recruiting tool to back Barnett's boundless optimism. Remember the scoffing at the Expect Victory signs in each end zone? After this game it gave us all hope that something special might be brewing.

Lake The Posts!

So I'm only a week in and I received the blogosphere smackdown. My "dot-tv" extension on my URL combined with the discrepancy in URLs between the blogger address and the .tv address has caused me to start anew with laketheposts.com.

If you have to ask about the new URL than the site is probably not for you. I'd love to get the official count of Goalpost lakings in NU history - so send your soggy tales of "w's" in to me! Sorry for the trouble this is causing to all 6 of you who have been so kind as to check out the site.

NU Alltime Best Games - #22 "Obliterating Sparty"

The Game: NU at Michigan State "Obliterating Sparty"

Dateline: October 22, 2005

Ranking: 22 (of 24)

The Setup: Sparty was 4-2 and ranked #22 in the country. NU was looking for their 3rd straight Big Ten win and prove they were for real despite the heartbreaking home opener to the resurgent Penn State JoePas. It was an 11 am ESPN2 game and promised a whole lot of, ahem, offensive fireworks (couldn't resist - happy 4th!) and not a lot of "D". MSU was 3rd in the nation in total offense (1st Big Ten) while the Cats were 4th in the nation in total offense (2nd Big Ten). And of course, it was homecoming (I lament the last hurdle in respectability is finally getting off the homecoming schedules of Big Ten opponents).

The Game: An inauspicious beginning - MSU marched 75 yards for a TD on their first drive - was definitely not an indication of things to come. Basanez had a monster day, throwing for 331 yards, 2 TD passes and 2 TD runs as part of 533 total yards of offense. Tyrell Sutton had an "oh-by-the-way" 109 rushing yards. The Cats led at half 21-7 and proceeded to crush Sparty 49-14.

Indelible Moment: Demetrius Eaton rumbling, stumbling and scream for oxygen 86-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.

You Bleed Purple If...:You're still pissed at Drew Stanton for his cheap shot, helmet-to-knee tackle of Brendan Smith at the 37 on an end zone pick runback.

Why it Ranks: Could have easily picked another MSU win at Ryan field - the 1997 blocked FG game - but in retrospect, this game actually meant something. Big Ten road game blowouts are far and few between and this one was a confidence builder that helped the mojo down the stretch en route to a Sun Bowl berth against UCLA.

Lasting Legacy: This one was symbolic of the Basanez-era "just find a way to win" mentality. NU's horrific "D" coughed up 480 yards and still beat a legit Big Ten team by 35. As Bleeding Purple's staff grows due to your ever increasing loyalty, I'll be able to have some crack statician point-out how rare this accomplishtment actually is. Until then, you'll have to deal with the fact that it was this stat that made it a Top 24 no brainer.

Happy 4th!

Schedule (Hay)Makers Part Deux

ESPN puts the Cats sched as 7th easiest in the nation. Now those are the types of preseason top 10 rankings this cat likes to see. Way to go Fitz! And I still say 8-4. No trash talking Hoosiers and Buckeyes - you're also in the top 10 with us. Note to Bucks: If you're going to go cream puff at least schedule no-name teams that are NOT good. Youngstown State is a bad schedule - this game offers nothing more than pregame "you know it's Tressel's former team" banter. Bottom line -it still doesn't look good to have a close game scrolling along the ESPN ticker. You never want to have the honus of eductating CFB fans and lazy poll voters how good a non-name team is ("no really, there good, they went blah blah blah)...Michigan take note as well - Appalachian State - BAD game to schedule - game will be close.

NU Alltime Best Games - #23 - The Pigskin "Not so" Classic

The Game: NU vs Oklahoma at Soldier Field "The Pigskin Classic"

Dateline: August 23, 1997

Ranking: 23 (of 24)

The Setup: Coming off back-to-back Big Ten titles (albeit co-titles) our beloved Cats were selected as the headliner for the official kick-off game for the '97 season. Forget the fact that Oklahoma was coming off a 3-8 debacle, their worst season in 35 years - a "w", we knew, would play out nicely in future leafing through the media guide.

The Game: The worst of the 24 greatest games. Hands down. Two Gowins field goals were the only points through most of the game before the Cats "o" wore down the Sooners and Faraji Leary and Levelle Brown punched in two late rushing TDs.

Indelible Moment: D'wayne Bates going down with a severely sprained ankle early in the game. And, the disappointing feeling of seeing the opening ABC pan of Soldier Field with more yellow empty seats than fans. The 35,000+ in attendance proved that while the reigning Big Ten champs had been adopted nationally as worthy of the audience, it underscored the Cats inability to draw.

You Bleed Purple If...:You remember the timely Keith Lozowski pick inside the 10 to stave off an OU touchdown and set-up the dagger TD for the Cats.

Why it Ranks: It is hard to remember, but the now defunct "Classic" was truly an honor for college football teams (remember the Michigan-UVA classic?). This makes the list not so much for the game, but the symbolism of being selected as a national stamp of legitimacy for the program. Unfortunately, the 5-7 season (3-5 Big Ten) didn't do much to keep it there.

Lasting Legacy: None, really. Lessons learned - until Ryan Field sells out regularly, never play a home game at another venue.

Top 24 (nod to TRD #24) Alltime Best NU Games - #24

The Game: NU vs Northern Illinois

AKA:"The Streak Breaker"

Dateline: Sept. 25, 1982

Ranking: 24 (of 24)

The Setup: The Cats entered this game against Northern Illinois riding the all-time Division I record losing streak of 34 straight games. Allegedly (I wasn't there!), after a 61-14 home loss vs Michigan State during the streak, fans ripped down the goalposts and chanted "we're the worst".
The Game: All that matters in this one is the result. Cats left no doubt trouncing the Huskies 31-6. Dennis Green's unforgettable quote - "When I woke up that day, I knew it was a special day" - is the only chuckle Cats fans can remember from an otherwise forgettable era.

Indelible Moment: Fans ripping down goalposts (this time in victory) and marching them to Lake Michigan.

You Bleed Purple If...:You were there.

Key Stat: Consider the previous season the Cats were outscored 505-82 and this win almost seems Notre Dame-esque. Uhhh, not quite.

Why it Ranks: While this blog will admittedly downplay the lovable loser thing, it is impossible to retain any strand of credibility without at least acknowledging the dark times. Subconsciously it is part of the appeal. This is the only game of the 80s that makes the list.

Lasting Legacy: Cats still own the alltime losing streak record for Division I, however they rank 4th (thankfully) behind these infamous squads:

1. Prairie View A&M (Division I-AA) 1989-1998 - 80 straight losses
2. Macalaster College (MN) (Division III) 1974 - 1980 - 50 straight losses
3. Columbia University (Division I-AA) -1983-1988 - 44 straight losses
(source: ESPN Page2)

Schedule (Hay)Makers

10th in Big Ten Schedule
According to SI.com, NU boasts the 10th hardest schedule in the conference. Better put, we've got the 2nd easiest schedule behind Indiana. Every year, I scan the list and mentally click off wins and losses. Nearly every year I also am wrong, and we lose 1 non-conference game we shouldn't. So away we go...

The Good:Being the stubborn fool I am, we will go 4-0 non-conference this year beating Northeastern, Nevada (trap game!), Duke and Eastern Michigan (November). You can't blame Murphy and company - I applaud them - for this Wisconsin-esque September. These 4 patsies went a combined 14-34 last year. Bring it. Will be the 2nd time in 30+ years we start 3-0 and then...

The Bad:We open the Big Ten slate at the Shoe and then return home for the conference home opener against Michigan. Are you kidding me? The folks in Park Ridge have either a great sense of humor or simply want to test our resolve. Still saying 8-4.

The Ugly: In the "no such thing as an ugly "w" category, NU's pennance for the OSU-Michigan back-to-backer is the fact we lose Wisconsin and Penn St. from the slate. So, the final 7 games of the year are not "name" games, but I don't care - I just want the "w"s....@MSU, vs MN, @Eastern Michigan (Ford Field), @Purdue, vs Iowa, vs Indiana, @IL


Word on the Street...
The converted QB-to-WR Andrew Brewer is turning heads among NU staff. He's allegedly got the best hands since Musso.

Draft, Schmaft

Purple Spin on Draft Night
Considering this cat cares about the draft as much as SEC fans care about the Northeastern-Northwestern opener, time to have a NU CFB take on tonight's big doings. I've taken the NBA draft order and paired the names of the drafting teams with the most relevant Cat. Now this is a mock (-ery) draft:

2007 NU Mock Draft
1. The Blazer
Fitz. The South Bend-spurned Southside Chicagoan paves a path to the best 2-year run of any Big Ten defensive player in history and is the nucleus of the best. college. football. story. Ever. (wink to pal Dan Shanoff).

2. The Sonic
Eric Scott. Only the truest of Cats remembers his game-winning (setup) kickoff return against BC in 1993. The only thing more fleeting than his feet was his tenure at NU.

3. The Hawk
Chris Martin. Any NU DB who can shut down one half of the field in Big Ten play gets my vote.

4. The Grizzly
Casey Dailey. The straggly-haired assasin posted sacks like Oden double-doubles.

5. The Celtic
No brainer. Tim McGarigle. Nuff said.

6. Bucks
Barry Gardner and Napoleon Harris. True grit, great attitude, relentless pursuit.

7. T(een)-Wolves
Brian Musso. Can't you just see him transforming into the Michael J. Fox character in the football sequel of the sports cult classic?

8. The Bobcat
GB. The infamous Ohio U. (see Bobcat connection) cheap shot against above mentioned T-Wolve in the 98 opener (punt return that nearly decapitated Musso) sent our former fearless leader into attack mode.

9. Bulls
Noah Herron and Matt Hartl (tie). Only thing matching their toughness was their likability.

10. Kings
Entire 1995 team. Despite slightly tarnished GB image, the luster will never fade from the Purple to Pasadena team.

Speaking of Purple to Pasadena...
ESPN's current list of top 100 moments lists the Cats Purple to Pasadena SEASON in the #79 slot. What a joke. The ND upset alone ranks in the top 10. Interestingly, the top 100 moments contains an obscure NU reference - an ailing George Gipp 70-yard TD pass in the last seconds at NU for a 33-7 win. Further underlining the absurdity of the list, this meaningless play is 5 spots AHEAD of the 1995 Cats season in the #74 spot.

Taking the Purple Plunge

I've taken the plunge. The blog plunge. The Northwestern Football blog plunge. Our present day uber-niche wild west media world enables me to contribute to your procrastination habits by offering a perspective of NU football that hopefully helps satisfy the "how many days to kickoff?" bug we share.

In the interest of full disclosure I have selfish motivations. First, I'm trying to immerse myself in the blog world as part of my day job. Second, I am cursed/blessed with being a diehard Cats football fan. Third, I, like you, procrastinate and figure this perhaps can be a way to channel it constructively. So there you are - my opening salvo - the shot across the Ryan Field bow.

All 13 of us that consider ourselves diehard Cats fans can hopefully reminisce, stir the pot and keep the faith collectively. I have been beaten down by the lists Gods and feel that despite the alleged highbrow demographic of the Cat fan - I should create a list we care about. ESPN's Top 100 college football moments - heh! If you don't list NU's win over ND in 1995 - you lose all credibility with me (I will repeatedly refer to this as the biggest college football upset in history - this is my go-to barroom debate - I've yet to lose in my own mind). So bear with me as I get my blog legs under me and kick-off with the first ever (to my knowledge) NU's Top 24 football moments (tip of cap to #24, "The Real Deal", of course -heretofor known as TRD). It launches on Monday.

I can only claim diehard status of 17 years, so please note - this blog acknowledges the ESPN era only (1979-present), with an emphasis on 1991-present. My first game was a Rice-NU game in September of 1991 - a drubbing in front of 14,000 fans. Despite this, I was hooked (I was one of 6 people who went to the Orrington to watch the next week's game at Rutgers on satellite TV).

So, sit back, bookmark this link and get ready to start prophesizing, reminiscing an speculating, we're going 8-4 baby!