Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Pat Fitzgerald has a plan to help Northwestern prevent its slow starts, one that actor Dennis Haysbert might appreciate.
"I was thinking about going 'Major League' and cutting the head off a chicken like [Pedro] Cerrano did," Fitzgerald said.
Haysbert, who played Cerrano in the iconic sports comedy, never actually went through with the sacrifice, and not surprisingly, neither will Fitzgerald.
Though the fourth-year head coach would like his team to start faster in games, he doesn't plan to make major changes to his team's preparation. Sadly, Jobu won't be making an appearance in the Wildcats' locker room.
"The bottom line is we're doing everything we can to win," Fitzgerald said. "Early in the year, we started fast and we didn't finish. Now, a couple games, we didn't go out and score 25 points in the first quarter, and so what's wrong there? We try to be more consistent, we try to be more focused, we try to execute to the best of our ability.
"If you have a little bit of this and a little bit of that, you're going to be spread so thin."
Northwestern has been outscored in the first quarter 52-42 this season. Take away its first two games against Towson and Eastern Michigan, and the deficit swells to 52-16.
The Wildcats have faced first-half deficits of 17-0 against Syracuse, 14-3 against Minnesota, 21-3 against Purdue and 28-3 against Indiana. Fortunately for Fitzgerald, NU rallied to beat the Boilermakers and mounted the biggest comeback in team history last week against the Hoosiers.
The slow starts could be a factor Saturday afternoon against Penn State (ESPN, 4:30 p.m. ET), which has outscored its opponents 61-10 in the first quarter this season. Penn State hadn't allowed a first-half touchdown until last week, when Michigan marched to the end zone on the first possession of the game.
"Especially versus Penn State, we can't have [a slow start]," sophomore safety Brian Peters said. "It's not what we want, so defnitely it's surprising. One person's job can affect the whole start, and it happens on special teams, too. It's really just focusing on our jobs and trying to limit that surprise effect of them getting up on us."
Though the slow starts are far from ideal, they have tested Northwestern's resolve. The Wildcats seem to be at their best with their backs against the wall.
"That emphasizes the character of our team," Peters said. "We have a don't-quit attitude, being persistent no matter what the score is."
Pat Fitzgerald has a plan to help Northwestern prevent its slow starts, one that actor Dennis Haysbert might appreciate.
"I was thinking about going 'Major League' and cutting the head off a chicken like [Pedro] Cerrano did," Fitzgerald said.
Haysbert, who played Cerrano in the iconic sports comedy, never actually went through with the sacrifice, and not surprisingly, neither will Fitzgerald.
Though the fourth-year head coach would like his team to start faster in games, he doesn't plan to make major changes to his team's preparation. Sadly, Jobu won't be making an appearance in the Wildcats' locker room.
"The bottom line is we're doing everything we can to win," Fitzgerald said. "Early in the year, we started fast and we didn't finish. Now, a couple games, we didn't go out and score 25 points in the first quarter, and so what's wrong there? We try to be more consistent, we try to be more focused, we try to execute to the best of our ability.
"If you have a little bit of this and a little bit of that, you're going to be spread so thin."
Northwestern has been outscored in the first quarter 52-42 this season. Take away its first two games against Towson and Eastern Michigan, and the deficit swells to 52-16.
The Wildcats have faced first-half deficits of 17-0 against Syracuse, 14-3 against Minnesota, 21-3 against Purdue and 28-3 against Indiana. Fortunately for Fitzgerald, NU rallied to beat the Boilermakers and mounted the biggest comeback in team history last week against the Hoosiers.
The slow starts could be a factor Saturday afternoon against Penn State (ESPN, 4:30 p.m. ET), which has outscored its opponents 61-10 in the first quarter this season. Penn State hadn't allowed a first-half touchdown until last week, when Michigan marched to the end zone on the first possession of the game.
"Especially versus Penn State, we can't have [a slow start]," sophomore safety Brian Peters said. "It's not what we want, so defnitely it's surprising. One person's job can affect the whole start, and it happens on special teams, too. It's really just focusing on our jobs and trying to limit that surprise effect of them getting up on us."
Though the slow starts are far from ideal, they have tested Northwestern's resolve. The Wildcats seem to be at their best with their backs against the wall.
"That emphasizes the character of our team," Peters said. "We have a don't-quit attitude, being persistent no matter what the score is."
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Adam Rittenberg
Rittenberg joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four years at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, where he covered sports at Notre Dame, Northwestern, DePaul and several other colleges. He lives in Chicago.
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