Ouchie Poo

NU got steam rollered by I-AA UNH 34-17. I can't decide exactly why. UNH is ranked #2 in 1-AA - are they really better than NU or was NU flat and un-prepared to play?

In the actual game, NU lost because they played poor defense (no rush, and the secondary was riddled by the UNH QB, Ricky Santos) and made key mistakes (especially fumbles). Also give credit to UNH whose defense played well, and I suspect to the UNH coaching staff who appeared to have out-coached rookie Pat Fitzgerald.

Comparing some other facts, I think NU was flat, but may be even weaker than the pre-season predictions thought. We had previously beaten Miami (Ohio) 21-3. This week, Miami took Purdue (a well-known 1-A power school) into OT before losing. How could NU beat Miami but lose to UNH? Flat, maybe so. However, Mike Kokal the Miami QB, played poorly against NU, but scorched Purdue for 4 TDs and a crapload of yards. So NU might have caught Miami on a flat week. On the other hand, UNH might be stronger than I thought before the game. In addition to their #2 1-AA ranking, this UNH squad beat Rutgers last year. And what did Rutgers do this weekend? They smoked the Illini 33-0. Lastly...read the box score and notice NU had no penalties. That tells me the team was not playing aggressively.

Conclusion? Beats me, but I think it could be a long year.

Despite the thrashing, there were some positive signs. True freshman QB Mike Kafka showed some signs of excellence, especially when the coaching staff opened it up a little and let him throw downfield. Remember the success the team had with Sean Herbert last year....if Kafka gets that going, NU can generate some offense. Ginormous defensive end Corey Wootton had several tackles and could grow (no pun intended) into a force on the line. Lastly, the weather was decent and we had a great tailgate in the West lot!