Fitzgerald defends O'Neil, defense

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald was in rare form during his Monday press conference. Using a mix of humor, condescension, positivity and clichés, he defended defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil and reiterated his belief that the Wildcats are close to turning things around.

When asked to assess O’Neil’s performance, Fitzgerald first tried to deflect attention by talking about the Twittersphere, giving out free hugs and offering himself up as tribute to fans as the only one who should be criticized for the Wildcats’ play on Saturdays, not his players or coaches.

But he ultimately supported his beleaguered coach, saying that they expected a rough transition to O’Neil’s system when he took the job after the 2020 season. Fitzgerald thinks that the Wildcats’ much-maligned defense is getting better, even if there’s quite a bit of evidence to the contrary.

“I’ve seen a lot of improvement from year one to year two,” said Fitzgerald, whose team has lost six straight games and 12 of their last 13 dating to last season. “Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not, no. But I see a lot of improvement.

“It’s going to continue to get better because I think we’re really well coordinated. I think we adjust well, and our staff, I think, is really good teachers and coaches. And our players, I think, believe and buy in and believe in what we’re doing."

"We’re still putting together that side of the ball,” he added. “We’re not there yet.”

Other coaches around college football probably wish they could be secure enough in their jobs to be able to tell fans that more than a year and a half of subpar play defensively – and the accompanying 4-15 record – was not only anticipated, but even understandable. Even while practicing in a new $270 million facility and waiting to break ground on a new $800 million stadium.

In other words, it’s good to be Fitz.

Some of Fitzgerald’s words may be hard for fans to hear. Especially these.

"Our program has never been stronger than it is today,” he said. “We've just had six tough days."

Unfortunately, they all fell on Saturdays.

There’s no way even Fitzgerald believes that statement. His program may be strong in terms of facilities and raising money for a new stadium, but this is the worst stretch of Wildcat football in more than 30 years.

The coach who coined the phrase “stats are for losers” understands that only wins and losses count. And as good as they might look in practice during the week, as he’s said all season, game days are all that matter, and the Wildcats have tasted victory just once in more than a calendar year.

Northwestern’s defense is a big reason why. The Wildcats currently rank 97th in total defense and 112th against the run. No run was more damaging than Roman Hemby’s 75-yard touchdown dash with 3:22 left to seal Maryland’s 31-24 win over the Wildcats on Saturday.

It was just the kind of big play that O’Neil’s defense has surrendered all season. The Wildcats have allowed seven plays of 50 or more yards this season to rank 119th in the nation. That’s one momentum-shifting, backbreaking home run per game.

Fitzgerald said he evaluates several criteria when assessing O’Neil’s defense. He thinks they are structurally sound. He thinks they play good team defense. He thinks that they are organized as a staff. He thinks they make the appropriate adjustments.

Yet on Saturday, the only stop Northwestern got on Maryland’s last six drives was when the Terps’ kicker missed a field goal as a 10-point second-quarter lead turned into their ninth loss in their last 10 Big Ten games.

Fitzgerald fell back on several points he’s made all season to explain the Cats’ current losing streak. He said that “five or six plays” decide most games, and after years of being famous for winning one-score games – 49 of them since 2006 – the Wildcats have now lost four this year.

“Right now, we’re just not making them at a consistent level,” he said.

Fitzgerald failed to mention that half of those one-score losses were to Miami (Ohio) and Southern Illinois, two games that shouldn’t have come down to those five or six plays.

We don’t know how much of Fitzgerald’s shtick on Monday was truthful. He was no doubt projecting confidence to a team trying to find its way out of a death spiral. He also openly pandered to fans, many of whom are starting to question if his seat should be getting warm.

“We’ll get this turned around for you,” he said, condescendingly. “I love you. I appreciate you. Cheer loud, wear purple and Go Cats!”

We know one thing for sure: O’Neil’s job is secure for now. Whether or not that’s the case at the end of the season is anyone’s guess. Fitzgerald isn’t going to tip his hand about what he’s thinking. He may believe they are improving now, but if they end up 1-11 or 2-10 – very likely outcomes – it is hard to believe that heads on his staff won’t roll.

As for the rest of the season, don’t expect anything drastic. He’s already made a change at quarterback. He continues to praise his players’ effort, and he’s happy with the coaching staff. They’re just going to keep grinding.

“Sometimes we’re executing at a high level, sometimes we’re not,” he said. “But we’re going to just keep pounding the rock to break it, keep priming the pump, all those things, to keep getting better and better.

“But I believe in our staff, I believe in our players, I believe in our program.”

It’s good to be Fitz.