Snap Judgments: 'They're in a tough place right now'

Jared Thomas, a former Northwestern All-Big Ten center and captain, analyzes Wildcat football for WildcatReport.

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Jared Thomas knows exactly what the Wildcats are going through right now.

"I've been in their shoes," he said.

He is referring, of course, to his redshirt senior season in 2019, when Thomas and the Cats suffered through a disastrous 3-9 season the year after winning the Big Ten West title. This year's team, also coming off of a West division crown, sits at 3-5 after Saturday's ugly 41-14 loss to Minnesota at Ryan Field.

But while the 2021 Cats might still finish with a better record than the 2019 version, this team may be in a worse spot. In 2019, they at least knew what the problem was: the quarterback position. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald vowed to fix it the next season and he did, claiming the West with grad transfer QB Peyton Ramsey.

This year, the problems are everywhere.

"They're in a tough place right now," he said. "There are questions at quarterback. I'm not understanding what's going on with the defense. Even special teams are struggling."

Thomas thinks that Northwestern's problems can be fixed, but, eight games into the season, "there's not much time left to do it," he said.

Somehow, someway, the Wildcats have to figure out a way to win three out of their last four games to become bowl-eligible. That would be a positive ending for a season full of negatives and a huge boost for the program.

"They'll feel a lot better if they get to go to a bowl game," said Thomas. "I know we would have felt better."

Thomas has been adamant all season that he wants to see the Wildcats run the ball more. So Saturday's game was tough for him to watch. One stretch in particular was galling.

After Minnesota scored a touchdown to take a 20-7 lead, Northwestern got the ball at its own 25-yard line with 4:47 left in the first half. At that point, the Wildcat defense had already been on the field for 19:46 after Minnesota's scoring three drives went for 13, 11 and 11 plays, respectively. The Wildcats were gassed. On top of that, on the Wildcats' previous possession, the offense scored a touchdown after running the ball on nine of the 11 plays.

But instead of keeping the ball on the ground, the Wildcats threw the ball on three straight downs. They had the ball for all of 26 seconds before punting it back to the Gophers and forcing the tired NU defense back onto the field.

"I don't understand what they're doing in that situation," he said. "The (offensive) formula is right there. I don't know why they don't use it. The offense is at its best when they are run-dominant and pass second. They're trying to be something they're not."

Minnesota got the ball back and proceeded to march right down the field yet again. The Gophers reached the NU 22-yard line and looked poised to add to their lead, but the Wildcats caught a break when Tanner Morgan's pass was tipped and Brandon Joseph made a diving interception in the end zone with 35 seconds left in the half.

Making Northwestern's play-calling all the more confusing is the production of Evan Hull. His 30-yard run in the first quarter was the biggest play of the game. He finished with 15 carries for 107 yards, though 40 of them came on the Wildcats' last scoring drive in the fourth quarter, after the game had been decided.

For the season, Hull has run for 750 yards on 116 carries, an average of 6.5 yards per rush. That's enough for warrant his getting the ball more often, says Thomas.

"Evan has made big plays all year," he said, noting Hull's 75-yard touchdown run against Michigan last week and his 90-yarder against Ohio. "He deserves a lot of credit. His efficiency rate is ridiculous, yet in four games he got the ball 10 or less times. It doesn't make any sense."

The quarterback situation is up in the air right now for Northwestern.

Starter Ryan Hilinski struggled for the second straight week, completing just one of his six passes for just five yards. Andrew Marty came in to relieve Hilinski on a drive in the red zone in the second quarter and threw a touchdown pass. He then played the entire second half, finishing 10-of-16 for 93 yards and both of NU TDs. He also ran for 31 yards.

After the game, Fitzgerald was non-committal about who his starter would be next week. While Marty would no doubt be the fan's choice, Thomas reminds people that Clayton Thorson, the quarterback for four of Thomas' five years, had his share of growing pains.

"He struggled in the beginning, too," said Thomas. "He didn't drive the ball downfield and he had some multiple-interception games," including four in the Outback Bowl alone.

So, to Thomas, the coaches have to make a fundamental decision about which direction they want to go at the position.

"Are they going to stick with Hilinski and live with his mistakes and coach him through it? Or are they looking to find the latest spark and bring in Marty?"

Hilinski has two years left, so he would be the player to invest in for the future. But on the other hand, Marty has moved the offense in both of the games in which he saw action this season (against Duke and Minnesota) and could be the best choice to get three more wins and make a bowl game.

Thomas feels that a lot of the offense's problems this season are due to the uncertainty and inconsistency at quarterback. Coaches are in the difficult position of having to develop a quarterback while trying to win games every week during the season, instead of in camp during the offseason.

"It's not easy," said Thomas.

Northwestern's defense hasn't gotten much help from the offense, especially the last few weeks.

On Saturday, the Wildcats' first play from scrimmage resulted in a scoop-and-score for Minnesota. Of their four first-half drives, three of them went for three plays or fewer. On the fifth one, NU took a knee at the end of the half.

"(Three-and-outs and turnovers) are momentum killers," said Thomas. "Those huge slumps early are killing us."

But the defense didn't do itself any favors, either. Even early in the game, before the time-of-possession difference mounted, Northwestern wasn't able to stop the Gophers' ground attack. Minnesota's first possession went for 11 plays and lasted 7:05. They ran a total of 44 plays in their four first-half drives and had the ball for more than 23 minutes.

For the game, Minnesota scored on six of their eight drives and punted just once.

"The defense just couldn't get off the field," said Thomas. Minnesota wound up converting 10 of 14 third downs for the game (71%).

Again, Thomas questions the defense's identity. They had to know that Minnesota was going to come out running the football, yet the Gophers wound up with 308 rushing yards for the game despite losing Bryce Williams, their third top running back of the season. The Wildcats' defense now ranks dead-last in the Big Ten in rushing defense, allowing 229.5 yards per game.

"You have to take something away," said Thomas. "They didn't do that."

The offensive struggles -- the Cats totaled just 241 yards, 13 first downs and 9:51 of possession time -- just made matters worse on Saturday.

"If you're out there for 40-plus of the 60 minutes, it's not going to be a good day."

Jared Thomas started 30 games for Northwestern from 2016-20, including the last 26 in a row at center. He was a member of the 2018 Big Ten West championship team and an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection and team captain in 2019. He now plays for the Massachusetts Pirates, who just won the 2021 Indoor Football League championship.