Northwestern eyes Big Ten West title after loss to Irish
Undefeated Notre Dame snapped Northwestern’s four-game win streak last Saturday, handing the Wildcats a 31-21 home loss.
Now, Northwestern shifts its focus to a road test at No. 21 Iowa, which fell 38-36 to Purdue last Saturday on a last-second field goal.
The Wildcats currently sit alone atop the Big Ten’s West Division standings and control their own destiny with three games remaining. Northwestern can secure a spot in the Big Ten championship game by winning two of its remaining three games.
Defensive end Joe Gaziano acknowledged the temptation to look ahead to the prospect of winning a divisional title but emphasized the importance of staying focused on one game at a time.
“This is a goal that we set at the beginning of the year,” Gaziano said. “We always want to win the West, and to be in that position feels good because we’ve taken care of the games that we needed to take care of in order to be in this position … But I think for us, moving forward, if we want our goals to align with our realities, then we have to focus in on each game and each week.”
Gaziano leads Northwestern in sacks (4.5) and tackles for losses (8.5) but the team struggled to pressure Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book and contain the Fighting Irish rush attack in run-pass option scenarios, which he said will need to be corrected in preparation for Iowa.
“For us, it was difficult to get it going in the pass rush,” Gaziano said. “I think that’s something that we need to improve on this week. We need to affect the quarterback.”
Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley ranks fifth in the conference in passing yards with 2,039 and is tied for second in passing touchdowns with 17.
“I think Nate is a really, really good quarterback,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said Monday. “He really played well in the second half against Purdue. It was really an impressive performance down the stretch.
“With the offensive line, it’s like I’ve always said, it’s like watching a concert pianist. It’s really physical and well-coordinated … We’re going to have our hands full.”