The No. 14 Northwestern-19 claimed the Citrus Bowl by beating Burn 35-19 and won its fourth bowl in the last five seasons on Saturday in Land Rlando. The Wildcats found themselves in control of the game from start to finish. They marched 75 yards in nine plays on early possession of the game. They faced a second score before the end of the first quarter, thanks to a second touchdown pass from Peyton Ramsay.
It was Ramsay’s best game as a Northwestern Wildcat. The Indiana transfer topped the season mark with 291 yards, and his three touchdown passes threw a one-way win over Pardu earlier this season. Ramsey also decided to show the wheels a bit, running for 50 yards a day, including a 30-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter, which helped the Wildcats regain control after reducing the ub burn deficit to 14-13.
Ramsay, who was running after Cam Porter, was helped by the Wildcats, who ran himself into the yards yard. He also put the finishing touches to make the game 35-15 ahead with a fourth quarter touchdown.
The Bo Knicks ended up passing 292 yards to A Burn and led the team with a 32-yard run, but it was almost not enough to keep the Tigers in the game. Let’s take a look at the four biggest takeaways from Orlando.
1. The defense of the Northwest can play with anyone
This was a worthy tribute to long-time defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who coached the final game of a long, successful career. When Ub Burn finished with 19 points and 361 yards of offense, six of those points and 75 yards came late in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided, and Northwestern was happy to let the clock melt. Prior to that, Wildcats Defense kept Jah Bern in check all day outside of the big play for Elijah Canyon.
The game where Northwestern truly won was ranked third. Ub Berne converted just two of their 13 third-down attempts, and were 0-for-6 on the third down when they needed four yards or less. Over time, Hanquitz forced the Knicks to make a quick decision, and many times, he couldn’t. It was a classic Hank Knitz game and a perfect way to end an excellent career.
2. Northwestern is a good football program
This team tends to write as a set of exaggerated efforts. It is presented in such a way that it says that working hard and exceeding expectations is a negative quality. It’s also a way to denim the team by saying it’s not as good as its results. Well, while I don’t think anyone would confuse Northwestern for the kind of team that can compete for a national title, it’s included in the country’s top 25 events.
Burn players for the game There was a lot of discussion about how many players are missing, and while that absence affected the team’s ability to win the game, they ignore that Northwestern has some of its own players down. This season, Aku Liota, who led the team with four sacks and traded for .5, did not play. It is in the transfer portal. The same can be said about Drake Anderson and Isaiah Bauer and the team’s second leading receiver at Creek McGowan.
His absence did not stop the Wildcats from putting up 457 yards and 35 points on 7 burns.
3. Appreciation for how Pet Fitzgerald bowls sports games
Some programs see them as scrimmage and an opportunity to get ready for next season. Northwestern approaches a variety of sports as a vacation, but the whole idea is to spend the whole time on vacation. I mean, look at how FitzGuard is dressed. He looks like a father who is ready to dominate his children on shuffleboard court.
Fitzgerald’s teams are playing forever to win, and they won’t be intimidated. So when faced with a fourth and shorter situation in their own field, they don’t bother. They are going for it. Time and time again. It’s inspiring to watch, and honestly, more teams should take a similar approach to the regular season.
What does the future hold for N. Knicks?
When you consider that they were led by an interim coach who would not stick around and the whole staff of assistants, who do not know their future, what can you really take? Add in opt-outs and unavailable players due to unknown medical reasons and things also become deadly.
However, I wonder what the future holds for Bo Knicks. The Knicks have a urn burn legacy and Gus Malzhan hand-picked him to be his QB. Does Brian Hersin feel the same way? It’s hard to imagine the Knicks going into 2021 as an undisputed starter. While he has all the talent and potential in the world, it’s hard to deny that he hasn’t shown much growth in his sophomore season. Bright moments are very short between those moments and with which you can cut the hair from your head. That’s not to say the potential isn’t there. If Hersin and his new staff can help the Knicks develop further, they have the legitimate Heizmann candidate on their hands. Still, I expect ub burn to be aggressive in this se fasen, grade transfer market to bring at least some competition.
