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Here’s what Pat Fitzgerald said ahead of Northwestern’s matchup with Rutgers
By Nick Schultz
Published:
The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for Northwestern.
One year after leading the B1G with 15.9 points allowed per game, the Wildcats rank 12th out of the 14 teams in the league, allowing 27.2 points per contest. Most recently, Northwestern gave up 56 points to Nebraska in Week 5 — and scored just 6 in the loss.
Northwestern also made a change at quarterback, going from Hunter Johnson to South Carolina transfer Ryan Hilinski. Considering the Wildcats only scored 6 points last game, the offense still has plenty of question marks, as well.
Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald met the media Monday morning for his weekly media availability to talk about his team’s performance so far and preview their homecoming game against Rutgers. Here’s some of what he had to say:
Fitz also said he's excited to celebrate the reunions of the '95 and '96 teams during homecoming.
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 11, 2021
"Greg (Schiano) and I are very good friends, and he's doing a great job. You see how physical they (Rutgers) are and how fast they're playing … they can score touchdowns in the kick return game, and they put a lot of pressure on you with their coverage schemes." – Fitz
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 11, 2021
"Gotta be better on the perimeter. We've given up the edge on a number of occassions, and how we're fitting that run." – Fitz on the defensive struggles against Nebraska.
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 11, 2021
"He's showed incredible toughness, and that was highlighted with how he played a couple of weeks ago. He's also doing a good job taking care of the football, which is so important." – Fitz on Ryan Hilinski's performance thus far.
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 11, 2021
"Celebration of the two teams that changed the trajectory of our programs … credit goes to Coach Barnett and his staff, and it'll be great to honor them." – Fitz again on the upcoming reunion of the '95 and '96 teams.
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 11, 2021
"We're playing a lot of guys, and I think that's a positive. … I love this group of guys, I think they're working their tails off. I gotta get them to take that mentality into the games. We've been too inconsistent, and that's on me." – Fitz
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 11, 2021
Fitz had reiterated "fundamentals" several times when asked about the defense so far today.
— Inside NU (@insidenu) October 11, 2021
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.