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What Pat Fitzgerald said after Northwestern’s win over Purdue
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Taking a 17-10 lead with 3:06 left in the first half, the No. 23 Northwestern Wildcats never relinquished being ahead, topping the Purdue Boilermakers, 27-20, on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette.
Moving to 4-0, and 2-0 on the road, Pat Fitzgerald’s Wildcats are one of just four unbeaten teams in the Big Ten Conference, joining the Indiana Hoosiers, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Wisconsin Badgers.
Addressing the media virtually postgame, the coach, who is in his 15th year at the helm in Evanston, said he was proud of his team for taking care of business against a tough Purdue squad.
Fitz up now, in his opening statement says he's proud of his guys (per usual) in tough conditions against a pesky Purdue team.
— Inside NU (@insidenu) November 15, 2020
Fitz: "This isn't something that's happened in the last four weeks. It goes back to the offseason."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) November 15, 2020
Fitzgerald also highlighted the performance of junior cornerback Greg Newsome III, who held Boilermaker sophomore David Bell, one of the country’s best wide receivers, to nine catches for 78 yards on 17 targets.
On Newsome-Bell matchup: "I thought it was a high level performance by both guys…I'm a little biased, but I'm going to give Greg the win…I think Bell is the best receiver in the country."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) November 15, 2020
Redshirt sophomore defensive end Eku Leota, who tallied four tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble, also drew praise, as did this entire side of the football.
Fitz: "Eku was phenomenal, he was active. The whole group was…a very active night by our defensive line."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) November 15, 2020
On how this defense compares to his other defenses: "The first four chapters of the book have been outstanding…we're getting production from all three levels, and when you've got that, you've got the makings of a group that can be really special."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) November 15, 2020
On the defense: "The way we've responded to adversity, we've responded boldly." Says after Purdue scored in the second half, they can forget that streak and move on.
— Inside NU (@insidenu) November 15, 2020
One area of possible concern for Northwestern was the rushing attack, which generated just 80 yards on 40 attempts. Fitzgerald credited Purdue redshirt senior defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal for making it difficult to move the football between the tackles.
On the run game struggling: "From my vantage point, it seemed like 9 [Lorenzo Neal] was dominant."
— Inside NU (@insidenu) November 15, 2020
Returning home to Ryan Field, the Wildcats are looking at a tough task on November 21, as the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers are slated to come to town.
A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.