LINCOLN, Neb. -- Early in its week of preparation for Nebraska -- and two days after it fell flat against Iowa on Oct. 17 -- Northwestern convened as a team and violated a chief rule of sports.
“We’re not letting this happen,” quarterback Clayton Thorson said Saturday after the Wildcats beat Nebraska 30-28 to end a two-game skid, recalling the vow of the previous week. “We’re not going down this road.”
To issue such a declaration, even within the inner sanctum of the team, signifies a recognition of past failures. It points to a seven-game losing streak that wrecked the 2013 season after a strong start and a four-game slide last year that led to a second straight 5-7 finish and another December at home.