Down 24-9, Northwestern made a bold decision, to attempt a two-point conversion rather than the conventional wisdom of kicking the extra point. After failing on their first attempt, the Wildcats doubled down, rather than opting to put off a needed two-point conversion to tie the game.

However, while those decisions may be forward-thinking, the majority of Northwestern offensive play calling could not be less so. It’s time for us to break down the analytical anomaly that was Northwestern football’s game plan against Wisconsin. Let’s start with an explanation of the most controversial decisions of the afternoon:

Why it makes sense that Northwestern would go for two

Down 15 points, the conventional football wisdom states to try the extra point.