On a milestone day for Northwestern’s class of 2023, it was Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcat coaching staff that were taken to school. Michigan State (2-1, 1-0 B1G) demolished NU (1-2, 0-1) 31-10 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the scoreline indicates, and the decision-makers in purple can be held accountable for much of that result.
A number of questionable decisions from a typically solid group put Northwestern in a position that couldn’t be escaped. Offensively, defensively and in all phases of the game, the players just weren’t put in a position to win. NU’s on-field execution was most definitely lacking, but even a near errorless game from those between the lines wouldn’t have overcome the domination that occurred across the two sidelines.