Will the real Northwestern please stand up?

Northwestern looked like a championship contender for 15 out of 60 minutes Saturday night.

Saturday night was a tale of two teams...three if you count Ball State. For 30 minutes, Ball State outplayed Northwestern on both sides of the ball to the surprise of an uncharacteristically packed Ryan Field. The Cardinals collected three takeaways — all courtesy of Clayton Thorson — while the Northwestern defense conceded a season-worst 221 total yards in the first half.

Northwestern went back to the locker room down only three points, though the deficit could have easily been three scores. Ball State missed two field goals, and botched a handoff inside the five yard line. But Northwestern's issues…