what a nice win for the cats. cats 51, [overrated] #14 badgers 48. because of the cats' inability to actually close it out, i'd say that it wasn't even that close. but, of course, it was.

brett basanez ran the offense better than zak kustok ever did. the decisions made by baz - the fake-shovel that led to the sutton touchdown catch comes to mind - and the quality of throws he made - see the philmore sideline catch that led to the late-first half field goal, and the on-the-spot in-and-out ball thrown to herbert - were better than what zak produced at his peak. based on his erratic (awful?) 2003 season in which the coaching staff called exclusively runs in the second half against illinois, baz has *never* inspired confidence, even in his all-big ten caliber season last year. but i've been excited about his intelligence and composure all season long; the only pick he's thrown is the desperation heave against penn state.

this much is clear: basanez is definitely an all-conference performer this season, and is probably better than stanton. stanton's the only comparison, i believe.

(look at the numbers this year: 118-for-170, 1,386 yards, 7 TDs, one pick)

sutton, meanwhile, is otherworldly. he did show the breakaway speed on the decisive 62-yard-score and, outside of the crucial fumble (crucial, no doubt), he did not make a mistake. (i liked walker's post-game comments in his espn interview, not earth-shattering but very well-said: "he's not a mature player yet. at that stage, it's not about yards. but he was fighting for yards.)

(next thought: is sutton better than anderson was? probably not yet, although he can catch the ball. certainly, the media relations folks will have to dust off the odd anderson records they generated in 2000. for "most rushing yards in three consecutive games," ad nauseum.)

my favorite play of the game was sutton's touchdown catch, getting the lead to 44-34 with nine minutes left. cats ball inside the ten. first down. baz drops straight back (no play-fake.) and throws low to sutton, who dropped it at the goal line. here i'm thinking, gotta go off-tackle here. or at least play-fake. but mike dunbar is thinking something else. second-and-goal. straight drop (no!). but there's sutton, on a quick flare to the flat, and he's in to the end zone untouched.

it was the perfect call and, i believe, the first time they've shown that route this season. gutsy to go against what you'd been doing all game (they hadn't been stopped since mid-second quarter, or maybe since the first), and i'd've been very angry if we'd seen an incompletion (rending a third-down play fake moot). but the call worked perfectly, and gave northwestern hugely important breathing room.

the biggest play of the game was wisconson's holding penalty on the ensuing possession, negating a completion down the northwestern 20. the cats got the stop, and alvarez punted on fourth-and-11 (i would have gone for it, but i'm dumb.) this, of course, led to the apparent game-clinching sutton run.

worth noting: pederson twice pinning the badgers inside the five. i'd argue that the second punt, with 1:24 left, took any screen passes out of the equation for the badgers. a huge weapon all game, the badgers couldn't use it, and that's part of the reason that mcpherson came up with the pick. straight drop = not that tough to stop, even if you're the cats.

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of course, the frustratiion here is that, had northwestern held off penn state, they'd likely be in the top 25 come monday. they won't be. but, as we all know, the best way to enjoy northwestern football is in four-hour bursts, with no concern for anything else.

at this juncture in the season, the three wins number will inevitably come up. but it's foolhardy to bring it up now, first because goals could be bigger than that, and secondly because nobody knows which teams are good, especially at this point.

of course, walker's good at "what's the biggest play of the game? the next one" thinking, so maybe they'll try to go 1-0 next week.

regarding the big ten...
all we know: indiana and illinois suck rocks.
what else we know: at ohio state is probably the only unwinnable game on the nu schedule. i think ohio state's the best team, by far, in the conference. (pending tonight's penn state game.)

what i think i know:
purdue's not any good.
michigan state beat notre dame because of four fluky plays (interception for touchdown to start the second half, trannon's 64-yard catch-and-run, and the two failed fourth-and-one's with a freshman carrying the ball), lost to michigan at home, and might not also be that good.
michigan confuses the hell out of me. they've just lost to minnesota.
minnesota also confuses the hell of me.
i still don't believe penn state's any good. not looking at their schedule, i think they could close the season with six straight losses.
iowa was vastly overrated. i don't believe in them.
i've got no idea on wisconsin, who beat michigan at the right time, and not convincingly
i think that's all i've got on the conference.

big ten "power rankings" (quality of team, not of record, and also not projecting conference standings):
1. ohio state
2. minnesota (L to Penn State, W v. Michigan)
3. michigan state
4. michigan
5. penn state
6. northwestern
7. wisconsin
8. iowa
9. purdue
10. indiana
11. illnois

i think ohio state will go undefeated.

i'll now revise my preseason picks, through purple-colored glases, while basking in the glory of an upset win.
at purdue: win
at michigan state: loss
vs. michigan: loss
vs. iowa: win
at ohio state: loss
at illinois: win
motor city bowl, against miami (oh) [i've not been following the MAC]: win

Projected finish: 7-5, 4-4

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while talking to him at the start of the second half (from 10-17 to 23-20, i believe), harps brought up the "what'll we do without baz and mcgarigle?" question. ahh, the sad state of being a college sports fan.