Anyway game 163 is on Tuesday in Minnesota

Purdue did not score in the last 40 minutes of the game and the defense forced several key turnovers.Sherrick McManis made a spectacular interception late in the second quarter and the defense also forced three key fumbles. On a 3rd-and-10 at Northwestern's 22-yard line, Quentin Davie sacked Joey Elliot and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Cats. NU went on to score the winning touchdown off that turnover.The tackling was also much better for the majority of the game. They struggled on a few screen passes on the edge, but they held Purdue to only 62 rushing yards on the day.They still didn't get a consistent pass rush and allowed some big gains in the passing game. However, it was definitely an improvement from previous games. If they can repeat that performance in future games, NU should be in decent shape. Special TeamsNorthwestern's play on special teams was also a huge factor in the game. Besides forcing two turnovers, their coverage was solid for most of the game.

Purdue started only two drives past their own 30-yard line, one of which came on a turnover. They made numerous big hits and forced Purdue to mishandle a few other kicks.One of my pet peeves the last few years has been NU's tendency to give up good field position to their opponents because they haven't had a kicker that can consistently reach the end zone on kickoffs. In this game, they were able to overcome that and not give up an extra 20 yards or so per possession in field position. The BadAnother Slow StartFor the third week in a row, the Cats dug themselves a big hole early in the game. Purdue was up 21-3 early in the second quarter and things looked pretty bleak after Purdue stopped them on 4th-and-goal.They still managed to pull out the win, but it is a disturbing trend.

Purdue was able to consistently get clean shots at the ball carrier for short gains or losses. They also relied quite heavily on the short passing game, perhaps because they were concerned about their pass protection.Arby Fields accumulated only 43 yards on a career-high 18 carries and the offense often sputtered in the red zone. They failed to cross the goal line with a 1st-and-goal at Purdue's two-yard line and also failed to score in four tries from the Purdue five-yard line. The Cats also settled for field goals on three other trips inside the Purdue 20.Northwestern tried to run the ball consistently in this game, but made few plays on the ground. While I like the effort to establish the run, the blocking has to be better. NU's next game is a non-conference matchup with the struggling Miami-Ohio Redhawks. They are 0-5 on the season, have not been within 10 points of victory against any opponent, and have been outscored 127-13 when they have faced legitimate opponents.

A loss against Purdue would have made qualifying for a bowl game quite difficult, but NU made their postseason quest quite a bit easier by pulling out a hard fought game.. ) Here we are, game 163. It’s not often you get to enjoy game 163.The Tigers haven’t played 163 games in a season since 1980 which was also the last time they actually tied a game Good stuff. Anyway, game 163 is on Tuesday in Minnesota. Miguel Cabrera And His Wife…And The Law A few games back, Miguel Cabrera showed up to a game with a decent combo of cuts and bruises on his face. There was speculation about how it all happened, and Cabrera even said it was from his dog. That seemed like bull crap and it was. Cabrera called the police the other night after he and his wife got into an altercation. Miguel was apparently three times over the legal limit in terms of alcohol, but no charges were filed. The real red-flag here, at least in Tigerland, is that the Tigers are in the midst of trying to make the playoffs and their best player is clearly elsewhere. The Tigers have struggled lately and so has Cabrera. Playoff Spot on The Line It should go without saying, but the Tigers playoffs hopes all hinge on this one game. Sure, they shouldn’t be in this situation anyway, but here they are and it’s time to turn up the heat. The Tigers have been in first place since May 10 and they would be the first team ever to lead that long and then lose the lead on the final game of the season. So Long, Metrodome We thought we said goodbye to the Metrodome earlier in the month, but here it is, dragging the Tigers back in. This place has been hell-on-earth for the Tigers for the last 20 years or so. If the Tigers can win this one, all that pain will be forgotten Rick Porcello, Phenom This is a huge story, in my opinion Porcello has had an amazing rookie season.