Raymond James Stadium , Tampa Florida
Pat Fitzgerald reached into Northwestern's bag of
tricks one more time, hoping to pull out the perfect play
to give his team a dramatic victory over Auburn in the Outback
Bowl.
"I've had it in my back pocket for
four years, and people tell me I'm too conservative. So
I said, 'What the heck. We're here to win, so let's go,"'
Fitzgerald said after a version of the old fumblerooskie
failed in overtime, leaving the Wildcats with a 38-35 loss
on Friday.
"And I'd do it again," the 35-year-old
coach said. "Next time I'd score, though, and we'd be celebrating."
Auburn cornerback Walter McFadden
(6) celebrates with teammate Antoine Carter (45) after McFadden
intercepted a Northwestern pass during the Outback Bowl
NCAA college football game Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, in Tampa,
Fla.
Wes Byrum kicked a 21-yard field goal
in overtime, and Auburn (8-5) overcame several mistakes,
including a costly pair of penalties, that gave Northwestern
chances for their first bowl victory in 61 years.
On the game's final play, the Wildcats
sent backup kicker Steve Flaherty onto the field seemingly
to try to force a second overtime.
But with regular kicker Stefan Demos
on the sideline after being injured earlier in the overtime,
Fitzgerald had no intention of trying to tie the score.
"I just kind of felt like the stars
were aligned there when we lost Stef," Fitzgerald said,
adding the "modern-day fumblerooskie" was one of coach Randy
Walker's favorite plays at Northwestern.
Walker died of an apparent heart attack
in 2006, and Fitzgerald was promoted as his replacement.
"We played for the win," Fitzgerald
said. "Unfortunately we ended up a little bit short."
Receiver Zeke Markshausen took a handoff
between the legs from holder Dan Persa and circled right
end to try to win the game. Auburn's Neiko Thorpe stopped
him after a 3-yard gain to the 2.
"Circumstances were very unusual,
but we found a way to win it," Auburn coach Gene Chizik
said.
"When I saw where everyone was lined
up I knew something was up," Thorpe said. "It was just so
quick and I was afraid I was the only person who saw it.
But on the replay you could see there were a lot of people
pursuing the play."
The Tigers intercepted Mike Kafka
five times—twice in the end zone—and Walter McFadden returned
one of the picks 100 yards for a touchdown that helped Auburn
to an early 14-0 lead.
Kafka threw for a career-best 532
yards and four TDs. He rallied Northwestern from a 2-touchdown
deficit in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, and
the Wildcats wasted a chance to win it at the end of regulation.
"Everybody got their money's worth
today," Marshausen said. "It was a blast to play in."
Auburn finished its first season under
Chizik with the second-most wins by a first-year coach in
school history. Only Terry Bowden, who went 11-0 in 1993,
produced more wins in his initial season on the job.
Northwestern fell to 1-7 all-time
in postseason games. The lone win came against California
in the 1949 Rose Bowl.
Ben Tate ran for 108 yards and two
TDs for Auburn, which led 35-21 before Northwestern stormed
back with a pair of touchdowns and a 2-point conversion
to force overtime. Tate's fourth-quarter fumble and a late
face mask penalty against the Tigers' Nick Fairley helped
the Wildcats' cause.
Demos squandered a chance to win it
in regulation, hooking a 44-yard field goal attempt wide
right with no time remaining.
Byrum gave Auburn the lead on the
first possession of the extra period, and then things got
real interesting.
Thinking they had won the game when
officials ruled Kafka fumbled when he was sacked for a 10-yard
loss, the Tigers rushed off the sideline to celebrate until
the call was overturned in the replay booth.
Four plays later, Demos lined up for
a 37-yard field goal to tie but hit the right upright, setting
off another premature celebration.
This time, Aairon Savage was penalized
for roughing the kicker, giving Northwestern new life—but
also leaving the Wildcats without Demos, who limped off
the field.
Kafka only threw seven interceptions
during the regular season and entered Northwestern's first
New Year's Day game in more than a decade with a streak
of 116 consecutive passes without one.
The fifth-year senior, part of Walker's
final recruiting class, completed 47 of 78 passes, both
Outback Bowl records.
"We left a lot of plays out there,"
Kafka said. "Personally I think I made some decisions that
really hurt us. We need to learn for that, grow from that."
Kafka looked like he might be able
to overcome the early mistakes when threw TD passes of 35
yards to Andrew Brewer and 66 yards to Drake Dunsmore within
a span of 2:15 to make it 21-21 heading into the fourth
quarter.
Brewer also caught a 35-yard TD pass,
and later took a pitch for Kafka on a gadget play and threw
to Brendan Mitchell for a 2-point conversion that tied it
35-35 with 1:15 remaining in regulation.
Markshausen had 12 receptions for
84 yards and Sidney Stewart finished with 10 for 97 yards
and one TD.
Darvin Adams led Auburn with 12 catches
for 142 yards, and Quindarius Carr scored on a 46-yard reception
from Chris Todd, who was 20 of 31 for 235 yards and no interceptions.
Chizik said he can't remember a wackier
ending.
"I've been in some wild games. Ones
that come down to the end numerous times. But one that goes
back and forth—Did we win? Did we not win? Is he down? Is
he not down? No," the Auburn coach said.
"We didn't know what to do. That was
wild and crazy. I'm not so sure I've ever gone into a game
with seven wins and came out with 10."
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