Morning Box Score: Wildcats Run Out Of Lives At Outback Bowl
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jan 2, 2010 4:45PM
Auburn gave Northwestern every chance to win the 2010 Outback Bowl but Northwestern just couldn't take advantage of the opportunities, done in by a slew of turnovers and missed field goals as they fell to the Tigers 38-35 in a shoot-out, thrilling, insane Outback Bowl that had a little bit of everything - so much that it had to go to overtime to settle it. The game saw over 1,000 yards of offense, 10 turnovers, and Auburn committing an astounding 140 yards of penalties compared to 25 yards from Northwestern. Auburn twice had 14-point leads and yet the Wildcats still managed to put themselves in a position to win the game.
Auburn struck first for a 7-0 lead and then returned a Mike Kafka interception 100 yards for a 14-0 lead. The Wildcats answered back with a 39-yard TD pass from Kafka to Andrew Brewer to cut the lad to 14-7, but Auburn would add another TD in the second to take a 21-7 halftime lead. Auburn's offense faltered in the third, opening the door for NU to run off 14 straight points of their own as Kafka again found Brewer for a TD pass and later Drake Dunsmore for a huge 66 yard touchdown pass. Auburn then ran off a streak of their own, taking advantage of another Kafka interception, scoring twice for a 35-21 lead. But, once more, the Wildcats battled back and put together a 15-play, 58-yard, 4+ minute drive - but had the extra point blocked leaving the lead at 35-27. Auburn recovered the ensuing onside kick and seemed to have good field position to run out the clock - 3:20 was remaining - but instead fumbled on the second play of the drive giving the Wildcats new life. Northwestern drove the field, with Kafka finding Sidney Stewart for a touchdown and then pulling out a trick play that saw Brewer through the two-point conversion for the tie. On the ensuing kickoff, Auburn gift-wrapped a game-winning chance for Northwestern by fumbling but ultimately Stefan Demos - who missed a field goal earlier in the game - missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired, forcing overtime.
In OT, Auburn got the ball first and turned it into three points. Northwestern struggled to get offense going on their possession and after a handful of strange plays, penalty calls, and reviews were sorted out, Demos was set for a 37-yard field goal to tie. Again, he missed but a roughing the kicker penalty gave the Wildcats a new set of downs though Demos was knocked out of the game when an Auburn defender rolled onto his ankle. The 'Cats again found themselves with a field goal opportunity to tie the game, but Coach Fitz pulled out a fake - the old fumblerooskie - for the win but saw the attempt stopped just short of the goal line, sealing the Auburn win and leaving Northwestern still without a bowl win since 1949.
Overall, Kafka was the both the offensive star and scapegoat (though he may share that title with Demos), completing 47 of 78 passes for 532 yards and four touchdowns, but also throwing five interceptions which led to 21 Auburn points. Brewer (133 yards, 2 TDs) and Dunsmore (120 yards, 1 TD) racked up the most yards receiving in a game in which the Wildcats seemed to abandon the run altogether after a certain point; Kafka's 47 completions and 78 attempts were all-time bowl records while his 532 yards and 5 INTs were both Outback Bowl records. The 'Cats outgained Auburn 625-425 in total yards of offense. While some may question Coach Fitz's trick play call at the end of the game, he defended the choice, saying, "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.' And I'd do it again. Next time I'd score, though, and we'd be celebrating."
Still, it was a solid season for the Wildcats who had marquee victories over then-undefeated No. 4 Iowa and then-No. 16 Wisconsin. Overall, Northwestern finished the season 8-5. And the next time they play football, the Wildcats will again face an SEC opponent when they open up their 2010 season on September 4 in Nashville to face Vanderbilt.