Nov. 7, 2006
Ohio State
Saturday's game against Ohio State presents a great opportunity for our football team. We will have a chance to test ourselves against a team that has been ranked No. 1 for the entire season. Ohio State's quarterback, Troy Smith, has had a great year, and is the leading candidate to win the Heisman Trophy. The game will be televised by ABC and the match-up will attract substantial national attention, especially since it falls the week before the highly anticipated match-up between Ohio State and Michigan, both undefeated after 10 games. The atmosphere inside Ryan Field should be electric. I encourage all of our fans to arrive early and provide great support to our team.
Although we are all disappointed that we will not be playing in a bowl game this year, I have been very encouraged with the way the team has played in recent weeks. I was particularly impressed with the way the team bounced back after the demoralizing loss to Michigan State. It would have been easy for the team to give up the season after a loss like that, but instead, we have rallied and are now playing our best football of the season. This is a real tribute to our coaches and players, and bodes well for the future. The win at Iowa was particularly impressive, given the fact that Iowa had only lost twice in its last 29 home games (and those losses were to Ohio State and Michigan). While all of our players have improved their performance, sophomore quarterback C.J. Bachér and true freshman cornerback/kick returner Sherrick McManis deserve special mention for the role they have played in the turnaround. In addition, sophomore Tyrell Sutton merits special credit for his outstanding play despite injuries and early season struggles on offense.
Men's Soccer
Congratulations to Tim Lenahan and his team for earning the program's second NCAA berth in the last three years. We are hosting a first-round game at 1 p.m. Friday against Cincinnati. The winner of this game then moves on to play at perennial NCAA power Saint Louis next Tuesday. I'd like to encourage our fans to come out support the Wildcats on Friday if your schedule permits.
Basketball Doubleheader
Our men's and women's basketball teams both start the season this Friday night at home. The women play Valparaiso at 6 p.m., and the men play Cornell at 8:30 p.m. Both teams have several new players, and these games will give us a good preview of how each team's season will go. Both teams have had success in recruiting recently, particularly with Chicago area recruits, and the future looks bright for both teams.
Men's Swimming
Our men's swimming team seems poised to have another great season. The team is presently ranked seventh in the country, and has already beaten two ranked teams in dual meets. We have a home meet against Wisconsin, at 4 p.m. Friday. I encourage our fans to come to the pool on Friday to watch two of the best swimmers in Northwestern history--seniors Matt Grevers and Mike Alexandrov. It will be one of the last chances to see them swim here in Evanston.