Care: Two cakewalks, no major injuries

The biggest, unstated goal for the team the last couple of weeks was to win each game and leave with no major injuries. And they accomplished that. Outside of a ridiculous, terrible ankle twisting from a NW defender on JJ Smith we were able to leave without anyone being injured to the point they would miss time.

We enter yet another massive week against a very good opponent with our team fully intact and that is the biggest win of them all. Hoping JJ is healthy and won't be hindered, but I don't think they'd have put him in the game if that was going to be the case.

Don't Care: Were we daydreaming? Were we sleepwalking?

Our defense looked like shit the first two drives. But we also didn't. We put NW behind schedule repeatedly but then would blitz and give up chunk gains on 3rd down to keep their drives alive. It was frustrating to watch. But it was also clear that Knowles was attempting to be aggressive and multiple in his defense to keep NW on their heels. Once the lesson was learned that their game plan could counter our aggression we all saw what happened: we laid off the pressure a little bit and they couldn't move the ball anymore the rest of the game.

Just like Purdue, this game was one for experimentation and trial AND error. We learned from it and also showed some new things that Indiana is going to have to prepare for. Sonny Styles is great at blitzing and him emerging as a force there is a positive sign for the upcoming game.

When we become tactful in our pressure and let our defense play its game otherwise we tend to slow other teams down successfully. I'm expecting some creative looks against Indiana but a ton of coverage help to prevent huge plays. Bend but don't break will be the name of the game because our Red Zone defense is still elite.

Care: Carnell Tate

There wasn't a lot to care about for this game because of its lack of stakes and meaning in the overall storyline of our season. But Tate's story coming in after his mother's death and coming back home was touching, and his performance was one thing I was hoping to see.

He's been buried as our #3 receiver his entire career due to absolute freaks at the position above him. But watching him score twice did more than just touch the heart: it solidified his threat to teams we play in the future. He's always been talented, and we all know that, but because he wasn't MHJr, JSN, JJ Smith, Egbuka, etc he never got to flash much.

His great performance means we now have an offense that cannot double anybody because we have three receivers with clout that solidified them as threats to the defense. Indiana will not be able to key in on JJ and Egbuka because Tate is going to be open otherwise. We have a QB who can distribute the ball and unlike last year we have three receivers who all would be a WR1 on at least 80% of other schools.

Don't Care: Wrigley Field

It was a gimmick. It was historical. It was "cool".

Football games shouldn't be played in baseball stadiums that can't fit a football field the way it should fit. I understand the sentiment, but games like that should either be played against non-conference opponents or not at all.

The coolest part of the day was when they commentators brought up that kicking a field goal on one side could end up with the ball going to the fans on the rooftops across the street. That's kind of fun.

Otherwise, there's nothing good that can come from a game like that. I'm glad it's over.

Care: Cornerback Play

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until the problem is fixed: our cornerbacks are a liability. At what point do we start pointing the finger at Walton? He's an excellent recruiter but our guys either aren't capable of covering a receiver on at least a few plays per game, or they will get a flag thrown because they are trying to cover a guy who made them look foolish.

Igbinosun is going to keep an opponent in the game, in a game that matters, soon enough. He may be aggressive and have the right attitude for the position, but he is guaranteed to get called at least once per game. And that's in the Big Ten where we have all of three quality QBs in the conference and one of them is ours. Indiana is going to play that game all day with him.

Burke is a good tackler and very good in run support. He has a few plays per game where you see him flash because of a great hit. And then there are at least as many plays where he's way off the line and the receiver is wide open for good yardage, or he gets schooled. He was never going to be the amazing athlete that can keep up with the fastest receivers, but he's regressed significantly this season.

Again, this goes back to coaching. It isn't Knowles because our defensive coverage calls is mostly fine. We haven't faced anybody that can threaten us downfield since Oregon, and our CBs are still the biggest liability on defense. That terrifies me for Indiana who has the scheme, QB, and receivers to take advantage of them all game.

Don't Care: Not much else

I care about everything now because we're into the "win or you're out" time of year. Maybe not literally because we certainly can make it into the playoffs with two losses, but mentally it would be a huge blow if we lose a game moving forward. Every day, snap, and move counts far more than it has the rest of the season.

On to Indiana. Then them. Let's fucking go.