As C.J. Bachér failed to convert NU's last attempt to overcome the loss to the University of Missouri in last week's Alamo Bowl, it seemed inevitable that NU would miss another chance at national glory in the sporting world. As the winless bowl streak extended to yet another year, it seemed that NU would never rid its label as the athletically-challenged doormat of the weak Big Ten. A stereotype almost six decades in the making.
I brooded with these thoughts as the ecstatic Missouri Tigers celebrated on the field of the Alamodome. Forget the 9-3 regular season. Forget the perfect non-conference record. Forget the key road wins against state schools Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan. None of that mattered after the overtime loss to Missouri flushed it all down the drain faster than a Jeremy Maclin 40-yard dash, right?
It took a few days, but as I recollected the season, I recalled athletes overcoming major injuries to win the last 3 games out of 4. That in one season, NU went from being worst to first in the Big Ten in sacks. I recalled that many seniors performed at their best at the end of their careers, the stars of a class that went through the death of a head coach, two heartbreaking bowl losses and multiple injuries.
So as Coach Pat Fitzgerald exits the football season with a career winning record, let's remember his love for this school and his dedication to this program. Let's remember the seniors, their legacies and their fervent passion playing for the Wildcats. Let's remember that this team outplayed a powerful Missouri team thanks to a potent defense, proving that NU belonged on the same field as other great college football teams.
-ALBERT LYU McCormick sophomore
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