Nov. 23--WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Offensive coordinator Mick McCall chest-bumped Kyle Prater as the giant receiver strolled toward the Northwestern locker room. Then McCall hugged injured wideout Christian Jones, saying: "Yeah, buddy!"
Northwestern receivers coach Dennis Springer commended players on their way in with: "Way to stay up!"
This season appeared to go down the tubes two weeks ago after quarterback Trevor Siemian slipped on an ill-fated two-point conversion against Michigan, ending a hideous game.
Don't look now, but the Wildcats (5-6, 3-4 Big Ten) have a two-game winning streak after demolishing Purdue 38-14, and they will meet Illinois on Saturday at Ryan Field with both teams hungry for bowl eligibility.
Receiver Tony Jones said word of Illinois' last-minute touchdown spread through Northwestern's locker room: "It's a rivalry game, and both teams will be playing to keep their season going."
Said linebacker Anthony Walker: "It makes the game that much more intense."
Adding to the intrigue will be Northwestern's plan at quarterback. Siemian departed in the second quarter after a fourth-and-1 sneak left him down on the turf. He was on crutches after the game with what Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald called a "pretty serious knee injury."
Fitzgerald said he would not give a definitive status report on Siemian until Monday but his implication was clear when he spoke of Siemian in the past tense: "He has meant so much to us."
Both Zack Oliver and Matt Alviti were used after Siemian went down, and Oliver played a strong second half, completing 4 of 7 throws for 76 yards. He also rushed for 23 yards and a score in the game.
"Trevor and I are best friends," Oliver said. "It's tough. We have to win again next week and then get a bowl win. We're playing for him."
A redshirt junior from Baton Rouge., La., Oliver had completed just four career passes entering Saturday. But Siemian has praised him as having the "strongest arm" among Northwestern's quarterbacks, and the 6-foot-4, 240-pounder put it on display when he rifled a 16-yarder to Kyle Prater in the third quarter.
"I squeezed it in there," Oliver recalled. "He made the catch. "I was like: 'OK, I can do this.'"
A terrific effort from the line helped. The group permitted only one sack and cleared holes for Justin Jackson (147 yards on 23 carries) despite Purdue's eight-man fronts.
"To be able to run the ball on that big, thick (Purdue) line," Fitzgerald said, "the credit goes to the offensive line."
Jackson iced the victory with a 68-yard touchdown run on a stellar call. Superback Dan Vitale went in motion, and a defender followed him. That left only safety Taylor Richards to try to take down Jackson. Jackson stiff-armed him to the turf and went the distance.
"As soon as I got the ball, Zack was like: 'Go, go, go,'" Jackson said after recording the 16th 1,000-yard rushing season in Northwestern history. "It was an awesome feeling to do that for my teammates."
After Northwestern slumped to 3-6, Fitzgerald stressed a "playoff" mentality, where one more loss would mean bowl elimination and effectively end the season.
"This was Week 2 of the playoffs for us," said Walker, who forced a fumble and had 21/2 tackles-for-loss. "We needed this. Next week is a showdown."
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein
