Sept. 29--Northwestern has had a troubling habit in recent years of turning into pumpkins when the calendar flips to October. The Wildcats are 4-12 in October going back to 2011.
This year NU enters the month 4-0, ranked 16th and determined to put its October losing trend in the past as it prepares to open the Big Ten season Saturday against Minnesota.
"We talked to them a lot about it in the offseason, and it started again last week about 'no excuses,' " coach Pat Fitzgerald said Monday.
With classes starting last week, Fitzgerald has challenged his players to succeed in the classroom and on the field.
"Our guys time-managed pretty well last week," he said. "I expect now that we are into our routine with some semblance of normalcy, we'll be fine."
Asked if he thought there was any correlation between his team's October woes and the time commitment for academics, Fitzgerald answered emphatically.
"Never," he said. "I mean, there's a link between that and their ability to Snapchat and do all of the other cheesy stuff that occupies their whole day. So hopefully getting into a routine will help them."
In contrast, Northwestern is 29-10 in September under Fitzgerald, including 20-2 since the start of 2010.
"Athletes in general are creatures of routine," Fitzgerald said. "Every week has been a little bit different. This will be the first week we've got the same schedule we had the previous week. So hopefully we will be better than we did in the past."
After hosting the Gophers, the Wildcats visit Michigan on Oct. 10, face Iowa at home on Oct. 17 and play Nebraska on the road on Oct. 24 before an open date Oct. 31. NU's October opponents are a combined 12-4.
"The leadership on our team is excellent this year," senior right guard Shane Mertz said. "We're holding each other accountable. That's probably the biggest thing when it comes to the switch for us ... we're not in school in September, and now we're in school.
"It's no excuse. It doesn't change the fact that you should be doing just as much film or more than in September. So holding each other accountable is what is going to get us on the right track."
Defensive end Deonte Gibson is confident the Wildcats are prepared to put their October difficulties behind them.
"At this point, you understand your past, but you've got to flush it," Gibson said. "You've got to be ready to play now. Everything that happened in prior years says that we will struggle in October. I don't believe so. We've got to come ready to go tomorrow and for the rest of the week and the rest of the month of October and so forth to prepare to win."
fmitchell@tribpub.com
