Top 10 Reasons For Northwestern Fans To Get FIRED UP For Miami!

The Northwestern Wildcats won a thriller on the road last week against Purdue to even their Big Ten record at 1-1.  And for their efforts, they get a bye week!

I mean…they get the 0-5 Miami Redhawks.

This game could (will) be boring, but as always, I’m here to help.

So without further delay…your top 10 reasons to get FIRED UP for Miami.

10.  The 50 percent chance most of the student section thinks we’re playing the Miami Hurricanes.

Remember folks, this is an 11:00 AM start time, so most of the NU student body will be feeling like this, and not at their full mental capacity. Combine that with the fact even at their full mental capacity, most NU students know absolutely nothing about college football. They pretend to, but they don’t.

So the opportunity here is a big one—the few, elite students who do know who we’re actually playing simply have to wake everyone up in their dorms screaming about the HUGE game against the Miami Hurricanes this morning! You know, Thug U! A great opportunity for NU to show the world the RIGHT way to play football against a bunch of criminals!

Then, by the time everyone gets to the game all fired up, they’ll have no choice but to stay, because if there’s one thing NU students hate more than 11:00 AM kicks, it’s walking.

9.  September 16, 1995.

If you don’t know what happened, never read any of my articles again until you find out. If you do know what happened, that’s really the only reason you need to get fired up.

8.  IF the game is close, Pat Fitzgerald might go completely off the deep end.

I think that’s something we all want to see. He already did this, and word on the street is that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wrath of Fitz. I love this transformation from a very guarded, always politically correct coach, into this unpredictable, entertaining, and intense leader of men.  He’s found his voice (except when he loses it from yelling too much), and it’s not one NU players will want to hear if this game finishes within three scores.

7.  Ryan Field could set a new record!

For lowest attendance. Now, I don’t know what the record is right now, it’s not one the AD publicizes I’d imagine.  But man oh man, it could be EMPTY this Saturday. It could be Welsh Ryan Arena vs. North Florida bad. I’m really looking forward to the players actually being able to HEAR individual students yelling at them to “MAKE THE FREAKING TACKLE!”

6.  Their head coach is a Notre Dame alumnus!

Reason number 1000 NU’s schedule is a joke: Five out of the first six teams have new head coaches. Miami of Ohio is no exception. The Redhawks’ first year head man is Michael Haywood. He served as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator for the past four seasons. In other words, he’s taken the last four years off from work. Of course, since he’s now coaching at Miami, he’ll end up the head coach at some powerhouse in about five years, so it’s best to beat him now while we still can.

5.  Miami Media Services has a chip on their shoulder.

From their game notes:  ”PLEASE NOTE: When referring to Miami, please use either Miami, Miami University or Miami (Ohio). Please do not use Miami of Ohio or University of Miami, etc. The latter are not the proper names for our institution. Thank you.”

In other words, if you screw this up, you won’t be allowed to cover our team anymore! On second thought, that would be considered a reward.

I kind of wish Northwestern media services would include a disclaimer about the proper way to abbreviate Northwestern University in their game notes. ESPN still insists on abbreviating us  ”NW,” which makes no sense. Then again, ESPN is the same organization that has this guy, so I guess we should come to expect idiocy from them.

4.  Northwestern hasn’t beaten Miami in Evanston since 1963.

WHAT?! Are you kidding me?! This is ridiculous. I’m getting fired up just looking at that sentence. My mom was 13 years old the last time NU knocked off Miami in Evanston, and my mom is freaking old. (Just kidding mom, love you!)  Screw Miami, let’s end the streak NOW!

3.  Full circle for Mike Kafka.

It seems like eons ago that Kafka made his first career start when NU took on the Redhawks in 2006. I was an incoming freshman at NU, listening to the game on satellite radio at my home in Seattle, Washington, and thinking, "Man, this Kafka kid is going to be the starter my whole career at NU!" He’s had a long, interesting journey since then, and I’m a sucker for these “full circle” kind of moments,  so excuse me if this gets me excited and not you.

2.  Free Beer!

In case you aren’t fired up yet, I would like to remind you of the best NU football tradition that currently exists since we don’t throw marshmallows on the field anymore. Before every NU home game in Wildcat Alley, if you’re 21 or have a sweet fake I.D. (legal disclaimer time: we here at Bleacher Report DO NOT advocate fake ID’s) you can get two free beers from Goose Island.

Now, that’s not enough to get you nice and drunk so you don’t remember the game (unless you’re me), but it is some gourmet beer to bring some class to your tailgate.

1.  28 days until the Iowa game.

Seriously, less than a month to go!

Go ‘Cats!