Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald took a shot at bloggers and reporters for their coverage of California, but maybe he should direct some disgust at his own equipment staff. IT appears Northwestern’s defensive players were wearing the wrong wristbands in the first half, as Cal was building a lead against a scrambling Northwestern defense.
Inside Northwestern reports information from an undisclosed source close to the team confirming Wildcats players had to switch out wristbands with plays inside of them during the game. If Northwestern’s defense looked to be in bad coverage, perhaps this would be a reason why.
The Northwestern site on the SB Nation network alluded to a possible breakdown in communication while breaking down the game film against California. Switching out wristbands so players had the right plays to refer to would seem to explain how a miscommunication could happen in the game. Perhaps it is not a coincidence Northwestern managed to make a comeback in the game as well.
Whatever the reason for Saturday’s shortcomings against the Bears, Northwestern might want to double-check those wristbands before hosting Northern Illinois this weekend.