"Even had Randy been here," athletic director Mark Murphy told the Daily Herald, "we probably would have struggled, especially on offense with so many changes."

But the loss of the program's unquestioned leader was the biggest of several obstacles the Wildcats couldn't clear in order to reach their third bowl in four years.

Along the way to its 4-8 season -- which ended far stronger than it began -- Northwestern had to negotiate tricky learning curves for Pat Fitzgerald (the nation's youngest head coach), Garrick McGee (the 33-year-old first-time offensive coordinator) and three quarterbacks who had seen almost zero playing time prior to this season.

Oh, and the Wildcats didn't have two of their three defensive leaders (linebacker Nick Roach and safety Bryan Heinz) for crucial chunks of the season.

That helps to explain why Northwestern dropped a home game to Division 1-AA powerhouse New Hampshire, if not how it fell victim to the biggest comeback in Division I-A history when Michigan State rallied from 35 down at Ryan Field to win 41-38.

If the Wildcats had let those disappointments define their season, then there might not be as much hope for the immediate future.

But in the final four weeks of the year, Northwestern bounced Iowa and Illinois and fought No. 2 Michigan to a 17-3 road loss. (The Wildcats also lost 54-10 to No. 1 Ohio State, a defeat exacerbated by turnovers both early and often).

With sophomore quarterback C.J. Bacher running the show for the final five weeks -- he missed the first half of the year with a stress fracture -- Northwestern's offense looked similar to the high-powered attack operated by Brett Basanez.

Bacher threw for more than 1,100 yards and six touchdowns in his five starts, while redshirt freshmen Mike Kafka and Andrew Brewer managed roughly 800 yards and one TD in their seven starts.

With Bacher, running back Tyrell Sutton and receivers Ross Lane, Eric Peterman and Rasheed Ward in the fold for two more years, NU has the makings of an explosive unit next year.

The youthful defense, which showed solid improvement over the 2005 bunch that ranked last nationally in total yards allowed, needs to find a linebacker or two in order to continue their ascent.

They received everything they needed with their wire-to-wire whipping of Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. Led by Tyrell Sutton's 168 yards, Northwestern's offense piled up 443 total yards. The opportunistic defense, led by Brendan Smith's interception and Mark Koehn's forced-fumble hit on QB Drew Tate, forced three turnovers and surrendered just 264 total yards.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: RB Tyrell Sutton -- With senior QB Brett Basanez by his side last year, Sutton rushed for 1,474 yards and 16 touchdowns in his freshman year. But with Basanez gone to the NFL's Carolina Panthers this year, Sutton became every defense's focus.

That focus was suffocating early with redshirt freshmen Mike Kafka and Andrew Brewer running the offense. In their seven starts, Sutton rushed 87 times for 487 yards and three scores. Solid, but not extraordinary.

But when C.J. Bacher took over at quarterback with five weeks to go, Sutton suddenly had room to strut his stuff. He rushed 102 times for 513 yards and two scores down the stretch, which included his three 100-yard games of the year.

Sutton, an honorable mention all-Big Ten pick by the coaches and media, finished with exactly 1,000 rushing yards -- as well as 40 catches for 261 yards and two scores.

FAST FORWARD: Though Northwestern must replace six senior starters and both of its specialists, the Wildcats have an early 2007 schedule that's built for returning to a bowl game. They start with home games against Division 1-AA Northeastern, then Nevada and Duke. They begin Big Ten play with Ohio State and Michigan, which isn't anyone's idea of a good time, but the schedule thins from there as Indiana and Minnesota replace Penn State and Wisconsin.

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has said on more than one occasion that Northwestern intends to compete for national titles. That's not going to happen next year, but the Wildcats should at least expect a bowl game.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "The future is bright, but it's not going to happen because we show up next year. We've got to stick to the plan and just get better." -- NU head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

The Wildcats' defense should be intriguing. All eight players on the line's two-deep will be back -- including stellar redshirt freshmen Adam Hahn and Corey Wootton. The secondary should be a strength, too, with playmakers Deante Battle, Brendan Smith and Sherrick McManis in the fold. Smith earned honorable mention all-Big Ten honors from the coaches, while Wootton received honorable mention all-Big Ten honors from the media.

One other thing: Keep an eye on redshirt freshman PK Stefan Demos. The kid displayed a frighteningly strong leg on the practice field.

PRO PROSPECTS: Head coach Pat Fitzgerald believes LB Nick Roach has a big future in the NFL, both as a linebacker and a special-teams standout. Roach suffered a broken leg in October, so he'll need time to recover. That could make him a second-day NFL pick.

CB Marquice Cole entered the season as one of the Big Ten's best, but he didn't quite have a season that matched expectations. He might be a low-round draft pick.

WR Shaun Herbert caught passes in 36 consecutive games -- a tribute to his sticky fingers and willingness to go over the middle. That might appeal to an NFL team as a free agent.

ROSTER REPORT: Several potential contributors missed most, if not all, of Northwestern's season this year. They're needed to fill some of the gaps created by graduation.

Among those trying to heal in time to earn a job at spring practice: LB Chris Jeske (back), OL Austin Matthews (hip), DE Corbin Bryant (ankle) and LB Rejaie Johnson (foot).