Northwestern hit its ceiling pretty hard by making the Outback Bowl, but it's a ceiling that's much higher than the one the program has had in previous years.
TAMPA — The scoreboard read Tennessee 31, Northwestern 6. The Raymond James Stadium clock wound down matter-of-factly. There was no suspense, nor was there palpable disappointment among fans. Below, a choppy, chewed-up, worn down field was now graced by backups, and even then, the ones in orange were dominant, just as the starters had been before them. They marched for a touchdown. Later, they returned an interception for a score to emphatically cap an Outback Bowl victory over their purple counterparts.