Is an angry team tougher to beat? Northwestern will find out at Ohio State

It’s an immeasurable theory not even Theo Epstein’s stat geeks could quantify. Does a college football team play better when it’s angry? In other words: Is Northwestern venturing into the Horseshoe at the worst possible time, seven days after Ohio State’s first loss? Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said he didn’t know but hoped his team would have a “re-attention to detail.” Wildcats counterpart Pat Fitzgerald was animated in responding to a question that started with the sentiment that NU fans are worried about the timing of Saturday’s game in Columbus, Ohio. C’mon, couldn’t the Buckeyes have played their B-game this week? “Fans are awesome,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s always raining, isn’t it? Holy cow.” Fitzgerald said his Wildcats typically play as they practice: Prepare well, perform well. OK, so does a team like Ohio State prepare better after a stunning loss? “I think they will be more focused in practice because Coach Meyer is a great coach,” he replied. “They will prepare the right way because they didn’t get a win last week. Guys are mad at themselves or mad at the way things happened.” Which seems to be a long way of saying: Yes, anger can enhance performance. Buckeyes center…

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