Will Northwestern Finally Win a Bowl Game? EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern plays host to two infamous streaks and it would undoubtedly like to rid itself of both of them. There is the better-known streak of 74 years without a bid to the N.C.A.A. tournament in men's basketball, making Northwestern the only school from a major conference to have never played in March Madness. Then there is the Wildcats' football streak, a drought now 64 years long, marking the last time Northwestern won a bowl game - the 1949 Rose Bowl. It's not for lack of opportunity--the Wildcats have reached a bowl game each of the past four seasons. There was the 2008 Valero Alamo Bowl, in which Northwestern dropped an overtime heartbreaker to 21st-ranked Missouri, 30-23. The misery returned the following season in the 2010 Outback Bowl as the Wildcats opted for a chance at the win rather than a second overtime but finished two yards shy of the goal line to fall to Auburn, 38-35. Missing starting quarterback Dan Persa, Northwestern came up a Hail Mary short against Texas Tech in the 2011 TicketCity Bowl, losing 45-38. Last year in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, the Wildcats fell behind to Texas A&M 30-7 before attempting to rally back, never getting closer than 8 points in a 33-22 defeat. Northwestern has now lost nine consecutive bowl games. The Wildcats will have their chance to put 63 years of ignominy behind them on New Year's Day against Mississippi State in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl. "For the senior class, it'd be huge for us to go out with a win," defensive tackle Brian Arnfelt said. Every year everyone says it, but what are we going to do differently to make it happen. We understand that we haven't got there in the past, and we know how to hopefully turn it around. Although Northwestern will use its past bowl losses as inspiration in its preparation for this year's Gator Bowl, head coach Pat Fitzgerald said the focus remains solely on this year's team. "It's a clean slate," Fitzgerald said. You look back at our performances over the last four, we could have won all four games. We didn't. That's frustrating and motivating, but at the same time it's got nothing to do with this team. For a program with such a lengthy streak without a bowl win, Northwestern has undeniably seen improvements to its football reputation. The Wildcats have now been bowl eligible for six straight seasons, a school record, and have won 39 games since 2008. They have a chance to win 10 games this season for the first time since 1995. "We're real fueled to be the first team to get it done," quarterback Kain Colter said of the opportunity to end the bowl drought. We feel like we're building a legacy right now. Fitzgerald said he is changing the Wildcats' bowl preparation plan, giving more rest to his starters than in past years. With a plan for three practices per week for the first two weeks of bowl prep, the first practice of each week will focus on developing younger players. Even in the other practices, Fitzgerald said he'd mix "developmental work with the young guys" and "gameplan work" for the starters. "I've got a pretty specific plan of how we're going to do things," Fitzgerald said. We'll get about eight practices for the young guys exclusively, use it as kind of a pre-spring ball or spring ball No. For Northwestern's dual-threat signal caller the extra rest in practice is much appreciated. "I needed it," Colter said. You're battling week in, week out. Your body's taking a bunch of hits. Colter, who appeared in both of the past two Northwestern bowl losses, knows how close the Wildcats have come to ending their bowl losing streak. This game, he's convinced, is Northwestern's best chance to win its bowl. "This is definitely a really good Mississippi State team," Colter said. But I feel like the team we have right now is the best team that we've had since I've been here. For last year's trip to Houston for the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, Fitzgerald memorably acknowledged Northwestern's bowl win drought, dressing a stuffed toy monkey in a No. 63 jersey, symbolizing the then-63 years since the Wildcats' last bowl win. The toy represented the metaphoric monkey on Northwestern's back. Asked whether the monkey would make a return in a No. 64 jersey, Fitzgerald said he wasn't sure. "Maybe," he said. I'll get my creative juices going a little bit. Colin Becht covers sports forThe Daily Northwestern.