Cats grind it out; Glitz abandoned, Northwestern keeps it simple.(Chicago Tribune)

CHICAGO _ The packaging was as fanciful and as modern as Northwestern's Randy Walker had promised. There was the shotgun and the no-huddle offense. There were sets that featured four wide receivers and others that featured five. On occasion there were even some that left Wildcat quarterback Zak Kustok alone in the backfield without a running back.

But after the ribbons had been pulled and the glitz and glitter had been tossed into the waste basket, the Wildcats earned their 35-17 victory over Northern Illinois at Ryan Field on Thursday night the old-fashioned way. They ran quick traps over center Austin King and guards Lance Clelland and Jeff Roehl.

They ran …