Football
Big Ten Preview - No. 6 Northwestern (tie)
By John PorentasPredicted Finish 7-5 (3-5)
Two-Cent Overview
Up-and-down-quarterback C.J. Bacher returns with a slew of weapons, both on the ground and through the air. The Wildcats will be breaking in three new offensive linemen, two of which are redshirt freshmen. The defense is as good as it has been in years, which doesn't relatively mean much, but there is talent here.
Schedule
Aug. 30 Syracuse (W)
Sept. 6 at Duke (W)
Sept. 13 Southern Illinois (W)
Sept. 20 Ohio (W)
Sept. 27 at Iowa (L)
Oct. 11 Michigan State (W)
Oct. 18 Purdue (W)
Oct. 25 at Indiana (L)
Nov. 1 at Minnesota (W)
Nov. 8 Ohio State (L)
Nov. 15 at Michigan (L)
Nov. 22 Illinois (L)Goal
Win a bowl game. Do you know how many years it has been since Northwestern won a bowl game? Quick, get four of your friends together and start counting everybody's fingers...you're still going to need more people. Northwestern's last bowl win came in the 1949 Rose Bowl, sixty years ago. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald played on two of the best Northwestern teams of all time, but went winless in the postseason. His desire to win a bowl game cannot be measured. Above all else, something must be done here.
Five Questions Looking For Answers
1. Can quarterback C.J. Bacher eliminate the turnovers?
2. Can Tyrell Sutton stay healthy...ever?
3. Are there five starters on this new offensive line?
4. How good will the linebackers be?
5. Can the secondary be undone by one inexperienced cornerback?Something To Look For
The return of the no-huddle offense. Northwestern and new offensive coordinator Mike McCall want to take advantage of the new clock rules and look to do so with the no-huddle. They aren't necessarily looking to play fastbreak football and sling it around non-stop, however. They want to get to the line, take stock of the matchups, and pick the best avenue for success.
Returning Starters
Seven on offense, eight on defense and both kicking specialists.
Best Player
Running Back Tyrell Sutton. Sutton missed the better part of a half a season last year and the Wildcats still managed a .500 record. Had he been healthy for all twelve games, you have to think the Wildcats would have had a great chance at reversing their Duke and Michigan losses, putting them at 8-4 and in a halfway decent bowl game. There's no reason the same can't hold true this season. Sutton has the amazing ability to stay on his feet despite getting pummeled by defenders who tower over him. Look for Sutton to be involved in this offense as much as his tendons will allow. He will also be a big factor in the passing game. Who knows, we may even see back-up running back Omar Conteh on the field with Sutton splitting out. This is going to be a fun offense to watch and it starts with Sutton.
Second-Best Player
Cornerback Sherrick McManis. McManis is a big cornerback (6'1 190) who is one of the top cover corners in the conference. He is also very helpful against the run. He finished third on the team in tackles last year with 75, including 5.5 tackles for loss, which tied him for second on the team. McManis may repeat his tackle numbers this season, but he may not see too much in the way of passes if Northwestern struggles to find a complement for him at the other corner. (Though the two players vying for the job, Justan Vaughn and Jordan Mabin have both demonstrated some upside.)
Best Chance For a Big Loss
Ohio State. Since Northwestern beat the Buckeyes in overtime in 2004, the Buckeyes have beaten Northwestern three straight times and by an average score of 53-8.
Most Important Game
Illinois. Last season, Northwestern was bowl eligible but got left out. This year, they'll be on the brink again and a strong showing against Illinois may be the difference between them staying home for the holidays and packing their bags. Plus, it's your in-state rival and stuff.
Best Road Game To Pack Up The Family Truckster And Travel To
At Michigan. Where else can you take your family to a game and be treated to synchronized key jangles?
Best Reason They Won't Be Undefeated
Tyrell Sutton can't stay healthy. Sutton missed the better part of seven games last season and it affected everybody. Knowing all of your weapons are going to be available week after week gives your team a comfortable consistency that lends itself to winning. Northwestern needs this.
Best Reason They Will Be Undefeated
Tyrell Sutton can stay healthy. In the five games in which Sutton was mostly healthy last season, he averaged 146 yards of total offense. This is offense that keeps the Northwestern defense off the field and the opponent off of the scoreboard. If he can manage to play twelve games this season, he should be a shoo-in for 1,500 to 2,000 yards of total offense.
Game They Shouldn't Lose, But Could
At Duke. Northwestern hasn't gone undefeated in their non-conference schedule since 1963. Seriously. Nineteen. Sixty-Three.
Player People Are Expecting Too Much From
Safety Brendan Smith. Smith was an honorable mention All Big Ten performer in 2006 but was injured in the third game of the season last year and missed the rest of season. He is back this year and is looking to be a leader in the secondary. Smith has a nose for the ball and is capable of a half-dozen interceptions this season, but he's still just one player. People are thrilled to have him back, but keep in mind that he may have a little rust and if there is no pass rush, even the best safety will struggle.
Player People Will Be Pleasantly Surprised By
Wide Receiver Andrew Brewer. Brewer is another guy who was lost last season due to an injury. He initially came to Northwestern as a quarterback, but was moved because he's a much better athlete than he is a quarterback. At 6'3", he will cause match-up problems in the slot because he's too big for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers. Expect Brewer to get the ball everywhere the rules will allow this season.
Best Newcomer
Defensive End Vince Browne. Browne redshirted as a true freshman last season but was impressive in the spring and is impressing again in camp. He will give Northwestern another pass rush threat to go along with Corey Wootton, whose numbers dropped last season after being honorable mention All Big Ten in 2006. Don't be surprised if Browne is starting at some point this season.
Something They Do Well
Throw the ball against suspect defenses. Quarterback C.J. Bacher had back-to-back games last year where he threw for 520 yards and five touchdowns and then 470 yards and four touchdowns...of course they came against Michigan State and Minnesota, but still, those are pretty impressive numbers. Against Duke and Eastern Michigan he threw for 368 and 361 yards, respectively. Against Ohio State, however, he threw for 120 yards. In Northwestern's six wins, Bacher threw fifteen touchdowns and four interceptions. In Northwestern's six losses, Bacher threw four touchdowns and fifteen interceptions.
Something They Don't Do So Well
Sack the quarterback. Northwestern finished with only 18 sacks last season, and twelve of them came against Eastern Michigan (3), Iowa (6) and Indiana (3). The Wildcats' starting defensive ends Corey Wootton (1) and Kevin Mims (2) combined for a whopping three sacks last season. If they want to help the offense at all this season, all four starters up front will each need to have more than that on their own.
What's Improved?
Defensive aggression. New defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz comes over from Wisconsin and brings with him an attacking defense that likes to use the zone blitz and doesn't cotton to just sitting back and letting things happen to them. Last season, Wisconsin's starting linebackers combined for 22 tackles for loss, while Northwestern's top six linebackers only combined for 17. We should see an aggression from the Wildcats that mirrors Wisconsin's, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will bring the same amount of success.
What's Gotten Worse?
Experience on the offensive line. Northwestern returns two starters on the offensive line in right tackle Kurt Mattes and right guard Joel Belding. The left tackle spot will be manned by redshirt freshman Al Netter, who has looked very good in both the spring and the summer, but he is still just a redshirt freshman getting his first real action. At center there will be another redshirt freshman in Ben Burkett. With Burkett and Netter manning the two most important offensive line positions, it tells you the type of faith that Pat Fitzgerald has in them. It also tells you that there may be some rocky times ahead. Oh, and the left guard spot will feature senior Keegan Kennedy, who was moved over from defense this year. This offensive line appears to be high risk and high reward. Or it may just end up being high risk.
Anything Else We Should Know About?
We should see more running this season. Northwestern used to use the spread to run the ball. They want to get back to that this season. And one way to cut down on C.J. Bacher's interceptions is to cut down on his passes. And if you have a healthy Tyrell Sutton to do it, it's win-win.
Anything Else?
Losing Drake Dunsmore could be bad. Dunsmore was the team's "Superback", which is essentially an H-back that is ideally used all over the field, with designs on stretching the defense at times. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL in practice and he is done for the season. There are other "Superbacks" on the roster, but none were as capable as Dunsmore as getting downfield. It would have been nice to see what this offense could do at full strength.
One Prediction
Northwestern will go undefeated through the non-conference schedule.
Did you know (Media Guide factoid)
The last time Northwestern had at least one player selected for an All-American team for three seasons in a row was 1929-31.
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