Big Ten Preview: Northwestern Wildcats

Carson Hutton
Thu, 26 Sep 2019 04:26:42 +0000
Big Ten, Big Ten Preview, Football, News, Sports, Al Washington, Big Ten football, Branden Bowen, Buckeyes, Buckeyes football, Chase Young, Chris Chugunov, college football, Day coaching staff, Drake Anderson, garrett Wilson, Greg Mattison, Gunner Hoak, Hunter Johnson, J.K. Dobbins, Jeff Hafley, jeffrey okudah, Jonah Jackson, jonathon cooper, Jordan Fuller, Josh Myers, justin fields, K.J. Hill, Matt Barnes, Mike Yurcich, Northwestern, Northwestern football [and 19 more]

Location: Evanston, Illinois

2018 record: 9-5

Head coach: Pat Fitzgerald?(14th year, 96-70)

2019 record so far: 1-2

Record against Ohio State since 2010: 0-3

What’s happened so far in 2019:

After winning the Big Ten West division in 2018, the Wildcats began 2019 with a 17-7 road loss at Stanford. Following a bye week in Week 2, they rebounded at home with a decisive 30-14 victory over UNLV. Beginning their conference schedule this past weekend, Northwestern could not stop Michigan State’s passing attack and were defeated 31-10 at home by the Spartans.

Key Offensive Player:

A calming presence in the backfield, redshirt freshman running back Drake Anderson has emerged as the go-to playmaker for the Wildcats. Stymied against Stanford, Anderson erupted in the home opener, igniting the offense with 26 carries for 141 yards and a score. He’s rushed for 237 yards and two touchdowns on the season. With redshirt sophomore quarterback Hunter Johnson under center, Northwestern will rely on Anderson to work for consistent yardage on the ground to open up deep throws and play-action routes.

Key Defensive Player:

Leading the linebacker corps is junior linebacker Paddy Fisher, a third-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten in 2018. The Northwestern defense is anchored around the Katy, Texas, native, who has been a disruptive force for the Wildcats with back-to-back seasons of more than 100 tackles. To begin this year’s campaign, Fisher has recorded 22 tackles, forced a fumble and recorded the Wildcats’ only interception, coming against UNLV. Currently allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game in the Big Ten, Fisher and the defense will need to step up to meet the ball carrier in order to keep Northwestern competitive against the conference’s top offenses.

Weaknesses:

The Wildcats rank No. 121 in the NCAA in total offense, largely due to an inability to move the ball through the air. They rank No. 123 in pass offense, and Johnson has thrown four interceptions with only one passing touchdown. A former five-star recruit and Clemson backup, Johnson will need to find a rhythm throwing and protecting the football. The defense is faring much better statistically but still has its inefficiencies. The Wildcats’ run defense is No. 72 in the NCAA and will need to improve drastically to stop dynamic Big Ten running backs like Wisconsin junior Jonathan Taylor and Ohio State junior J.K. Dobbins.