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2006 Northwestern Football Preview
Aug. 29, 2006
2005 Record: 7-5 (5-3 Big Ten) Not in a million years did Pat Fitzgerald imagine his dream job would come to him in the midst of a nightmare. When Northwestern coach Randy Walker passed suddenly away from an apparent heart attack in late June, the tragedy rocked the Northwestern community. Less than 24 hours after attending the funeral service for his close friend and mentor, Fitzgerald was named the Wildcats' 29th head coach, and the 31-year-old became the youngest Division-I head coach in the nation. "It's a dream of mine to be a head football coach here, but not under these circumstances," said Fitzgerald. "Words cannot describe the emotions, but at the same time Walk would want us to move forward. That's what I thought and that's where my mind went right away. "We've all been called to duty with the passing of Coach Walker. That's part of being a coach. You deal with tough times. You deal with adversity. Randy taught us about that every day. It's the worst lesson I've ever had to learn, as far as that goes. I don't think we all wanted to learn it this way, but in his passing, he's teaching us so much more about life." Remembered by his friends and family, the Northwestern community and his peers in the Big Ten coaching fraternity as "all that was right in college football," Walker had set the Wildcat football program back on its feet in his seven seasons on the sidelines. In an extraordinary 2000 season, he propelled Northwestern from last to first in the league in only his second season at the Wildcat helm. A two-time All-America linebacker who led a Cinderella Northwestern team to the Rose Bowl in 1995, Fitzgerald will lead the Wildcats with the theme "Continue the legacy." Walker's hand-picked successor, Fitzgerald's notion is designed to continue not only the legacy of Randy Walker as mentor and coach, but also to further the values of success he promoted in the program. "The expectations haven't changed at Northwestern. The goal is to win the Big Ten championship and to represent the conference in the Rose Bowl and the BCS Championship," Fitzgerald said. "As long as I've been a part of the program, that has been the expectation. We have a great plan. We have great players, great coaches, and we have the full support of the Northwestern student body and the administration. It's how we practice and what we do and what we feel is important. We're not going to change who we are or what we believe in." Fitzgerald's first task on the field is finding a replacement for four-year starting QB and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Bret Basanez. One of the nation's leaders in total offense, Basanez piloted the Northwestern attack to fourth in the country. His potential successors include sophomore C.J. Bacher and redshirt freshmen Mike Kafka and Andrew Brewer. Basanez' understudy for two years, Bacher is the only one with any game experience and is familiar with the offense. A tall pure-passing athlete, Brewer has the speed and skills to breakout in the NU offense. Kafka is also an all-around athlete with strong potential to find success as a mobile quarterback in the Wildcat scheme. The winner of the starting job will have the advantage of lining up with a veteran offensive line, a star running back in sophomore Tyrell Sutton and a solid receiver in Shaun Herbert. As a freshman in 2005, Sutton provided a huge spark out of the backfield, racking up 1,870 all-purpose yards with over 1,400 of those coming on the ground. The league's rookie of the year, he finished eighth nationally in rushing (122.8 ypg). A candidate for the 2006 Maxwell and Doak Walker awards, Sutton will continue to be a ground-game workhorse who can also be counted on as a reliable receiver. Junior Brandon Roberson and senior Terrell Jordan were hampered by injuries through most of last season, but both return with potential to create big plays and take pressure off Sutton.
Despite losing 115 catches and more than 1,200 receiving yards from the receiving corps, the Wildcats' top target senior Shaun Herbert returns to lead a young, dynamic unit. Basanez's go-to receiver last year, Herbert grabbed 79 passes for 862 yards. A steady receiver throughout the season, Herbert averaged more than 10 yards per catch. At 6-1, 200 pounds, Herbert has the size and athleticism to turn into a big-time scorer this year. Junior Kim Thompson, along with sophomores Rasheed Wards and Ross Lane will battle it out for the No. 2 starting spot. At 6-4 and 195 pounds, Ward is the team's biggest receiver and has lightning-quick speed. After a breakout game in the Sun Bowl, Lane figures to be in the hunt with a little more experience to complement his deep-threat size and speed combination. The offensive line might be the Wildcats' biggest strength on offense with senior guards Ryan Kennan and Joe Tripodi, and junior tackles Dylan Thiry and Austin Matthews returning. After allowing a mere 11 sacks last season, the shuffled but mostly intact group should continue to provide stability for the running and passing attacks. Despite the loss of All-America tackle Zach Strief, the line returns two-year Trevor Rees. An instant upgrade to the unit, Rees started 21 straight games before sitting out last year. Matthews moves to tackle after starting at center for the first half of last year while Thiry will be an impenetrable pass blocker from the other side at 6-8 and 315 pounds. After switching from tight end to right tackle, Keenan has fit the position as one of the league's best lineman. His counterpart Tripodi is the Wildcats' biggest man up front and will be invaluable to the run game. The biggest obstacle for the Wildcats will be overcoming a defensive let-down. After allowing 33.9 points per contest last season, the team brings back nine starters. On the upside, those returnees helped force 30 turnovers in 2005, bailing the squad out of several big-time dilemmas. With all the returning experience, Fitzgerald expects to see an improved unit in 2006. The front four are a young but huge crew anchored by sophomore end Kevin Mims. An athletic pass rusher with durable size, Mims has All-Big Ten potential. The Wildcats will rely heavily on their veteran linebackers for a revamped pass rush. Senior Adam Kadela and junior Nick Roach will provide plenty of experience on the outside after combining for 148 stops last season. But there is a huge gap to fill in the middle with the graduation of Tim McGarigle and his NCAA-record 548 career tackles. Kadela and sophomore Mike Dinard are sure tacklers with the ability to take over the position. Senior Demetrius Eaton will start on the strongside for Kadela after splitting time at end. Leading the secondary is cornerback Marquice Cole. The senior is the team's leading returning defensive back, and will try to improve on his five interceptions and five broken up passes from a year ago. Former quarterback and wide receiver sophomore Eric Peterman will start at the opposite corner slot. He will have to prove his dangerous size and speed can be effective on the defensive side to keep his starting job over senior Cory Dious, an under-sized but speedy back. A huge spark in the secondary is the return of senior strong safety Bryan Heinz. He returned from a torn ACL to play in the Sun Bowl, and hopes to be back to 100-percent throughout 2006. Sophomore free safety Brendan Smith emerged as a big playmaker in his rookie season. His versatility and all-around the athleticism will create a number of options for the NU coaching staff. Cole is also the biggest highlight on special teams. A tremendous punt returner, he averaged 27 yards on eight returns last year, including an 81-yard touchdown against Northern Illinois. Gerard Hamlett also bolted for 22.3 yards per kick off return while two veteran kickers will lead the Wildcats in senior place kicker Joel Howells and senior punter Slade Larscheid. While emotions will undoubtedly run high throughout the Wildcats' season, they begin with a crucial trip to Miami (Ohio), where Walker holds the record for most wins. Fittingly, Fitzgerald will make his head coaching debut in what was supposed to be a homecoming for Walker but will now serve as a memorial for the late coach. Walker, who starred for Miami in the early 1970s, coached the RedHawks from 1990-98 before Northwestern hired him in January of 1999. The Wildcats also face a daunting Big Ten schedule that starts with back-to-back games at Penn State and Wisconsin and ends with another two-game road trip to Michigan and Iowa. Despite the tremendous pressure, Fitzgerald remains sternly positive, an attitude clearly reminiscent of his outstanding predecessor. "The talent, commitment and coaching staff are what it is going to take to bring the Purple Pack back to the Rose Bowl," he said. "I have nine fingers left for rings, but that's not the focus right now. The focus is getting through this difficult time in all of our football families' lives. That's the real focus, and we will move on from there."
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