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Football Preview: Northwestern
Sept. 2, 2010
By Larry Watts Even if the Northwestern players walked into Cheers, chances are nobody would know their names. And that's just fine with head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who took a team with little name recognition in 2009 and molded it into an 8-5 club (5-3 Big Ten) that lost a 38-35 overtime thriller to Auburn in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day. Gone are the so-called "big names," but the Wildcats do have 16 starters returning. However, the number Fitzgerald likes to bring up is 31, as in the number of returning players who actually saw starting action last year mainly due to injuries. Gone from the offense is quarterback Mike Kafka (now with the Eagles) and top receivers Zeke Markshausen and Andrew Brewer. In his lone season as a starter, Kafka, who was billed as a run-oriented quarterback, threw for 3,430 yards, including 78 passes in the Outback Bowl. All Markshausen, a walk-on until his final year, and Brewer did was combine for 148 receptions, 1,783 yards and 12 touchdowns. Gone from the defense is 6-foot-7, 280-pound defensive end Corey Wootton (Bears) and three starters from the secondary, including cornerback Sherrick McManus (Texans). Fitzgerald acknowledges this may be his youngest team as he enters his fifth season (27-23), but it also is his deepest. The ability to rotate linemen in and out of games on both sides of the ball will go a long way to helping the Cats keep the pedal to the metal in 2010, starting with Saturday night's opener at Vanderbilt. OFFENSE: Junior Dan Persa has patiently waited in line for his chance to run the Cats' no-huddle attack. Getting most of his action in a 34-13 loss to Penn State and a 17-10 upset of Iowa, he completed 20 of 34 passes for 224 yards and 2 TDs last year. According to Fitzgerald, the 6-1, 210-pound Persa is "pound for pound our strongest and best-conditioned athlete." With a more experienced line, the superback (hybrid tight end/H-back) should become a bigger part of the Wildcat offense this year. Once he returned to full health, 6-3, 235-pound junior Drake Dunsmore (47 catches, 523 yards) became a solid option along with senior backup Josh Rooks (6-6, 265). Dunsmore provided one of the highlight plays of the bowl season when he broke one Auburn tackle at the line of scrimmage and another at the 10-yard line en route to a 66-yard touchdown. Senior Sidney Stewart (42 catches, 470 yards) is the lone starter returning among the wide receivers, but the rest of the crew is hardly green. Junior Jeremy Ebert (21, 226), who made four starts last year and played as a true freshman, will be in the slot. Sophomore Demetrius Fields (24, 225) will line up as the third receiver. Junior Charles Brown and redshirt freshman Drew Moulton are other receiving options, but keep an eye on true freshman Venric Mark, who has 4.4 speed in the 40. The focus of the offseason has been to improve the rushing attack, which ranked 95th in the nation and failed to produce a 100-yard rusher in a single game in 2009. Sophomore Arby Fields (302 yards) heads a committee that combined for 993 yards last year. Fields has been bothered by shoulder problems in fall camp and he will again be pushed by juniors Jacob Schmidt and Scott Concannon as well as fifth-year senior Stephen Simmons. True freshman Adonis Smith has been impressive carrying the ball in the preseason. Six starters return on the front line, but sophomore Brian Mulroe (6-4, 295), who started in the bowl game, has emerged as the starting left guard. Junior Al Netter (6-6, 310) returns at left tackle while sophomore tackle Patrick Ward (6-7, 305) and junior guard Doug Bartels (6-4, 300) will be on the right side of junior center Ben Burkett, who is on the Remington watch list. Senior Keegan Grant (6-2, 305) and sophomore Neil Dieters (6-8, 315) are both considered returning starters and will get plenty of reps.
DEFENSE: The Wildcats are counting on junior Kevin Watt (6-4, 265) and sophomore Quentin Williams (6-4, 250) to combine to fill the hole vacated by Wootton's departure. Junior speed rusher Vince Browne (6-5, 265), who had eight tackles for loss and five sacks in 2009, returns to start at the other defensive end. Senior Corbin Bryant (6-4, 300) has established himself as the leader of the line at one tackle slot. Junior Jack DiNardo (6-4, 290) will break in as the other tackle. Immediate backup help will be provided by junior Niko Mafuli (6-3, 310) and sophomore Brian Amfelt (6-5, 290). Led by senior Quentin Davie (team-high 90 tackles in 2009), all three starting linebackers return for the Cats. Davie is on the Butkus Award watch list. Senior Nate Williams (86 tackles) will be in the middle while junior Ben Johnson has been edged out by fellow junior Bryce McNaul as the other outside backer. Sophomore David Nwabusi saw action in 12 games last year while Damien Proby is a redshirt freshman. Sophomore Roderick Goodlow, who played as a true freshman, went down with an ACL tear in preseason camp. The Cats will need a strong push up front as they break in a new secondary, which has already lost the services of junior backup safety David Arnold (leg injury). Junior Jordan Mabin (75 tackles) is back at one corner while 6-4 junior Brian Peters made five starts and will line up at free safety. The hard-hitting Peters, who wore a cast most of the year, may have been the best one-armed safety in the Big Ten after logging three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Fifth-year senior corner Justan Vaughn and sophomore safety Jared Carpenter each had one start last year and will now move in full time. SPECIAL TEAMS: Graduate student Stefan Demos, who handled all of the kicking duties last year, will finally get to drop his punting responsibilities, which he had done for the past three seasons. Demos, who is on the Groza watch list, will concentrate on field goals, where he was second-team All-Big Ten after connecting on 18-of-25 chances in 2009, and kickoffs. The emergence of redshirt freshman Brandon Williams as punter will give Demos a chance to rest his surgically repaired hip. Simmons (25.3-yard average) and Concannon are both listed for kickoff returns while sophomore Hunter Bates is getting the early call for punt returns. However, the speedster Mark could make an impression in either area before the end of the year. MISCELLANEOUS: Not only is Northwestern looking for its third straight bowl trip in school history, but it is also seeking three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since Ara Parseghian roamed the sidelines from 1958-60. Northwestern has not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Tyrell Sutton hit exactly 1,000 yards in 2006. Fields' 302 yards last year is the lowest among the Cats' top rushers since Robbie Glanton ran for 159 yards for a pass happy team in 1993. In addition to averaging three yards per carry last year, the offensive line yielded 32 sacks. Northwestern had eight games decided by seven points or less in 2009, winning six of those contests. Northwestern will only play five games at Ryan Field in 2010. The sixth home game, with Illinois, will be played at 2:30 p.m. at Wrigley Field, which will be hosting its first college football game since 1938. It will be the first football game played at Wrigley since the Chicago Bears departed at the end of the 1970 season. |
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