Oct. 08--Northwestern safety Godwin Igwebuike is a "Lord of the Rings" buff. Linebacker Anthony Walker prefers a radically different genre, calling his favorite movie a "tossup between 'Remember the Titans' and 'Friday Night Lights.' "
It fits. Walker is a coach's son who began attending youth-league practices when he was 2. He aspires to be an NFL general manager.
Igwebuike's high school team in central Ohio was so talented, its defense ran only two coverages and convened for just an hour each week to watch film.
Now both take pride in film study, and they were kind enough to give the Tribune an inside look at NU's sensational defense -- the Wildcats rank fifth in the country, allowing 247.4 yards per game, entering Saturday's showdown at Michigan -- by breaking down plays from the victories over Stanford and Duke.
Here's what you should know:
--The Wildcats have allowed just three touchdowns in five games. They lead the nation in scoring defense at 7 points per game, and their pass defense ranks third in efficiency.
--Coach Pat Fitzgerald joked that they've been aided by not playing Baylor, which just dropped 63 points on Texas Tech. OK, but check this out: Stanford, which gained 240 yards against Northwestern, is averaging 506 yards in its other games. Minnesota was averaging 378 yards until the Wildcats held the Gophers to 173 in a 27-0 shutout Saturday.
--The secondary is dubbed the "Sky Team," and the linebackers call themselves "Renegades." Position groups have bonded over dinners at Red Lobster and Candlelite or over home-cooked meals. Walker recently made barbecue chicken, yellow rice and string beans for the "Renegades."
--One line in the bio of defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz says it all: "45th Overall Season." He played tight end at Michigan from 1967 to '69 and immediately began working for Bo Schembechler as a defensive graduate assistant. "Coach Hank," as his players call him, stresses impact, momentum-swaying plays -- a turnover or fourth-down stop, for example. NU's defense has yielded just 11 impact plays, defined by Hankwitz as 20 yards or more.
--The Wildcats have forced 10 turnovers, tied for 24th nationally. "What they hark on the most is rips and strips," Igwebuike said. "After every practice we mark down: How many strips did this person have? How many did we get as a team? If we don't get enough strips, there will be consequences -- grass drills, up-downs."
--The form on Igwebuike's tackle and strip of Duke's Shaun Wilson was so perfect, Fitzgerald said it will go on "the 'teach tape' until I die." Igwebuike, who also recovered the fumble, said of his technique: "You don't want to miss a strip and let him run free. You bring the other arm around his waist and give it all you've got (with a punch)."
--Walker (aka "Big Ant") was named national defensive player of the week after his 19-tackle performance at Duke, but NU coaches cited end Dean Lowry as the Wildcats' defensive player of the week. "I would have given it to Dean too," Walker said. "He made the impact plays to get the momentum shifted."
--Duke was close to taking a 14-0 lead when the 6-foot-6, 290-pound Lowry leaped and snagged a Thomas Sirk pass, rumbling 18 yards after the interception. Watching it on film, Walker said: "They liked to get this running back out on a swing pattern, and Dean was able to diagnose it really quickly. ... Dean takes that J.J. Watt mentality to heart."
--The "Sky Team" is loaded with experience; Igwebuike, safety Traveon Henry and cornerbacks Nick VanHoose and Matthew Harris have combined for 94 starts. An unsung player having a huge impact is Keith Watkins, a redshirt sophomore who played running back at Cincinnati's Moeller High School. Now he's a bruising cornerback -- at all of 180 pounds. "An aggressive dude," Igwebuike said. "He's not afraid of contact, and that's pretty rare for a cornerback."
--This defense, NU's best since the 1995 Rose Bowl team, swarms to the ball like a cavalry. "Shoot your gun," Igwebuike said. "If you miss, another guy will be right there. The cavalry is going to come."
--Igwebuike and Walker chuckled while watching film of the last meaningful play in the Stanford game. Safety Kyle Queiro snatched a Kevin Hogan pass and had a clear path for a pick-six. But given the Wildcats' 16-6 lead, Fitzgerald ordered Queiro to get down by flapping his arms. "If Kyle had taken it back," Igwebuike said, "I would have been scared for him."
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
