Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Northwestern Wildcats season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Northwestern Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 9-5 overall, 8-1 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald, 14th year, 96-70
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NORTHWESTERN OFFENSE
– The offense was able was the 12th best in the Big Ten, there was little to no running game for stretches, the passing game was wildly inefficient, and there were massive power outages against Rutgers and Duke. The Cats seemed to like living on the edge, though, and the overall formula worked.
Five starters are gone, but considering how mediocre the O was throughout last year, it’ll almost certainly be better because …
– Hunter Johnson is a more talented quarterback than Clayton Thorson. The Philadelphia Eagles thought enough of Thorson to take him in the fifth round, and he’s not the passer Johnson is. The yards were there, but Thorson also threw 15 interceptions along with his 17 touchdowns and 3,183 yards.
Johnson’s biggest negative is that he’s not Trevor Lawrence, which is why the former superstar Clemson recruit is now in Evanston, with senior TJ Green a capable and experienced backup. It’ll also help that …
– The receiving corps is solid. Leading man Flynn Nagel is done after catching 68 passes for 780 yards, but 64-senior Bennett Skowronek is a reliable target who made 45 grabs. Junior Kyric McGowan and sophomore JJ Jefferson are deep playmakers averaging over 18 yards per grab.
The loss of second-leading receiver Cameron Green from the Superback position hurts, forcing junior Trey Pugh to play a bigger role and elevating sophomore Charlie Mangieri.
– The running game took a massive hit when Jeremy Larkin was forced to retire, but freshman Isaiah Bowser stepped up as the season went on to finish with a team-high 866 yards with six scores. 209-pound John Moten is a tough senior who has to prove he can carry the load.
– After giving up way too many plays behind the line – finishing dead last in the Big Ten in sacks allowed – the offensive front has a whole lot of retooling to do. Three starters are gone, but Jared Thomas is a veteran center and 314-pound junior Rashawn Slater can work at either tackle spot. There’s not a whole ton of bulk, but all of the key backups from last year return to fill in the gaps.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NORTHWESTERN DEFENSE
– The D will be terrific. Nine starters and seven of the top ten tacklers are back. This was a young group that gave up 391 yards and 23 points took the ball away enough to make up for a slew of other issues. The run defense was good, the pass D just okay, but when it came time for a clutch stop, this group almost always figured it out.
– Jared McGee is done, but Paddy Fisher inside and Blake Gallagher outside will seem like they’ll get in on every play. The two junior linebackers will combine for well over 100 tackles again, and 213-pound junior Chris Bergin is a good veteran coming off a 51-tackle season.
– Joe Gaziano isn’t your normal pass rushing end, but the 275-pound senior has the type of non-stop motor needed to live in the backfield. He’s not alone up front with Samdup Miller a good tackler on the other side and 268-pound Alex Miller inside – and that’s an issue. The line is active and productive, but it’s missing bulk in the interior.
– It was a young group of defensive backs last season that held up okay, and now it welcomes back three starters starting with all-around playmaking safety JR Pace. The junior was third on the team in tackles and led the way with four picks, and fourth-leading tackler Travis Whillock is right next to him. Trae Williams is a good-sized corner with a decent rotation on the other side.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP NORTHWESTERN PLAYERS
Best Northwestern Offensive Player
QB Hunter Johnson, Soph.
Yeah, let’s go ahead and put the pressure on the new guy right out of the box. The 6-2, 208-pounder was looking at Northwestern when he was first recruited out of Indiana, but the five-star prospect chose Clemson. He was supposed to be the main man right away, but he had to wait his turn behind Kelly Bryant, and then that Trevor Lawrence guy was brought in. Johnson is good, but he’s not Lawrence.
While he’s not huge, he has a live, accurate arm with tremendous speed. In a perfect world he only has to use his mobility once in a while as he looks and plays the part of – possibly – the most talented quarterback prospect to ever come to Evanston.
2. OT Rashawn Slater, Jr.
3. RB Isaiah Bowser, Soph.
4. WR Bennett Skowronek, Sr.
5. C Jared Thomas, Sr.
Best Northwestern Defensive Player
LB Paddy Fisher, Jr.
It takes something special to be Pat Fitzgerald’s star linebacker. The 6-4, 241-pound Fisher has been a tackling machine over his first two seasons with 229 tackles with 14 tackles for loss.
He might not be a pass rusher – that’s not his job – but he’s decent in coverage and he’s a volume tackler with 18 in the loss to Duke and 19 in the win over Michigan State. With Fisher combining with Blake Gallagher, Northwestern has the core of one of the Big Ten’s best linebacking corps.
2. LB Blake Gallagher, Jr.
3. DE Joe Gaziano, Sr.
4. S JR Pace, Jr.
5. S Travis Whillock, Jr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Northwestern Offense
The running game can’t be so miserable, and it starts with improvement on the offensive front. The Wildcats somehow survived in game after game with no ground attack and little in the way of pass protection.
The Wildcats allowed 36 sacks, but that’s not why you called.
Even with a great quarterback prospect in Hunter Johnson leading the way, Northwestern won’t be able to get away with another horrible year running the ball. The touchdown runs were there – the Cats were great around the goal line – but the team only averaged 115 yards per game and averaged fewer than four yards per carry 11 times.
How many times did Northwestern finish with fewer than 100 yards? Seven, including all four losses. After only rushing for more than 200 yards once – in the win over Illinois – Northwestern is now 21-0 over the last five years when hitting the mark.
Biggest Key To The Northwestern Defense
Takeaways, takeaways, takeaways, takeaways, takeaways. Northwestern didn’t have much of an offense, and the defense gave up yards in chunks and was hardly a brick wall.
So how does a team with so many flaws and issues end up winning nine games and get to the Big Ten Championship? The defense managed to come up with massive plays time and again.
Purdue outplayed NU in the opener – but three takeaways turned out to be the difference. Nebraska had the Cats dead to rights – three takeaways, and a whole lot of Husker penalties, helped in he meltdown.
How does Northwestern play just okay and beat Wisconsin? Force three turnovers. How did the Cats managed to get by a Utah program that doesn’t lose bowl games? Six takeaways.
No takeaways against Duke and Michigan and just one against Akron … 0-3. None against Rutgers? Need everything in the bag to survive 18-15.
The D came up with 26 takeaways, and it’ll have to do it again.
Key Player To A Successful Season
PK Charlie Kuhbander, Jr.
The offense should be a wee bit stronger, but it’s still not going to be a machine.
The defense is still going to be great, but it’s asking a lot to get so many big performances in key moments without a little bit of good fortune.
Northwestern needs its kicker to be good.
Drew Luckenbaugh stepped in when Kuhbander got hurt and hit three of his four attempts, and Jake Collins connected on two short tries, but the main man needs to be healthy after fighting through a leg injury early last year. Kuhbander connected on just 5-of-9 field goals including a season-long 45-yarder against Michigan, but he can do a whole lot more.
He’s got a big leg and can be more of a weapon at 100%. If he can get back to his normal self and show off 40+ range, the offense changes.
Key Game To The Northwestern Season
at Wisconsin, Sept. 28
Alex Hornibrook was hurt. The Badger starting quarterback was out with concussion issues, Jonathan Taylor had fumbling problems, and the Wildcats managed to pounce all over every opportunity to take down the Badgers 31-17. It turned out to be the game that took Big Ten West title hopes to a realistic level, and it needs to happen again.
This time around it’s in Madison, and it’s coming off the date against Michigan State and with a trip to Nebraska and the dates with Ohio State and Iowa to follow. Lose, and forget about repeating as the West champion.
– Northwestern Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Northwestern Fun Stats
– Field Goals: Opponents 20-of-30 – Northwestern 10-of-16
– Penalties: Opponents 99 for 947 yards – Opponents 40 for 363 yards
– Fumbles: Opponents 21 (lost 14) – Northwestern 8 (lost 3)
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. NORTHWESTERN WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
Northwestern defied all logic and reason.
It turned the ball over way too often, wasn’t explosive, wasn’t great on third downs or special teams, and the defense was awful against anyone who could regularly throw.
Last in the Big Ten in rushing, the O line was last in sacks allowed, scoring appeared to be optional, and …
It won the Big Ten West. But how?
The Cats managed to convert on just about every chance they had, they kept games close, forced a ton of turnovers, and they led the nation in fewest penalties and fewest yards.
And they also caught a massive amount of breaks.
To be fair, Northwestern made its own good luck, but it was also helped by Purdue royally screwing up – and getting hit with an awful late penalty – in the season-opening win.
Nebraska gagged, Wisconsin and Utah were missing their starting quarterbacks, there was no Ohio State on the schedule until the Big Ten Championship, and Penn State wasn’t on the slate.
Whatever … Northwestern played for the Big Ten title and won its third straight bowl game.
In several ways, this year’s team should be better.
The passing game should be more efficient, the running game can’t be worse, and the defense has the talent and depth on the front seven to be stronger. Throw in an improved kicking game and there’s a lot to like, but …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 7
It’s a Pat Fitzgerald team, so it has a plucky chance to take down anyone at any time. Keeping games close helped in close-call losses to Michigan and Notre Dame, but it also almost proved costly in tight battles against miserable Rutgers and Illinois teams (don’t bring up Akron … don’t bring up Akron …).
This year, the Cats have to start out at Stanford – the Cardinal are better.
They have to go to Wisconsin and Nebraska in back-to-back weeks – the Huskers are better, and the rebuilding Badgers are playing in Madison.
They get Michigan State at home, but the Spartans are better. They get Ohio State and Iowa at home, but that’s still Ohio State and Iowa.
The back half of the schedule isn’t bad, and again, the team might be stronger, but unless there are a whole slew of massive breaks from the schedule early on, think of this as more like the 2016 team that went 7-6 and less like the ones that came up with 19 wins over the last two seasons.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
