The 6th place team in the Big Ten this year figures to be the Northwestern Wildcats. Coming off a surprising 2008 campaign, the Wildcats and head coach Pat Fitzgerald look to return to a January bowl game for the first time in over a decade.
Depending on the health of end Corey Wootton, the Wildcats could have a dominating defense. Wootton, who injured his knee during the Alamo Bowl, tallied ten sacks during his junior campaign and will be in for a big senior season if he regains his form. The front line will need him to be healthy. While the defense does return eight starters, two of the losses are on the line.
There were times last year when Northwestern had to survive without quarterback C.J. Bacher and running back Tyrell Sutton, both of whom struggled with injuries. Now they have to live without those two for an entire season. Mike Kafka proved to be a capable quarterback who could make plays with his feet, but his passing and decision making was erratic. His experience last year cannot hurt, but he must turn into a leader of the offense and keep the mistakes to a minimum. It would also be beneficial if Kafka did not lead the team in rushing or feel the need to scramble as often as he did last season. Stephen Simmons, who ran for 178 yards on 62 carries as a sophomore last year is the most experienced running back, but redshirt freshman Alex Daniel and sophomore Jeravin Matthews could see some carries as well.
Another weak non-conference schedule has the Wildcats looking at a 8-4 season (4-0, 4-4). Expect Northwestern to win one game they shouldn't, perhaps at Michigan State.
No comments:
Post a Comment