2016 Season Preview: Oct. 22 at Northwestern
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Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Week Eight: Northwestern Wildcats
Date and Time: Saturday , October 22 12:00pm EST
Venue: Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill (Capacity 47,130)
TV: TBD
Wildcats at a Glace
Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald
- 11th year as a head coach
- Overall Record (70-56)
- At Northwestern (70-56)
- Last Year: 10-3 (6-2, Lost in Outback Bowl)
Wildcats Returning Leaders
Passing: Clayton Thorson (50.8 Comp pct. 1,522 Yards, 7 TDs, 9 Int)
Rushing: Justin Jackson (312 Att. 1,418 Yards, 5 TD, 4.5 YPC)
Receiving: Austin Carr (16 Rec. 302 Yards, 2 TDs)
Defender: Anthony Walker (LB 122 Tackles, 16.5 TFLs, 1 Int, 4 PBUs)
Preseason Predictions
Athlon: 4th in the Big Ten West
Lindy’s: 2nd in the Big Ten West
Phil Steele: 4th in the Big Ten West
Sporting News: 4th in the Big Ten West
Why the Wildcats Will Win
Northwestern is coming off a 10-win season and returns their young quarterback and an absolute workhorse at running back. Not to mention they do have two of the better defenders in the Big Ten in corner Mathew Harris and linebacker Anthony Walker.
The defense carried the year for the Wildcats in 2015, as Thorson was unreliable throwing the ball. However, he was just a redshirt freshman last year and figures to get better. He has the tools to be a very solid dual-threat quarterback in the Big Ten West. Add in the fact that the Wildcats have a contender for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in running back Justin Jackson and this could turn into another long day for the Hoosiers at Ryan Field, where they have not won since 1993. In our Top Five series Alex Compton had this to say about Jackson, “Jackson takes handoffs, quick pitches, jet sweeps from the slot, and even plays quarterback in the wildcat formation. When he plays receiver, he lines up in the slot, can catch it out of the backfield, and routinely splits out wide. Whether or not he is even targeted on a given play, the defense has no choice but to respect his ability because of the gift he has to make plays all over the field. This versatility has made him one of the best players in the B1G, and is a true threat to score every time he gets a touch.” Jackson is the biggest weapon the Wildcats have and you bet that he will be touching the ball 30-40 times against IU.
On the defensive side of the ball, Northwestern has two of the best defenders in the entire conference. Linebacker Anthony Walker is arguably the best backer in the Big Ten. He finished third in tackles per game with 9.4 and second in total tackles with 122 in 2015 as he earned first team All-Big Ten honors. At 6’1” 235 pounds he is a monster in the middle for Northwestern and sure makes his head coach, former All-American linebacker, Pat Fitzgerald proud.
The other superstar on the defense is cornerback Mathew Harris, who was a third team All-Big Ten selection a year ago. Harris is the Wildcats’ shut down corner and be prepared for him to be draped on Simmie Cobbs all game long. Harris finished 2015 with 46 total tackles, 13 pass breakups, and four interceptions. He is more than capable of making the Hoosier quarterback stay to one side of the field or risk turning it over.
It may be hard to believe, but the Hoosiers have not won in Evanston since 1993. While they don’t play every year and IU hasn’t visited Ryan Field since 2012, it is still a dubious drought. It seems that in recent history, Indiana and Northwestern have played some crazy games. It’ll be homecoming for the Wildcats and a early 11am central time kick, which could come into play as the Hoosiers will be coming off games against Ohio State, Michigan State, and Nebraska.
Why the Hoosiers Will Win
This game will be strength vs. strength as the Hoosiers’ high-powered offense goes up against a stout Northwestern defense. There are several reason why the Hoosiers could leave Ryan Field with a victory for the first time since 1993. First, the question that everyone must ask about teams in the West, how good is Northwestern? Sure the Wildcats had 10 wins a season ago and beat eventual Rose Bowl champion Stanford, but that was in the season opener and Stanford was playing an early central time game, which is never good for teams from the west coast. The Wildcats did not fair well against the other powers on their schedule. They were shutout 38-0 at the Big House, fell 40-10 to eventual West champ Iowa at home, and got the doors blown off in the Outback Bowl 45-6 by Tennessee. So, just what is this Northwestern team? They are probably a very solid team that will be hard pressed to duplicate the 10 wins from a season ago.
Indiana’s offense should be figured out by late October and should be able to score a little bit against this Northwestern defense. Kevin Wilson’s offense put up 27 on both Ohio State and Iowa and laid 41 on Michigan a season ago. Yes, IU loses Nate Sudfeld and Jordan Howard, but they do return a strong core that should continue their offensive success.
The IU defense should be better than last season, and Northwestern should be better on offense than 2015, but this match-up should favor the Hoosiers, as they should be able to outscore the Northwestern offense. If the Hoosiers can force Thorson to throw the ball and slow down Jackson, the Hoosiers will have a chance to come out on top. Thorson was a little careless with the ball last season and Fitzgerald could look to limit Jackson’s carries about toting the ball 312 times last season.
Final Analysis
Indiana has run into bad luck and good Northwestern teams when they have visited Ryan Field recently and this will not be a walk on the beach on the shores of Lake Michigan. Northwestern is a very strong team, which plays hard and smart football. An 11am local time start, along with two All-Conference defenders and an All-American candidate at running back will give the Wildcats the edge at home. However, crazy things happen at Ryan Field and the Hoosiers are overdue for a bounce to go their way in Evanston.