Before each week's Ohio State game, Eleven Warriors catches up with a media member who covers the opposing team to get his or her perspective on the Buckeyes' upcoming opponent.
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6-1 ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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NOON – SATURDAY, DEC. 12 LUCAS OIL STADIUM INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA |
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FOX FOX SPORTS GO |
Ahead of this week's Big Ten Championship Game, we caught up with Lia Assimakopoulos, the editor-in-chief of Inside NU (and a current Northwestern student), to get her insight on how the Wildcats won the Big Ten West, what's led to their offensive improvement and defensive success, who are their top players to watch and what the Wildcats must do well to have a chance to upset Ohio State on Saturday.
After going just 3-9 last season, Northwestern is 6-1 and in the Big Ten Championship Game for the second time in three years. What’s made the biggest difference from last year to this year?
Assimakopoulos: The biggest difference has been the improvement of Northwestern’s offense. While the offense currently just ranks 99th nationwide in SP+, that is a significant improvement from last season in which it finished almost dead last in efficiency in the nation. NU’s quarterback play in 2019 was inconsistent and abysmal with no clear leader under center and six different players taking snaps.
Now, Northwestern has finally found the consistency it longed for last season in Indiana graduate transfer QB Peyton Ramsey. In his first season in Evanston, Ramsey has proven to be a level-headed, game-controlling quarterback. While he’s not known for his flashy play like Justin Fields, he has gotten the job done and helped his team win six of its seven games this season — a major improvement from last year.
Additionally, Northwestern fired last year’s offensive coordinator Mick McCall and brought in Mike Bajakian from Boston College, who has helped revive the offense, particularly the receivers and tight ends, who had an off year last season. While there is certainly a lot of room for improvement for Northwestern, its defense has been strong year after year and the offensive changes have allowed us to see that 2019 was a fluke and that Pat Fitzgerald was right at the end of last season when he predicted his team would be back in Indianapolis one year later.
Peyton Ramsey has brought much-needed stability at quarterback to Northwestern's offense. (Photo: Tim Fuller – USA TODAY Sports)
Northwestern is currently ranked second in the nation with only 14.6 points allowed per game. What have the Wildcats done so well to keep opponents out of the end zone, and how do you think they’ll fare against Justin Fields and Ohio State’s offense?
Assimakopoulos: Northwestern’s defense has been consistent year in and year out and is the lifeblood of the team. The offense has been consistently average this season and in the past, but the defense currently ranks second in the nation in efficiency. As the team has said time and time again, that starts and ends with defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who is currently in his 51st season as a coach and set to retire this offseason. He’s one of the best DCs in the game and has transformed a group of three-stars into one of the top defenses in the conference and the nation.
As for the players, the linebackers have consistently been the core of NU’s defense. Paddy Fisher, Blake Gallagher and Chris Bergin are the three senior starters who have played together for years now and been incredibly reliable since they first set foot on campus. The defensive linemen have also showed significant improvement throughout the season, despite losing a few key contributors in the offseason, and have held their own against dynamic quarterbacks. But most importantly, Northwestern’s secondary has been standout this season with Greg Newsome at cornerback and redshirt first year Brandon Joseph at safety, who leads the nation in interceptions. Obviously, they will have a very tall task with Fields and the Buckeye receivers, but this defense is more capable than the 2018 defense and has a shot at giving OSU a run for its money.
Northwestern’s offense still isn’t putting up huge numbers, but it's better than last year, when Northwestern had one of the worst offenses in the entire country. How would you assess the improvement on that side of the ball?
Assimakopoulos: As mentioned above, the improvement comes more from a consistency standpoint. Northwestern’s offense really struggled to get anything going at all last season and lacked experience overall. Having a seasoned quarterback in Peyton Ramsey, who has played in the conference for years, certainly bodes well for Northwestern.
Because of the lack of strong quarterback play, Northwestern’s receivers had a very quiet year in 2019, and the tight ends were barely a part of the system at all. But with three capable senior wide receivers and two consistent tight ends in John Raine and Charlie Mangieri, Ramsey has been presented with multiple weapons that seemed to be nonexistent last year.
The run game has been an area where Northwestern’s offense has still struggled this season. Despite combining for 700 yards on the ground between its first and last game of the season, NU couldn’t get anything going in the middle chunk of the games. Isaiah Bowser has been the leader in carries in that group but has seemingly been plagued with injuries since last season. Drake Anderson, his backup, has been inconsistent as well. While a few younger players have had standout performances, like freshmen Cam Porter and Evan Hull who put up 140 yards each last game against Illinois, the room has been incredibly inconsistent this year.
The offensive line will have a tough battle in the trenches to try to open up holes for them this weekend, so NU will likely have to put up impressive numbers in the air if it wants any shot against the Buckeyes.
Who are some Northwestern players that Ohio State and its fans need to be aware of in this game?
Assimakopoulos: On the offensive end, definitely keep an eye out for true freshman running back Cam Porter. Against Illinois, he had 24 carries for 142 yards and a touchdown. The team has been in search of a leading running back all season, and he will likely see a fair number of carries against the Buckeyes this weekend.
Also, Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman has been the leading receiver and has finally broken out in his senior season. He leads the team with 30 catches on the year for 344 yards and four touchdowns, and he posted an impressive three-touchdown game against Purdue. He has been one of Ramsey’s favorite targets of the year and will need to have another strong performance for NU to take down the Buckeyes.
On defense, the three players to know are Paddy Fisher, Brandon Joseph and Greg Newsome. Fisher is an NFL-bound senior linebacker who leads the team in tackles and has been the most consistent part of the defense since he arrived on campus. Joseph has been thrown into a starting role at safety in his redshirt freshman season and leads the nation with five interceptions on the year, including two multi-pick games against Iowa and Wisconsin. Newsome has had a standout year, as the junior cornerback leads the team with nine pass breakups and has only allowed receivers to catch 35 percent of passes thrown his way. He has also not sacrificed a touchdown all year.
Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman is Northwestern's top wide receiver. (Photo: David Baker – USA TODAY Sports)
Northwestern is a three-touchdown underdog for Saturday’s game. What needs to happen for Northwestern to have a chance to win, and how do you think the game plays out?
Assimakopoulos: Facing the Buckeyes is a tough task for any team, and the Wildcats certainly have their work cut out for them. For Northwestern to win on Saturday, it will need to play a nearly perfect defensive game and contain the quarterback draw, which it has struggled to do this season. The secondary will also need to remain strong and limit the stellar Buckeye receivers.
The one weakness that NU will look to exploit is OSU’s secondary, but the Wildcat receivers as well as Ramsey will all have to play their best game of the season. Realistically, it will be a major challenge for NU to take down the Buckeyes, but anything can happen in 2020. ‘Cats 28-27.
