Before each Ohio State game, Eleven Warriors catches up with a media member who covers the opposing team to get their perspective on the Buckeyes' upcoming opponent.
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NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS |
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1-7 (1-4 BIG TEN) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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NOON – SATURDAY, NOV. 5 RYAN FIELD EVANSTON, ILLINOIS |
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ABC WatchESPN |
With Northwestern set to host Ohio State this week, we caught up with Iggy Dowling, the managing editor of Inside NU, for a look at why the Wildcats have lost seven games in a row, whether Pat Fitzgerald could lose his job as a result of this season’s struggles, what a new stadium means for Northwestern’s future and whether the home team has any chance of making Saturday’s game competitive.
Northwestern has lost its last seven straight games after starting the season with a win over Nebraska. What are the biggest things that have gone wrong for the Wildcats?
Dowling: It’s pretty much been everything. As much as that sounds like a cop-out answer, Northwestern has found so many different ways to lose. From failing to capitalize on turnovers against Penn State, to allowing Maryland’s Roman Hemby to rush for 179 yards and three scores, to making Graham Mertz and Spencer Petras look like bigger blue-chip prospects than C.J. Stroud, the Wildcats just have not gotten everything to click for four quarters since the Nebraska win.
In particular, though, Northwestern’s linebackers have been especially subpar in coverage. Whether it’s defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s scheme or just miscommunication, teams have been able to find inexplicably soft spots in NU’s coverage inside the numbers. The defense as a whole has also struggled to finish plays. Northwestern missed multiple tackles throughout Hemby’s game-winning 75-yard touchdown run two weeks ago, and Iowa broke off chunk play after chunk play because of bad tackling. With Mohamed Ibrahim and Chase Brown still on deck after this, righting the ship in that regard won’t get any easier.
A 1-7 team obviously has more weaknesses than strengths, but if you had to say something positive about this Northwestern team, what would it be?
Dowling: Straying from the obvious, which is that Peter Skoronski will likely be named an All-American tackle, I’ll focus on Brendan Sullivan instead. The sophomore took over at quarterback for Ryan Hilinski during NU’s blowout loss to Wisconsin almost a month ago and hasn’t looked back. While the wins haven’t come, Sullivan has shown off his arm talent and mobility, the latter of which Hilinski didn’t offer. So far, he has added a dynamic element to Northwestern’s offense that it lacked early in September.
Even when the pocket has broken down, Sullivan has stayed poised. The Hawkeyes got to him seven times last Saturday, but his only turnover came on a downfield heave as the first half ended. Northwestern’s fanbase is already looking toward 2023, so Sullivan’s solid start offers some hope that the ‘Cats will already have an effective signal-caller heading into next season.
Brendan Sullivan has thrown for 416 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions in his first three games as Northwestern’s quarterback. (Photo: Jeffrey Becker – USA TODAY Sports)
It’s hard to imagine Northwestern firing Pat Fitzgerald, but the Wildcats are now just 4-16 since the start of last season. Is his seat starting to warm up at all?
Dowling: Even if Northwestern finishes 1-11, athletic director Derrick Gragg will probably hold off on pulling the trigger after this season, though a glance at Wildcat Twitter would tell you a different story. The argument that Fitzgerald will have lifelong job security in Evanston solely because of his incredible rebuilding job is starting to become a tired one, but his coordinators – O’Neil and offensive play caller Mike Bajakian – would likely be the first dominoes to fall. That being said, this season should warm up Fitz’s seat a little. If Northwestern is still in the basement of the Big Ten West around this time in 2023, which would hypothetically be the program’s fourth losing season in five years, I think that’s when he will really start to hear the noise.
Northwestern announced plans earlier this year to build a new football stadium. How important do you think that is for Northwestern to be more competitive in the future?
Dowling: It’s intriguing to consider, but I don’t think the new stadium will change that much about Northwestern’s standing in the Big Ten, both in the short-term and long-term. According to the university’s release, the stadium is slated to offer reduced capacity but compensate for that with state-of-the-art noise canopies to liven the atmosphere. But what good will that do when there will still probably be more opposing fans than Northwestern supporters in the building (not unlike how Saturday’s game will look)?
Better facilities have helped the Wildcats thrive – their two most recent Big Ten title game appearances came after Northwestern built a new athletic center in 2018. However, it hasn’t necessarily made Evanston a more attractive destination for recruits. Both before and after the renovations, its national 247Sports recruiting class rank has hovered around the low 50’s every year.
I don’t think a new stadium changes that right off the bat nor would it offer a unique home-field advantage, especially without the reputation Ryan Field has gotten as a notoriously annoying place for Big Ten teams to play. It will likely play a part in improving Northwestern football, but not in ways significant enough to notice.
Which Northwestern players are most capable of doing some damage against Ohio State?
Dowling: While Ohio State’s edge rushers have been game-wreckers, Peter Skoronski has a chance to hold one of them in check. He may have had his first bad game of the season against Iowa, but for the most part Skoronski has been the offense’s bedrock as an elite blindside protector. Whether he goes up against Zach Harrison or J.T. Tuimoloau, Skoronski could give Sullivan space to make a big play to give the Wildcats a fighting chance early.
Junior running back Evan Hull could be on the receiving end of that. With over 140 scrimmage yards per game, good enough for eighth in the nation, Hull has been a force both on the ground and through the air. If he gets the ball off a screen with blockers in front of him, his ability to bounce off multiple tacklers makes him especially dangerous. Northwestern will need to rip off big plays to keep up with the Buckeyes, and that is something Hull can do if Bajakian can draw up enough opportunities for him in space.
Northwestern left tackle Peter Skoronski is a projected first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. (Photo: Brad Mills – USA TODAY Sports)
Ohio State is favored to beat Northwestern by more than five touchdowns. Do you think Northwestern is capable of making this game more competitive, or is it destined for a blowout?
Dowling: I would love to be an optimist here, but it’s likely the only thing that will prevent the Buckeyes from beating the spread is if Ryan Day decides to take his foot off the gas pedal early enough. Northwestern just gave up 33 points to an Iowa offense that entered last week as the worst total offense in the FBS. Ohio State surrendered just three, taking the Hawkeyes’ fumble return touchdown into account. That alone, without even beginning to dive into the chasm in talent between these two programs, signals an incoming blowout.
As previously mentioned, the Wildcats also allowed Petras and Mertz to tear apart their secondary. It’s not like C.J. Stroud is any better than those two guys, right? But seriously, these teams are on opposite trajectories. If NU can bring this within three scores, many Northwestern fans would be ecstatic. Ultimately, though, I think the Buckeyes will jump out to a huge lead and then drain the clock, similar to how the 2019 game between these squads went. For a score prediction, I’ll say 45-7 OSU.
