Northwestern Defense

I discussed the Northwestern Offense a few weeks ago, before we begin previewing the season in a few weeks; let’s take a look at the heart and soul of the new Northwestern Wildcats, the defense. Under Mike Hankwitz and Coach Fitz, the defense has taken a leading role in many of the NU wins of the last two years. And given the question marks on offense, the defense will be called on once again to answer the call.

The defense is far from perfect. It still gave up 30 points 5 times, and it struggled against complete offenses (Wisconsin) and stud wide receivers (Syracuse and Auburn). It also often had ridiculous lapses in performance in many games, including the fourth quarter meltdown against Penn State.

Many will point to the key losses on this side, but there is a great deal of depth and experience. As a whole, this year’s edition of the Wildcat D should be better than the last.

Defensive Linemen: Don’t get me wrong, the loss of Corey Wootton is a big loss. But his injury problems allowed Kevin Watt to get a great deal of reps. With Watt and fellow junior Vince Browne anchoring the ends, they should enjoy two very productive years together. Browne’s 39 tackles and 5 sacks led a Wildcat D-Linemen last year. Hankwitz loves to employ a rotation on the line, and we should see a decent amount of sophomore Quentin Williams and freshman Davon Custis, one of the prizes of the 2009 recruiting class. In the middle Corbin Bryant and Jack DiNarno will continue to put pressure on the opposing O-Lines, letting the linebackers do their job.
Linebackers: Is it a surprise that Pat Fitzgerald’s defense is lead by a group of stud linebackers? Actually, NU has a long line of NFL talent linebackers since Fitz hung up the cleats: Barry Gardner, Napoleon Harris, Kevin Bentley, and recently, Nick Roach. This year’s class may be one of the best in the Big Ten. Quentin Davie has grown into a monster and will return as the team’s leading tackler. Nate Williams is a smart, quick middle linebacker, who is known for stuffing running backs in key situations (3rd on team in tackles-for-loss in ’09). Ben Johnson, who returned a long interception for a TD last year, is the likely candidate for the ROLB spot. Relative unknown Bryce McNaul, who only appeared in 7 games last year, should see a lot of playing time in 2010 as a reserve.

Defensive Backs: Whether it is making the big interception, or giving up the key catch, there is no doubt that the NU defensive backs are the most exciting element of the NU defense. And this year should be no different. Even though it seems like last year’s graduates, Phillips, Smith, and McManis, had been at NU forever, this year’s DBs have a lot of experience to add. Jordan Mabin may have been the most improved player in preparation for the Outback Bowl, and the team expects great things from him. On the other side, Justan Vaughn has a lot to prove in his senior year. Vaughn saw a lot of playing time while McManis was hurt last year. NU tends to use three safeties in a nickel set, as opposed to three corners. This year we’ll see more of Brian Peters, who made a thrilling interception in the Outback Bowl, Jared Carpenter, a highly touted sophomore who will get his chance this year, and David Arnold, who looks primed to take on the Brendan Smith role as the defenses most exciting player. There is a lot of talent back here, and if the Cats want to make a conference title run, they need to be solid.

Special Teams: No word yet on how Fitz wants to operate the return game this year. In recent years, there has not been a large focus on placing skill players, capable of breaking open a game, in the KR or PR position. We’ll probably see a lot of Stephen Simmons again. We may even see freshman speedster Venric Mark, if Fitz decides not to redshirt him.

And then there is Stefan Demos. On a personal note, I’ve always held a special place for Demos. My season tickets are right above the special teams area. We’ve watched him evolve from a scrawny freshman, to a dangerous clutch kicker. Yes, he had a rough game against Auburn. But were it not for his heroics against Indiana and Eastern Michigan (where he cleaned up the mess made by his teammates), NU would not have been playing in January. Plus he just seems like a nice guy – the sort of guy you’d let your sister date. I’m glad that he’s getting the publicity for All-Conference, and I’m hoping for a great year from the kicking game.

As we go through August, I’ll be posting more often as summer camp kicks off in a few weeks. I’ll have some predictions and previews, as well as news from the few position battles that are being waged.