NU Releases Depth Chart; Defensive Preview

It is game week in Evanston and on every campus around the country.  Everyone is feeling the anticipation of a new season; and EVR is ready for a busy week of posting.  So get ready to cram as there will be a lot of knowledge in the next few days.

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NU released its depth chart on Friday.  And there were a few surprises.  First, at tailback, the starters were listed as Mike Trumpy OR Jacob Schmidt.  Anyone who has been following this post knows that by mid-August, the assumption that Trumpy would simply step into the starter role was gone and that there was true competition at the position.  The other “OR” on offense is at the fourth receiver spot where Rashad Lawrence will share time with true freshman Christian Jones.  Jones was the biggest catch in the 2011 recruiting class and must have impressed the coaches to rise so fast in the depth charts.  The only other true freshman on the two-deep is Jack Konopka, who is a converted offensive lineman, who will back up Drake Dunsmore at superback.  Also of note on offense, Venric Mark is listed as the backup to Jeremy Ebert, meaning he moved up the charts pretty quickly too.

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Defensively, sophomore Tyler Scott will get the starting nod at left defensive tackle over senior Kevin Watt.  This is a move that had been discussed throughout the month.  The linebackers will be experienced as the Cats will go with Ben Johnson, David Nwabuisi, and Bryce McNaul.  Redshirt Freshman Collin Ellis was expected to get a starting nod, but is injured and will miss at least two games with his broken thumb.  Also missing because of an injury is Hunter Bates, who suffered a concussion, although he was not expected to be a true starter.  David Arnold, who has been nursing an ankle injury, is the starter at safety, but if he cannot go, Ibraheim Campbell will play in his place.  On special teams, Jeff Budzien won the place-kicking battle; although Steve Flaherty will handle kickoffs.  Campbell will be back returning kicks opposite Mark.

NU also named its 2011 Captains – and no surprises here: Dan Persa, Al Netter, Brian Peters and Jordan Mabin.  Captains are voted on by the players.

And after a quiet few weeks on the recruiting front, NU scored a pair of new Wildcats over the weekend.  First it was defensive lineman Greg Kuhar (Concord Township, Ohio), a three-star player who chose NU over BC, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State and West Virginia.  While Kuhar is not the highest rated among NU’s commitments, the caliber of program that offered him scholarships speaks for itself.  NU then went back to Ohio with Jaylen Prater, a linebacker from Wellston, Ohio.  Prater has not yet been rated by Rivals, but had competing offers from Cincinnati and Indiana.  Welcome Greg and Jaylen!

Defensive Line

The Cat defensive line was a relatively silent bunch in 2010.  Vince Browne quietly put together a very strong season, and will return as an All-America candidate.  But in both the wins and the losses, the D-Line was just a bunch of quiet workmen.  But this is a unit that continues to improve and should be able to make more noise in 2011.

The newcomer to the line is end Tyler Scott.  Tyler earned the spot in Kenosha from senior Kevin Watt, who the starter last year.  With Vince Browne seeing a great deal of double-teams, this will be a crucial position for the Cats.  Even though Scott and Watt are the exact same build, Scott (a high school linebacker) shows more strength and speed and will demonstrate a better ability to cause problems for opposing offensive lines.  He appeared in all 13 games last season as a reserve.  Watt recorded 29 tackles last season, six for losses – and had a blocked punt against Indiana.

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The middle will once again be filled by seniors Niko Mufali and Jack DiNardo.  Mufali has lost 30 pounds and is more athletic than he has been in the past.  He had a decent season after getting injured early in the Vanderbilt game.  DiNardo played very well in the first half of 2010 but will need to play at that level for the whole season.  DiNardo is one of the most explosive players on the offensive line, recording seven tackles for loss in 2010 and had two blocked kicks in the Central Michigan game.  These two will also need to stay healthy as there is little experience behind them in redshirt freshman Chance Carter and sophomore Will Hampton.

But the anchor on this unit is Vince Browne.  Vince has great speed around the corner and will be someone that the opposing defenses will have to observe at all times.  His strength has set records in the NU weight room.  Vince finds himself on a number of pre-season award watch lists, based on his 2010 statistics, which included seven sacks, 16 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.  He will also generally take up two-blockers, which should allow the linebackers to make some plays, as well as Scott on the other side.  Vince is backed up by Quentin Williams, who also has seen the field a great deal.  Quentin recently gave up baseball to focus on football and is on the 10-man leadership counsel.  With Williams and Watt backing up the ends, it is one of the deepest positions on the team.

Linebackers

There seems to be sort of a general perception that while there are questions at running back, that they will at least be as adequate as 2010.  This leaves the linebackers as the biggest concern on the team.  While the unit is experienced, last year’s experience was horrid, especially in the last three games.  The backers were constantly over-committing and finding themselves out of position.  And then when they found themselves in the right place, they were missing tackles.  For the Cats to have any level of success in 2011, this unit needs to improve.

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Problem is, while there is experience up top, there is not a great deal of depth below.  As mentioned above the starting line of Johnson, Nwabuisi, and McNaul all felt the sting of the last three games and the media pressure that came with it.  These are three fast athletic guys, especially Nwabuisi, but they are going to need to reel it in a bit and focus on covering the run.  Johnson is one of the best athletes on the defense, but he needs to control his movement.  Cut backs were their nemesis as opposing backs would change the direction of their run and the NU backers would immediately be out of the play, which put a great deal of pressure on the secondary to act as run stoppers.  Now, there was a lot of blame to go around in those games – especially the turnovers against Wisconsin.  But these guys have a lot of personal pride on the line in 2011.

Behind them is youth and the future of the NU defense.  Collin Ellis is hurt, and was expected to steal a starting role from either Johnson or McNaul – and may still once he returns from injury.  McNaul also has a history of injuries, and so the younger guys will need to be ready.  Chi Chi Ariguzo, Damien Proby and Tim Riley are all guys who have not really seen the field for the Cats – Proby has seen the most action with 20 tackles and a sack in 2010.  But they will be called upon to play major roles both in case of injury and to provide depth.  The three starters, despite their criticism, are all pretty adept at pass coverage and blitzing – but that means that the younger backup unit will need to be ready to spell the starters at any time.

Secondary

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On the other hand, the Cats are strong and deep in the secondary and may have the best back line that they have had since the 1995 team.  The corners have impressed everyone the most and are led by Jordan Mabin and former offensive player, Jeravin Matthews.  Mabin is a true shutdown corner and was among the nation’s leaders in passes defended.  He is a three-year starter and has fantastic speed.  Matthews will see more balls his way as a result – he is a strong corner, who will use his athleticism to fight for balls with the larger receivers.  Ricky Weina will back up Mabin.  The former walk-on is now a senior and got some great experience on the 2009 squad when the defensive secondary was decimated with injuries.  Demetrius Dugar will backup Matthews.

The safety position will be manned by co-captain Brian Peters and hard-hitting David Arnold.  Arnold is listed as the starter but is nursing an ankle injury.  He is a hard hitter who can be a game-changer with his speed.  Backing up Arnold, and potentially starting against BC, is Ibraheim Campbell, who is a speedy safety who will also see time returning kicks.  His speed and hitting ability was one of the big surprises coming out of spring and fall camp.  Brian Peters is a Thorpe Award candidate and for good reason.  He has seven career interceptions, including one of the best catches of the last few years in the Outback Bowl.  He had 107 tackles last year, which is a lot for a safety, but has a great deal to do with the poor play at LB.  He stands tall at 6’4” 220, making him an imposing body for receivers over the middle.  Behind Peters is hometown hero Mike Bolden, an ETHS grad.

Special Teams

NU enters the 2011 season with one of the best special teams groups that they have had in years.  The placekicking battle was won by Jeff Budzien, over Steve Flaherty.  Flaherty instead will kickoff for the Cats, suggesting that he is the distance guy, while Budzien’s strength is accuracy.  Do not be surprised to see Flaherty walk in for a long distance kick at the end of a half or to win or tie at the last second of a game.  Apparently the composition for this job was pretty legit, so the Cats have two solid guys for at least the next two years. 

The cats Punter will again be Brandon Williams, who did an excellent job in 2010 after taking the place of Stephan Demos in this role.  The former walk-on averaged 40 yards per punt in 2010, and will continue to turn the field around for the Cats in 2011.

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The return game is as strong as it has been since 2004, when the Cats were among the nation’s leaders behind Jason Wright and Jeff Backes.  Venric Mark is a game-changer and will return both punts and kicks.  His speed and vision make him someone to watch every time he touches the ball.  Teams will try to kick away from him when they can.  Ibraheim Campbell will assist Mark on kickoffs.

EVR will post the Minnesota and MSU previews later tonight.

Game Preview: Northwestern (2-0) at Rice (1-1)

Saturday, September 18, 2010 6:00 CST

Rice Stadium, Houston Texas

Photo credit: ricefootball.net

Northwestern dominated FCS Illinois State in Evanston last Saturday with a 37-3 win, its largest margin of victory in almost five years.  Rice is coming off its first win of the season, a 32-31 road victory at North Texas, the Owls first non-conference road win since 2006.  Rice and Northwestern have met five times previously, three times in Houston, with Rice leading the series 4-1.  The last meeting was in 1998, a rather unimpressive 23-14 Wildcat win in Houston.  Expect Victory fans may remember the 1997 game, a 40-34 Owl victory in Evanston.  In that game, Rice ran the option all over the Wildcat defense – if my memory serves me right, it had more than 500 yards rushing.  Rice is 5-14 all time against the Big Ten.

Injury Report: Good news here as Outside Linebacker Bryce McNaul (shoulder) has been upgraded to probable and is listed as a starter in NU’s two-deep.  The Cats will need the depth in the Texas heat tomorrow night.  On the other hand, backup DT Niko Mafuli (leg) was downgraded to doubtful, although everything points to a return within the month for Niko.  OL Keegan Grant (Illness) and FS David Arnold (foot) are also questionable.  Given the conditions, they may be called into service in a pinch.

For the Owls, Quarterback Taylor McHargue is out with a separated shoulder.  He led Rice to their game-winning touchdown last week.  Starting Tight End Vance McDonald (shoulder) is also out.  Rice is also playing the season without their All-Conference USA Defensive Tackle Scott Solomon.

Weather: Hot and humid. 93 with a light wind.  Coach Fitz says that he plans to bring 70 players to the game and use as many as 67. Check out the Weather.com forecast.

When Northwestern has the Ball:

Players to watch…

Dan Persa: Dan’s spot as the Wildcat offense player to watch is hereby solidified until further notice.  He has been scary efficient and should continue to be so as long as his line gives him time.  Rice plays a 4-2-5 set, basically a permanent nickel.  Usually this is indicative of a lack of depth or talent at Linebacker.  We may see Persa running the option more, as well as more slants and in routes.  Every starting DB for Rice is listed as 6’1”, which makes for some taller Cornerbacks.  This may limit patterns that would require NU’s receivers to out-jump the defender.  There are two sophomores in the secondary however, so the Cats may try to expose the youth.

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Travis Bradshaw (FS): It is never a good sign when your leading tackler is your free safety.  He is a second team All-Conference USA selection by Phil Steele.  Bradshaw joined the Owls as a walk-on and is a great story.  His 10 tackles in the opener against Texas marked his tenth straight game with double-digit tackles.  He is a quick safety who should keep big gains to a minimum.  Rice needs to avoid leaving Bradshaw one-on-one against Dunsmore, however, as this would be a major mismatch.

Jeremy Ebert: Ebert is the Wildcats leading receiver so far this year and is taking on the role of a dangerous possession receiver.  He, along with the rest of the NU receiving corps, are giving up a little size to the tall Rice secondary.  But he should make up for it with his experience and his route running.  If Ebert and Persa get into a rhythm, they could have a very successful evening.

In the trenches: NU’s offensive line was much stronger against ISU last week.  Rice’s defensive line is more experienced than the Redbirds, but they are a similar size – even a little smaller on the ends.  Cheta Ozougwu and Kramer Lucio are quick pass rushers, but are the size of Big Ten linebackers.  NU’s tackles should be able to push them around in the running game.  But needs to make sure to protect Persa without holding.

Overall impression: Fitz indicated that he might slow down the offense a little to counteract the heat.  That might work a double advantage.  There are a lot of holes in this defense, but there are strengths as well.  Persa will need to take his time and make his reads.  The weakness at linebacker will generally mean fewer blitzes. If Persa has time to throw, the Cats should be in really good shape.  Also, the 4-2-5 is generally a good defense to run against.  Arby Fields should be able to continue to build his confidence.  As long as the Cats do not get exhausted, they should be able to score some points. 

When Rice has the Ball:

Players to watch…

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Nick Fanuzzi (QB): Fanuzzi makes his first start of the season in place of the injured McHargue.  But Fanuzzi started eight games in 2009, so he is no stranger to taking snaps in real time.  With that said, Rice was 2-10 last year, so he has his work cut out for him.  The Wildcat defense were animals last week and will be ready to feast again.  Fanuzzi’s composure could be one of the keys to the game.  He is 15-26 for 212 yards with one TD and one pick in seeing about half of the pass plays for the Owls this season.  He has a pair of senior receivers to throw to, including 6’3” Pierre Beasley.  But the loss of his TE McDonald will take away a solid target.

Jordan Mabin: Northwestern’s junior corner has vastly improved over the course of his career.  But NU has traditionally had problems with tall talented receivers.  No doubt, Mabin will be assigned to Beasley – unless NU decides to match up Justan Vaughn, who has a slight height advantage on Mabin.  Either way, the corners will be tested and their ability to keep their man marked will be a difference maker.

Sam McGuffie (RB): McGuffie is not a starter, but he may be the most electrifying player on the field.  The transfer from Michigan saw his first playing time as an Owl against Texas and scored on a thrilling 51-yard reception against North Texas.  McGuffie is best known as a Youtube sensation for his jumping ability. If you have not seen McGuffie's high school highlight reel, check this out.  He does not have the ability to leap taller, faster, and stronger college players, but he is nonetheless a big weapon that the Cats will have to contain.

In the trenches: Rice’s offensive line is smaller than ISU, which is a problem for them.  NU’s defensive line absolutely dominated the Redbirds’ front line and should do much of the same against the Owls.  Senior Scott Mitchell, who has been a starter since 2007 anchors the line at LT.

Overall Impression: There is no reason why the Wildcat defense should not be able to control this game.  But if the Cats are not able to put pressure on Fanuzzi, he will have time to find his tall receivers.  And McGuffie is the wildcard.  NU needs to do what they can to keep the ball away from him in space.

Intangibles: The weather will be an issue.  But it will be an issue for both teams.  Just because Rice is accustomed to the heat, does not mean that they are not affected by it.  The kicking game could also be a key.  NU has struggled with placekicking thus far; Rice’s kicker made to 50+ yard field goals last week.

Bottom Line: NU has not lost to a non-BCS team since their loss to Nevada in 2006.  I do not see it happening here.  Granted, this is the “type of game that the Cats lose,” as the cynics would say.  But the numbers just do not add up to an upset.  Rice will play tough.  But the Cats will continue to roll.

Cats win 31-13.

Go Cats!

Northwestern Football 2010: Answers and Questions

Well, after watching the first half of the ISU game, I do not really have anything else to add to my Sunday post.  So alternatively, I want to take some time to assess what NU has shown fans thus far, and what questions still remain.

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Dan Persa: The player with the most questions at the beginning of the year has made the biggest statement so far this year.  Had Mr. Robinson not burst upon the scene in Ann Arbor, Persa may have been the story of the Big Ten so far.  We knew he could run – and he runs smart.  We now know he can pass – and make “all the throws.”  Vandy was a decent defense, probably in the top half that the Cats will see.  But it remains to be seen whether Persa can withstand a killer pass rush.  The Cats are also going to see better corners against better foes.  Persa seems to have pinpoint accuracy, which will be tested as the season goes on.

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Running Game: Fitz answered one question for Cat fans yesterday by officially naming Arby Fields as the starting running back on the two-deep.  He had previously shared that title with Schmidt and Simmons.  Fields will certainly be the feature back, but he is going to need to be able to break 100 yards if he is going to carry the ball that often.  While he showed more promise against ISU, it still was not great.  Again, Vandy has a pretty good run defense, so the Cats should have time to continue to tweak the run.  Schmidt, Simmons, and Concannon are all nice for a change of pace, but need to be more effective for their playing time to be worthwhile.

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Receiving Corps: It is safe to say that NU has one of the most complete receiving corps that it has ever had.  Ebert, Stewart, and Fields are smart possession-type receivers who are primarily responsible for Persa’s sick completion percentage.  Dunsmore will be a red-zone threat to score every game.  Mark and Lawrence will be impact players even just as freshmen.  Add in Charles Brown and Brendan Barber to the mix and Persa has an arsenal of hands to find.  The constant rotation of these receivers should keep even the best secondaries on their toes.  The biggest question is whether this group is ready to shoulder the heavy burden of carrying this team if the running game continues to falter.

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Offensive Line: Thus far, this has been a mixed bag.  The pass blocking has been pretty good.  But the run blocking against Vandy was very weak, especially by the tackles.  Going forward, they should be able to continue to create nice pockets for Persa to throw out of, especially as his confidence continues to grow.  But the run blocking needs to take it to the next level.  Literally, as simply blocking the defensive linemen will not cut it in the Big Ten.  The key to this unit’s success will be breaking off the initial blocks and taking out the linebackers – as Fitz put it, turning 4 yards into 8 and 6 yards into 12.  This unit has three more weeks to gel before its next true test.

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Defensive Line: With the exception of the missed tackling against Vandy, this has been a very impressive unit thus far.  There has been nice pressure put on the quarterbacks and nice containment on the running backs.  The question is whether this very deep group can (1) continue their dominance – but finish the job, i.e., tackle and (2) continue their effectiveness against stronger offensive lines.  NU’s strength on defense is its depth.  And perhaps one of the most important keys to the season is whether that depth is truly deep, or just a big drop-off.

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Linebackers: The linebacker play was really lacking against Vandy but played as expected against ISU.  Strong, fast blitz packages, quality coverage routes, and run jamming stops were the order of the day against ISU – not so much the week before.  The three biggest questions here are (1) which was the real linebacking corps, and can the ISU performance be replicated against stronger offenses; (2) will injuries take their toll on this otherwise deep unit (although Bryce McNaul is back on the two-deep, Rod Goodlow is out for the year); and (3) will they be able to tackle an elite running back.

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Secondary: It appears that this unit will still be missing David Arnold for Rice as his name continues to be missing from the depth chart.  At least it does not have the injury trouble from last year.  But the 2009 defensive back infirmary gave rise to the experience level in this year’s squad a level of maturity that has been demonstrated in the first two games.  The question remains is whether the DBs will continue to gel and improve like last year’s unit and whether they will be able to contain the Big Ten’s elite receivers.  Kevin Smith’s (Purdue) injury is unfortunate, but the Cats will still need to face the likes of Johnson –Koulianos and Nick Toon before the season is over.

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Special Teams: This has been a real mixed bag of really good and really bad.  Kick coverage has been good; tackling on kick coverage bad.   Punts have been good; placekicking has been horrific.  Returns have been adequate, but fans would love to see Venric Mark.  The question here sits squarely on the shoulders of the special teams’ coach – which, of course, just happens to be the head coach.  Can Fitz spend enough time with this unit at practice, yet still commit the time necessary to lead the whole team to a 8, 9, or ten-win season.  His confidence in his ability to coach the special teamers combined with the players overall talent should produce results.  But it has not yet.  These guys could cost the Wildcats a game if they are not careful, and almost have already.

All in all, the Cats have answered a lot of the preseason questions through two games.  But they have also created a lot of new ones for fans like you and bloggers like me to consider over the next ten weeks.  In many ways it is probably good that college football only consumes us for 3 months out of the year.  How on earth would be get anything done otherwise?

Go Cats.