Central Michigan (2-1) at Northwestern (3-0)

Saturday, September 25, 2010 11:00 CST

Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois

Photo credit: hailtopurple.com

Northwestern struggled to get things going early against Rice last week, but in the end cruised to a 30-13 victory lead by outstanding defensive play.  Central Michigan routed in-state rival Eastern Michigan (who has now lost 15 straight games) 52-14 to begin the season 2-1.  NU and CMU have never met, but both are very familiar with their respective conferences.  NU is 15-8-1 all-time against the MAC, including eight in a row.  The Chippewas are 4-19 all-time against the Big Ten, but have won their last two, including an upset victory over Michigan State last year.  Both teams have similar strengths as they both rank in the top ten nationally in scoring defense and both average over 30 points per game.

Injury Report: David Arnold (foot) remains out for the CMU game.  But Jared Carpenter is expected to play tomorrow at safety after sitting out last week in Houston.  Niko Mafuli (leg) is listed as questionable for CMU.  Freshman wideout Tony Jones (shoulder) is still out; and reserve LB Roderick Goodlow (knee) is now expected to miss the entire season.  Get well soon boys!

College Injury Report.com does not report any injuries for the Chippewas.

Weather: Was looking like a perfect day for football earlier in the week.  But now the forecast calls for some light rain.  Strong winds are expected too, over 20 mph.  Click here for the Weather.com forecast.

When Northwestern has the Ball:

Players to watch…

Dan Persa: It is sort of funny to say that Dan Persa "struggled" in the first half of a game where he ended up 24-32 and set career highs for completions and yards (307).  But he solidified his role as the leader of the team in Houston last Saturday.  When things were not going right for the offense, he stepped up and led the team to three strong scoring drives, and a fourth which resulted in a goal-line fumble.  Central Michigan has a veteran defense, starting all juniors and seniors.   The Chips have given up some decent passing numbers, but are stout against the run.  So Dan will need to demonstrate his moxie from the gun. 


Photo credit: lindyssports.com

Nick Bellore (LB): Bellore will start his 45th consecutive game this weekend.  If the Chips can make it to the MAC Championship game and a Bowl, he will break the all time FBS record for consecutive starts.  He is also the nation's active leader in career tackles, which as we know is indicative of his 45 starts.  But he is a beast totaling double-digit tackles 20 times in his career.  He is a perfect size MLB at 6'1" 250; and should give the struggling NU running game fits.  On the other hand, he is not used much as a pass rusher as he has only tallied 4.5 career sacks.  Look for Bellore to drop into coverage on passing downs rather than blitzing.

Demetrius Fields: Fields finally had a breakout game against Rice with six catches, and looks primed to continue this high level of performance.  He is getting pushed by Venric Mark on the two-deep, but the big sophomore Fields is rising to the challenge.  At 205, Fields is NU's biggest wideout, which is why he was a popular target against Rice's unusually large DBs.  The Chippewas have a normal sized defensive backfield, which will give Fields a nice size advantage.  Look for him over the middle especially against man-to-man coverage.

In the trenches: NU’s offensive line continues to improve each week.  Yet they still gave up two sacks (one against Watkins while Persa regained his breath).  The tackles continue to get tested by athletic DEs and they will again against the Chips.  Joe Kinville (6'2" 248) and Kashawn Fraser (6'3" 247) are quick pass rushers who will use their height to get around unsuspecting tackles (think Corey Wootton).  NU should be able to manage the middle of the line fairly well.  But the maturation process of Pat Ward and Al Netter remains the biggest question mark on the offense. 

Overall impression: CMU has been known for its offense for the last few years.  They still have a few remnants from the Brian Kelly era and, of course, Dan LaFevour led the team for four years.  But its defense has slowly crept up to become a strength of the team.  They have only given up four scoring drives all year.  NU has scored on its first possession in each of its games.  Something has to give.  Look for NU to be methodical, but do not expect this to be the game where the running game opens up.  The wind could be a major factor in NU's ability to be effective offensively.

When Central Michigan has the Ball:

Players to watch…Paris Cotton (RB): Cotton (Jr.) was named the MAC's Offensive Player of the week for his performance against Eastern Michigan.  Cotton is a small shifty back at only 5'9" 179, but he has speed to burn.  NU will need to contain Cotton first and deal with the passing game second.  NU's run defense did a much better job containing Sam McGuffie last week than they did against Vandy.  So hopefully this is a gradual improvement.


Photo credit: mlive.com



Quentin Davie: Northwestern’s defensive playmaker was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week last week with his monster performance in the heat of Houston.  He has three interceptions, including his pick-six against Rice.  CMU quarterback Ryan Radcliff is starting only his fourth game, and while he has put up some nice numbers, he is still young and inexperienced.  Davie will need to lead his defense into putting pressure on Radcliff.

Cody Wilson (WR): This sophomore wideout has recorded two 100-yard games thus far and has found the end zone twice.  He is a small, but quick wideout who could be dangerous if he finds his way into space.  The CMU offense is designed around spreading the ball around to its various receivers.  NU cannot get caught up in the distribution, but must keep their eye on this youngster.  Mabin will have his hands full. 

In the trenches: CMU's offensive line is large and is comprised of all juniors and seniors.  With that said, CMU only ran for 43 yards in their 13-10 loss to Temple.  NU's front seven should be able to contain the run and put pressure on Radcliff.  This unit has played well this year, but has not seen anything like the Wildcat defense this year.

Overall Impression: CMU has put up some nice offensive numbers, but against Temple, it managed only 10 points and 43 rushing yards -- against Temple.  Typical of a lot of MAC offenses over the years, there are a lot of eye-popping numbers available to cover up a lot of problems.  The Wildcats should be able to continue to play at their aggressive pace, but they have to be more considerate of the big play than in prior weeks.

Intangibles: The wind and the potential for rain will be a big problem as both teams will need to rely on the pass in order to move the ball.  The quarterback who is able to keep his composure will have the major advantage.  Radcliff is not a runner, so advantage Persa in that area.  The ability for the QBs to get out of trouble and make plays will be the difference in this game.

Bottom Line: CMU will make this game uncomfortable.  But they have already shown a complete inability to perform against a stronger defense.  The more intriguing aspect is how NU will be able to move the ball given the weather and the veteran defense.  NU will squeeze out its points in the end, but it will not be easy.

Cats win 27-17.

Go Cats!

Sunday Morning Superback

Defense Leads the Way as Cats Cruise to Victory

Photo credit: chicagotribune.com

On a day where the Big Ten was involved in a number of close games, it was good to be on the Ohio State and Penn State side of the ledger – rather than going down to the wire like Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and MSU.  This was due to defense that was a suffocating as the Texas heat, and an efficient offense that, at least in the second half, continued to write the legend of Dan Persa.

The Cats are 3-0 for just the third time in the Expect Victory Era (2001, 2008) and look to continue their solid start against Central Michigan next Saturday.  The reports that I have read say that the online streaming was awful.  But CBS College sports has a highlight package to watch (although the second half highlights are from field level).

I usually start with the offense in my analysis, but in fairness to how the ‘D’ played last night, I will give them their accolades first.

Quentin Davie played one of the best games of his career.  He finished with 10 tackles, two for loss and a half-sack.  He also recorded the pick-six that finally blew the game open for the Wildcats.  In a game such as this, where the offense is sputtering, the defense often needs a leader to step forward and keep the team on its toes.  Davie filled that role with an emotion-filled performance.  The Cats will need Davie to repeat this level of play during the Big Ten season, so it is good to see that he is capable.

Vince Browne finished with seven tackles and a sack deep in Rice territory.  This is indicative of how the Cats played the field position game all night, which was also a good sign.  Important to know that, especially with NU’s new-found talent at punter, the defense can hold teams deep, which allows the offense to (eventually) capitalize.  Browne also forced the fumble that lead to Demos’ second field goal.

Hunter Bates was a last second starter at safety in the place of Jared Carpenter.  Bates had a great game, not only in the secondary, but returning punts.  The “other number 7” recorded his first career interception late in the game.  He also ran back the longest NU punt return in a few years with his 33 yarder that set up the third-quarter TD pass to Ebert.  It is very good to see that even with Arnold and Carpenter out, the secondary play is strong.

Stefan Demos got back on track last night, connecting on all six of his kicks.  Maybe it was the Outback Bowl hangover; maybe it was the highly competitive long-snapper position battle, but in either event, it is good to have you back Stefan.  Demos’ average kickoff was inside the five, a nice touch.

Dan Persa had a rather pedestrian first half, where he threw more incompletions than he had all season.  But after a 9-10 second half, we learned not only that Dan’s efficiency is here to stay, but also that he is mentally capable of overcoming a slow start.  Given that the running game continues to suck, Persa becomes more and more important to the offense.  At this point, he is officially a Big Ten POY candidate. 

The Offensive Line was business as usual, which is not necessarily a good thing.  The pass protection was very good at giving Persa time, although gave up three sacks – very much like the Vandy game.  The run blocking continued to struggle as the entire running game averaged 3.2 yards per carry – again.  Cat fans can officially be worried as NU failed to run the ball against another weak defense.

Drake Dunsmore once again lead the team in receptions, although failed to get into the end zone for the first time this year.  Jeremy Ebert broke free on a nice third quarter TD catch and run.  Persa said that he knew Ebert would score as soon as he threw it.  Demetrius Fields also finished with six receptions.  The beauty of this Wildcat offense is the ability to spread the ball around.  Eight receivers caught balls last night.

Arby Fields and the running game had another disappointing game.  Fields had the opportunity to finish strong, but fumbled at the goal line, a move which is sure to earn the ire of Coach Fitz.  The Wildcats won eight games with no running game, but if they want to survive the Big Ten schedule in ’10, it has to at least be competent.  It is not there yet.

A few other odds and ends: Carpenter’s injury was listed as a back strain; hopefully it is not too serious.  Demetrius Dugar left the game with a head injury.  Dan Persa missed a few plays in the second quarter when he had the wind knocked out of him.  NU held human-highlight-real Sam McGuffie to 78 yards from scrimmage.  NU is now 94-90 in the Expect Victory Era.

Go Cats!