The program had to deal with the tragic death of Rashidi Wheeler a few years ago, and now it'll have to go on without the man who helped make Northwestern football relevant.
Of course, Gary Barnett got the ball rolling with a shockingly tough defense and a powerful running attack, and then Randy Walker tweaked the formula with one of the first forms of the spread offense and an attitude that allows the little-engine-that-could battle every big-time team that has the Northwestern game mentally penciled in as a win.
Now the program has to deal with more tragedy as Walker suddenly passed away from an apparent heart attack. He was 52.
Looking at it purely in football analysis and taking the emotional equation out of it, it's about getting good linemen, tough players who know their roles, and a quarterback who can run the show efficiently. It's no coincidence that the team's success over the years came when it have a veteran signal caller. Steve Schnur was the heady passer who led the way during the initial Big Ten title years, Zac Kustok was Alex Smith before Alex Smith, and Brett Basanez improved over his four years to the point of being one of the nation's leaders in total offense. That's why there's a big concern for a huge dip this year.
C.J. Bacher, Andrew Brewer, and Mike Kafka are going to have to be Basanez without the three years of starting experience. There's a fantastic line to work behind and Tyrell Sutton to put all the pressure of the offense on his shoulders, but without the nation's seventh-ranked passing game to keep things moving, another big season might be hard to come by.
It's never right to trivialize a death by saying it could possibly have anything to do with a football team's success, but this is still a good enough team to win plenty of games and throw a few scares into the contenders. Obviously, no team will have to go through this season more on its mind.
The Schedule: The Wildcats could be in big, big trouble if they stumble in losable early road games against Miami University and Nevada. Starting out the Big Ten season at Penn State and at Wisconsin isn't a positive, and a two-game road trip to Michigan and Iowa should crush bowl dreams. If that wasn't bad enough, they come home to face Ohio State and has to deal with improved Michigan State and Purdue teams. NU misses Minnesota and Indiana.
What you need to know on offense ... It's Garrick McGee's offense now taking over for Mike Dunbar, but don't expect many big changes from last year with the exception of more two-back sets to get Terrell Jordan in the backfield at the same time as franchise runner Tyrell Sutton. The offensive line will be one of the best in the Big Ten with an anonymous group of rock-solid starters and helped by the return of center Trevor Rees after missing last year with academic issues. The receiving corps gets top-target Shaun Herbert back to lead the young but big group that should allow the offense to push it downfield a bit more. The real concern is at quarterback where C.J. Bacher, Andrew Brewer and Mike Kafka will try to replace four-year starter Brett Basanez.
Best Offensive Player: Sophomore RB Tyrell Sutton. Sutton gained 970 yards in his first seven games coming within 30 yards of being in the same breath as Marshall Faulk, Emmitt Smith, and Adrian Peterson as the only backs to gain 1,000 in seven games as a true freshman. Even so, he made a name for himself as both a runner and a receiver catching 44 passes to go along with his 1,474 rushing yards and 16 scores.
What you need to know on defense ... The good: Northwestern forced 30 turnovers last year bailing itself out of several big jams, and it should do so again with nine returning starters. The bad: There might not be much improvement to a run defense didn't stop anyone last year and a total D that finished dead last in the nation allowing 480 yards and 34 points per game. The line is very big and very, very young. Consider it a work in progress outside of rising star Kevin Mims at one end. A pass rush has to be generated from somewhere, possibly from veteran outside linebackers Adam Kadela and Nick Roach, while the middle should be fine even after the loss of tackling machine Tim McGarigle. The secondary could surprise if speedy corner Marquice Cole grows into an All-Big Ten caliber playmaker and the safeties improve with the return of Bryan Heinz, but the second corner spot will be an Achilles heel all season long. Expect a bit of a 3-4 alignment at times to get more athletes on the field and try to generate more pressure.
Best Defensive Player: Senior CB Marquice Cole. One of the Big Ten's best cover-corners, Cole has 4.3 speed and a great nose for the ball. He became a top all-around defender last year turning into a good open-field tackler while breaking up ten passes and picking off five passes.
Key player to a successful season: Sophomore QB C.J. Bacher. Andrew Brewer and Mike Kafka are in the mix for the starting job, but it'll likely be up to Bacher to be the one who gets the keys to the offense. He has seen a little bit of work and has the tools to grow into the job, but he can't just worry about limiting mistakes; he has to make big plays for the Wildcats to be in the mix for a bowl game
The season will be a success if ... the Wildcats win seven games and go back to a bowl. It's possible if they win every game they have a reasonable shot in. At Miami University, New Hampshire, Eastern Michigan, at Nevada, and Illinois all have to be victories, and then there has to be a win over teams like Michigan State and Purdue along the way.
Key game: Sept. 22 at Nevada. The defending co-WAC champions will see this nationally televised Friday night game as a chance to showcase themselves on national TV. With road games ahead at Penn State and Wisconsin, Northwestern must beat the Wolf Pack to avoid a possible three game losing streak and for a likely 4-0 start before facing the tough Big Ten schedule.
2005 Fun Stats:
- Sacks: Northwestern 12 for 45 yards - Opponents 11 for 82 yards
- Fourth down conversions: Opponents 17 of 23 (74%) - Northwestern 11 of 20 (55%)
- Interception return average: Northwestern 14.5 yards on 20 interceptions - Opponents 4.7 yard on nine interceptions.
The Last Time Northwestern …
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Sun Bowl vs. UCLA)
…missed a bowl game…2004
…pitched a shutout…1997 (Oklahoma)
…was shutout…2003 (Ohio State)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Wisconsin)
…went undefeated…never
…won a conference title…2000 (share, Big Ten)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2005 (Brett Basanez)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Tyrell Sutton)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1998 (D’wayne Bates)
…had a first-round draft choice…2005 (DT Luis Castillo)
