Pat Fitzgerald’s Northwestern Wildcats are heading into their final scrimmage of the spring on Saturday. CBR caught up with Philip Rossman-Reich of Lake The Posts for an update on the latest happenings in Evanston.
1. If you had to identify the one biggest challenge facing NU this spring, what would it be?
Communication. Northwestern had a ton of issues in the secondary last year and it stemmed from communication issues. Some guys thought zone when the play called for man. There was just a whole bunch of miscommuninication and assignment switches the team needed to figure out. In this sense, it is good that Northwestern’s offense and defense are getting a fresh start. The Wildcats usually spend a lot of time in the spring getting back to basics.
The secondary lost some key players – leading tackler Brian Peters and top cornerback Jordan Mabin most notably – but getting back to basics and restoring confidence, while getting on the same page, will help this defense tremendously. Really, it feels like the entire team is taking on the lessons and the work the secondary is going through, too, and getting on the same page for next year.
2. Dan Persa has finally graduated and the reins have been officially handed over to Kain Colter at quarterback. Colter saw plenty of action last year, but is he firmly entrenched as the starter? Does it finally feel like his offense?
It seemed like Kain Colter was the presumptive starter but would have to fight off Trevor Siemian in spring. A lot of people saw Colter’s athleticism and ability to play running back and wide receiver in addition to quarterback and thought that Colter could better serve his team there with Siemian playing quarterback (and nobody mentioned redshirt freshman Zach Oliver, who is quietly having a very good spring).
The one thing that has happened this spring, quite clearly, is that Colter has taken control of the offense and has entrenched himself as the starter. He looks fully recovered from shoulder surgery that slowed him down his freshman year and was not completely recovered from even last year. This is certainly his team. He has a ton of weapons at wide receiver to throw to and he is just as deadly using his feet. Now he just has to establish himself as the leader much like Dan Persa did last year and the year before.
3. The Wildcats took some hits from graduation in the secondary, with Brian Peters and Jeravin Matthews moving on. Has anyone emerged so far this offseason to fill the void?
No group has as many question marks around it as the secondary. This group struggled last year and cost Northwestern a few opportunities at wins. The big losses are obviously with Peters and Jordan Mabin. Those two guys were rocks in the secondary even with all the struggles last year.
The experience last year though did some good for a few guys in the secondary. Ibraheim Campbell struggled at the beginning of the year, but came on strong as the season went on. He is just a sophomore, but I think the coaching staff feels comfortable with him at safety opposite Hunter Bates.
No one has really taken control of any of the cornerback positions. Daniel Jones got the call after Mabin’s injury late last year and was torched by Michigan State all day. But he says that experience helped him grow and he seems set to take one of the corner spots. Redshirt freshman Nick VanHoose has been good in practice too and could take the other side.
What this all means is that we may not really know whether there will be effective change in the secondary and who will be where until the opener against Syracuse.
4. Maybe the biggest holes to fill are at receiver. Jeremy Ebert and Drake Dunsmore have left and taken their combined 120 catches from 2011 with them. Have those losses impacted NU’s offensive scheme and its points of emphasis at all?
This is the amazing thing about Northwestern: they seem to be a factory for replacing quarterbacks and receivers in the last few years. Ebert and Dunsmore were great options, but there are ton more in the bank. Demetrius Fields had a big game against Texas A&M in the Meineke Car Care Bowl and looks like he could be a No. 1 receiver. Rashad Lawrence and Christian Jones are potential deep threats with experience. Tony Jones can do a lot of that too as he gets back from injury.
Then there is the elephant in the room. Northwestern has been working USC transfer and former five-star recruit Kyle Prater into the fold this spring. If you look at video from practice, Prater looks like a man among boys to be perfectly honest. The Wildcats are hopeful that he can return healthy this year and receive a waiver from the NCAA so he can play this season. No word yet on the waiver’s progress. But the cupboard at receiver is not bare.
Pat Fitzgerald always strives to have a balanced offense and he hopes someone can take control of the running back position to give the Wildcats better balance. I still would not expect much to change though. This is a team that is going to nickel and dime you with passing plays and they should have enough deep threats to keep many defenses honest.
5. My sister graduated from Northwestern a few years back, and the ceremony was in the fieldhouse there in June. Why doesn’t it have air conditioning?
Haha… I wish I had an answer for that. When you are stuck in Patten Gymnasium or even Welsh-Ryan Arena, you are not going to be looking for creature comforts. The good news for future generations of Wildcat graduates is that Northwestern has some facility upgrades. Nobody is quite sure what this means, but many suspect it means renovations to the basketball stadium, the football stadium and a brand new, on-campus football center and weight room. It is like we have a real football team!
