They have been very impressive this season and have looked like a legit B1G West contender. This could be one of the more exciting seasons in a long time for Hawkeye football. I truly believe the West is wide open between Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Northwestern.
Northwestern's D looks very solid
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anon_snp6dc585nnj4
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Same ish different year. They will start 4-0 and finish 5-7.
They have played 3 teams that were offense challenged. Cutliff is a really good coach and has had success at Duke because he has had/developed QBs. He really has his work cut out to develop this current guy, looked like Jake Rudock tendencies with Jake Christensen accuracy.
Major difference - the 'Cats have been relatively healthy this year thus far (unlike the past 2 seasons).
Putting up 24 pts in a half against USC is offense-challenged?
Also, Duke's QB is comparable to Pitt's (not a great amount of game experience, but a good amount of time in the system as juniors).
Northwestern looks the best out of any of us this year, that's for sure. That Stanford win looks real good now.
I agree with the original poster. Their O may be "challenged" to some extent ... but their defense is totally legit.
Northwestern has a legit chance to contend for the B1G west this year. I don't know if I'd call them a front-runner ... because every squad in the west that has flashed potential, also has several glaring weaknesses.
Anyhow, Northwestern has a solid running game (a great group of RBs) and a strong defense. In our conference, that can get you far if you can remain adequately healthy.
Northwestern has a legit chance to contend for the B1G west this year. I don't know if I'd call them a front-runner ... because every squad in the west that has flashed potential, also has several glaring weaknesses.
Anyhow, Northwestern has a solid running game (a great group of RBs) and a strong defense. In our conference, that can get you far if you can remain adequately healthy.
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anon_snp6dc585nnj4
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Shut up. It's jNW. Stanford sucks and duke isn't good and they beat a D2. But by all means jump on the Chicago media bandwagon. Btw Fitzgerald is an ass hat.
I agree Fitzgerald is an asshat...but.. Stanford took it to number 6 USC today. Or do they suck too? They've been the most impressive on the west side by far.
Did you see the Stanford-NW game? That was some of the worst offensive football that I've ever seen. I don't give 2 shits about what they did against USC. I've seen better offensive football in 8man JV games.
Except that my team didn't lose, so whatever point that you're trying to make has completely missed the mark.
As a neutral, 3rd party observer of football, it was horrid. I haven't seen Northwestern play since then, so maybe they've gotten better. But the reports that I've read and heard about the Duke game suggest that they were awful on offense again. Sounds like they've got a defense, though. Their middle linebacker was sensational against Stanford. He was pretty much the only player on either team that impressed at all, however.
If I were playing northwestern based on what I see so far is play a real crowded box against their offense. Their WB is their weakness. Youngster. Make him throw and I like our DBs in that matchup any day. Iowa will need to find a way to have some success on the ground to keep them off balance on defense. Play ahead of the chains. Too many 3rd and longs will make it tough. BUT I like how our offense still put up 27 on a damn tough Pitt defense and I would imagine they will be prepared even more for a defense like this the next time they see it. Lot of football between now and then. Wisky is the key game as their schedule is as soft as ours. Northwestern starts with Minnesota (will anyone score) and Michigan at Michigan and that will be a good game. They have about 320 yds total in their passing game in 3 games total.
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I have not seen Northwestern play a single minute this year - but their defensive stats are very impressive.
What makes their defense so good? Do they have a few NFL players that present match-up nightmares, or is their success more due to unique schemes giving their opposition fits?
Last year Northwestern ranked 9th in the Big 10 in total defense. As a comparison, Iowa ranked 6th and while we lost a couple very good DTs, I think overall we are playing much better defensively than we were last year.
What makes their defense so good? Do they have a few NFL players that present match-up nightmares, or is their success more due to unique schemes giving their opposition fits?
Last year Northwestern ranked 9th in the Big 10 in total defense. As a comparison, Iowa ranked 6th and while we lost a couple very good DTs, I think overall we are playing much better defensively than we were last year.
The main ingredients that have contributed the Wildcat's success are pretty simple:
1. Strong DL - makes it hard for opposing teams to get easy yards on the ground
2. Opportunistic D - they've been forcing a lot of turnovers. The turnover margin has been a significant contributor in their victories.
3. Ball-control offense. Between short passes and quality RBs, they've been able to possess the ball ... thereby keeping the ball out of the hands of their opponents. This has kept them in games.
1. Strong DL - makes it hard for opposing teams to get easy yards on the ground
2. Opportunistic D - they've been forcing a lot of turnovers. The turnover margin has been a significant contributor in their victories.
3. Ball-control offense. Between short passes and quality RBs, they've been able to possess the ball ... thereby keeping the ball out of the hands of their opponents. This has kept them in games.
Yeah, I actually do believe that Iowa offers a tough match-up for them. The Hawks should be able to bottle up their running game AND we have a balanced enough O that we'll be able to possess the ball on them. Their pass-D is traditionally opportunistic ... but also quite exploitable.
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