** 2019 Opponent Previews : Northwestern (Game 6) **

Saunders

Saunders

Heisman Trophy Winner
The Athletic: On a historic roll, Northwestern takes aim at Big Ten West repeat

Northwestern has been on something of a roll lately. The reigning Big Ten West champion Wildcats have won three consecutive bowl games, have won 11 consecutive games against division opponents and are 15-1 in their past 16 Big Ten regular-season games. Their 41 wins in past five years mark the winningest five-year stretch in program history, and they have finished ranked in the AP poll four times in eight years after doing so three times in the previous 68. As fickle as the West is relative to the top-heavy East, Northwestern showed its mettle in close games. It is 8-1 in its past nine contests that have been decided by four points or fewer or in overtime. The Wildcats ended up winning the West by three games last year.

So, what’s next? There will be a new quarterback after four-year starter Clayton Thorson graduated and got drafted. There will be three new faces on the offensive line, and there is a top receiver and a top corner to replace. But this program — particularly on defense, where it returns upward of eight starters — is in as healthy of a place as it has ever been, and it now has some hardware to validate its approach.

https://theathletic.com/994122/2019/05/29/northwestern-football-2019-schedule-roster-depth-chart/
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Athlon: #35 Northwestern Wildcats Preview And Prediction

In 1995, Pat Fitzgerald and his teammates fast-tracked Northwestern from historic futility to the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl. Although Fitzgerald has yet to coach his alma mater to either destination, the program looks more secure than ever: 36 wins since 2015, three consecutive bowl victories, its first division title last season and a facility that is the envy of college football. Northwestern's next step is clear — its first league championship since 2000 — but it doesn't intend to cut corners. "Our plan works," Fitzgerald says. "What we do and how we do things works to get to a championship level. To become consistent at that level... is now the challenge."

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/northwestern-football-wildcats-prediction-preview-2019
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CollegeFootballNews: 5 Things To Know About Northwestern & Season Prediction

Northwestern defied all logic and reason. It turned the ball over way too often, wasn’t explosive, wasn’t great on third downs or special teams, and the defense was awful against anyone who could regularly throw. Last in the Big Ten in rushing, the O line was last in sacks allowed, scoring appeared to be optional, and … It won the Big Ten West. But how? The Cats managed to convert on just about every chance they had, they kept games close, forced a ton of turnovers, and they led the nation in fewest penalties and fewest yards. And they also caught a massive amount of breaks.

https://collegefootballnews.com/2019/06/northwestern-football-preview-prediction-players-2019
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More to come...

 
Last edited by a moderator:
OH HSKR FAN said:
NW wins games by letting the opposing team f up and then capitalizing on those miscues.
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Which has been Nebraska's M.O. for a good 17 years now. That appeared to change in the second half last year.  I hope to see the Huskers playing smart and making opponents pay for their own mistakes finally.

 
Northwestern (plus Michigan State and Rutgers) at the bottom of both lists.

They are not that good.  We somehow made them look "explosive" for five minutes - probably their best five minutes of the season.   :facepalm:



 
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