The Northwestern Wildcats are set to storm the Carrier Dome Saturday for their season-opening clash with Syracuse and chances are you’ll have a bit of trouble even recognizing them.
Granted, the inevitable turnover splayed through four-year college football programs makes every September a bit mysterious, but 2012’s ‘Cats seem to be an entirely new team. Goneare the purple and white Adidas uniforms donned by players since 2003. Gone is All-Big Ten honoree Dan Persa under center. Gone too is wideout Jeremy Ebert, superback Drake Dunsmore, offensive tackle Al Netter and safety Brian Peters.
No one knows what to expect when the Wildcats hit the field on Saturday. But for a team looking to establish a true identity, and for a school eager to shake an inveterate culture of losing, this weekend’s ballgame is certainly exciting.
“Last year, I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries... Now, it’s time to take on a leadership role and help these young guys along, be a leader on and off the field,” said junior quarterback Kain Colter back in April’s spring exhibition. Come Saturday, it’s Colter’s time to shine, looking to build on an offense that averaged over 28 points a game last season.
Of course, he won’t be alone. Northwestern touts its first five-star recruit in wide receiver Kyle Prater, who transferred from USC last February. Prater, sophomore Christian Jones and senior Demetrius Fields head a formidable receiving corps for NU. Despite a new signal-caller at the helm, the ‘Cats will still look to air it out on offense.
Question marks linger along the offensive line and in the secondary, two units that struggled for the 2011 team. Northwestern allotted 329 passing yards and eight sacks to Texas A&M in last season’s finale, the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.
But with a new year comes a fresh chance for redemption. Chicago’s gridiron liaisons will look to take advantage of non-conference opponents before Big Ten play kicks off in four weeks.
Scouting the opponent
Senior quarterback Ryan Nassib leads the way for the Orange, who finished 5-7 last year, rounding out the season with a paltry 1-6 mark in conference games. With First Team All-Big East offensive tackle Justin Pugh shelved with a shoulder injury, ‘Cuse’s outside running game will take a big hit. Last year’s starting running back Antwon Bailey has graduated, leaving carries for junior Jerome Smith, who sports a career 3.6 yards-per-attempt average.
Despite high expectations, the Orange disappointed in 2011, save for an October upset of then-No. 11 West Virginia. Syracuse will look to sure up their pass defense, after ranking 98th in the nation in yardage allowed and notching just 10 interceptions a year ago.
In many ways, Northwestern bears semblance to its opening day foe. Both teams rely on a pass-first offense, are looking to replace a top tackle on the line and boast suspect secondaries. Expect both NU and ‘Cuse to frequent the vertical passing game on Saturday.
What to watch for
Second chances: Northwestern failed to D up when it mattered most last year, ranking 114th (seventh-worst) in all of Division 1 in opposing third down conversion rate. Allowing the Orange offense to sustain drives on third down will prevent it from becoming completely one-dimensional and will further allow Syracuse to control the game’s tempo. No. 1 option Alec Lemon caught 68 passes as a junior and will be the Orange’s go-to guy to move the chains.
Hot pocket: The burning question for NU lies in the pocket, where Kain Colter will have to pass from without Persa. Colter’s status as a triple-threat is unquestionable after compiling more than 400 yards and three touchdowns as a quarterback, tailback and spread receiver in 2011. But in 2012, the Denver native will be forced to see more reps as a traditional QB. See how he fares in the opening weekend.
Ground game: The Wildcats failed to find a consistent backfield presence last year but that could change with the return of junior running back Mike Trumpy. Before tearing his ACL in October, Trumpy posted a 5.2 yards-per-carry average, and could be the difference-maker for Northwestern this year. Going against All-Big East middle linebacker Marquis Spruill (who also recovers from a major surgery), it will be interesting to see how the Wildcats perform on the ground. A strong backfield presence should allay some of the pressure facing Colter.
Prediction
Coach Pat Fitzgerald is 6-0 in season openers, and Northwestern is favored in the official game spread by one point. It should be a close one — and a high-scoring one — but let’s give the edge to the Wildcats, who topped Syracuse by almost five points a game last year.
Northwestern 31, Syracuse 28