#25 Northwestern Wildcats Season Preview

I have the Northwestern Wildcats ranked 25th in my Fansided NFL Mocks College Football top 25.  Every day until the college football season starts I will rank teams in my top 25.

The fate of Northwestern’s season rests with signal caller Dan Persa.

Northwestern Wildcats Offensive Outlook The Northwestern Wildcats return one player who anchors their team on on offense in quarterback Dan Parsa who enters his senior redshirt year.  Parsa completed 73.5 percent of his passes while throwing for over 2,500 passing yards while throwing 15 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions.  Parsa is a scrambler quarterback who plays in a shotgun spread no huddle offense.

Northwestern is returning 4 starters on their offensive line giving the Northwestern Wildcats a formidable offensive line.  Pass blocking left tackle Al Netter anchors the offensive line for the Wildcats.  Netter weighs 6 foot 6 310 pounds and is best suited as a pass blocker.  Center Brian Burkett is another offensive lineman who could have an impact for Northwestern.  Burkett is also mainly a pass blocker so Netter and Burkett should buy Persa more time in the pocket this season.  Persa suffered an Achilles Tear so the offensive line will do a better job protecting Persa with the extra year of experience.

Persa has a weak supporting cast when it comes to receiving targets.  His best receiving target is Jeremy Ebert a speed receiver who had 62 receptions, 953 receiving yards, and 8 receiving touchdowns for Northwestern last season.  Ebert is going to be Persa’s primary passing option so look for Ebert to have a big year.  I am projecting 70 receptions, over 1,000 receiving yards, and at least 10 touchdowns for Jeremy Ebert this season at Northwestern.

Northwestern posted more than 5,000 yards of offense last season so they have an offense that can keep them in ball games.

One issue with this offense is their inability to score in the second half.  192 of Northwestern’s 343 points scored during the regular season came in the first half.  That means 56 percent of Northwestern’s points came in the first half.

Defensive Outlook Northwestern has seniors starting at defensive end and on the secondary.  The pass rusher who will dictate the success of this defense is 4-3 right end Vince Browne who recorded 7 sacks last season.  Northwestern will be in contention if Browne can double his sack total as a senior.

You don’t want to throw on this Northwestern secondary.  Keep the football away from #1 cornerback Jordan Mabin and two way safety Brian Peters who can play strong safety or free safety for the Wildcats.

Northwestern has the pass rushers and secondary to shut down the pass, but they lack the defensive tackles or linebackers to stop the run.  Northwestern surrendered a combined 659 rushing yards in their final 2 big 10 contests against Illinois and Wisconsin last season.  The Wildcats allowed 5.1 rushing yards a carry last season.  That number has to be reduced if Northwestern has any remote chance of winning the Big 10.

Another issue with Northwestern was the defensive performance down the stretch.  The Wildcats surrendered a combined total of 163 points in their final 3 contests.  That means Northwestern allowed an average 54 points a game during their final 3 contests.  You simply cannot win games when your defense allows an average of 54 points a game.  Northwestern only averaged 26.4 points per contest.  The Wildcats defense has major work to do unless they want to rely on the offense to win close nail biter ball games.

Projected Record 9-3 I expect an early season loss to Illinois.  The Fighting Illini have Northwestern’s number because Illinois builds there offense around the running game.  Stopping the run is a major weakness for Northwestern.  The Wildcats second loss should be against Nebraska who is a heavy favorite to represent the Big 10 Leaders.  I think Michigan State beats Northwestern on their home turf to end their year.

Northwestern has the talent to represent the Big 10 Leaders in the Big 10 Championship.  The problem is they have to survive a war of attrition against a Nebraska Cornhuskers team that is ranked higher than them on the road.

Northwestern should do better than most experts believe and I really don’t see any potential trap games on their schedule.  The Wildcats will go as far as quarterback Dan Persa can take them.