Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 5, 2018 33 "But he had a setback against Rut- gers, when he was just 17-of-34 pass- ing for 150 yards; he was uncharac- teristically inaccurate and just never looked comfortable in the pocket." Northwestern has struggled to run the ball with an average of just 78.1 yards per game (127th nationally), even with counting the production of Larkin early in the season. "Fitzgerald went with veterans John Moten IV and Solomon Vault as the starters, but then each of them got hurt," Vaccher explained. "The last couple weeks, Northwestern has used walk-on Chad Hanaoka and a pair of true freshmen in Isaiah Bowser and Drake Anderson exten- sively in the backfield. "Bowser, the biggest and strongest back, seemed to cre- ate a spark late in the Rutgers game and wound up rushing for 108 yards. We'll see if he gets more carries moving for- ward, and whether Moten and Vault get healthy again." For Thorson, senior wide receiver Flynn Nagel has been the clear No. 1 target, hauling in 56 passes for 693 yards and two touchdowns in the team's opening seven games. Junior "superback" Cameron Green (31 catches for 284 yards and three touchdowns) — son of 1988 Notre Dame national champion running back/tri- captain Mark Green — and junior wide receiver Bennett Skowronek (29 receptions for 337 yards and one touch- down) give Thorson multiple options. "Nagel doesn't get the credit he deserves as a slot receiver," Vaccher noted. "He's not very big, and he's quicker than he is fast; he's one of those guys that knows how to get open and then catches everything thrown his way. When Thorson needs a first down or a big play, he looks for No. 2 first. "Skowronek is a physical, 6-foot-4 outside receiver who uses his body well to create space. Green is an ath- letic superback — NU's sexy name for tight end — who can create matchup problems with his speed- and-size combination." Consistency along the front has been an issue for the Wildcats with multiple injuries resulting in just two players starting every game so far, but health issues have not been the lone reason for the struggles. "Head coach Pat Fitzgerald talks a lot about one-man breakdowns up front," Vaccher began. "The prob- lem is they are occurring far too fre- quently for a veteran unit that came into the season with four returning starters. "Left guard, especially, has been a problem area, and the Cats have used three guys there so far this sea- son. [Senior] guard Tommy Doles, the best on the team, has missed two games and is still bothered by an in- jury." Up front defensively, junior end Joe Gaziano (4.5 sacks) and senior tackle Jordan Thompson (2.0 sacks) lead the way. "Gaziano will likely play on Sun- days," Vaccher said. "He is big and strong enough at 280 pounds to drop anchor against the run, and he is also a strong pass rusher who quietly led the Big Ten in sacks last season. He doesn't get a lot of love in the media because of the other defensive end stars in the Big Ten, but he is elite. "Thompson is the leader of a deep defensive tackle position that doesn't have a lot of stars, but has been effec- tive. Thompson spent a couple years in the shadow of the monstrous Ty- ler Lancaster [who is now with the Green Bay Packers]. He can be a dis- ruptive force with penetration in the middle." Sophomore linebackers Blake Gal- lagher (68) and Paddy Fisher (54) led the team in tackles through the first seven games. "Fisher was a Freshman All-Amer- ican last season, so he was a known commodity going into the season," Vaccher stated. "He is big enough at 245 pounds to play in the box, and he runs better than you'd think, en- abling him to make plays sideline to sideline. "Gallagher, on the other hand, has been a revelation as a starter on the weakside. A very aggressive, downhill-type of player. … Fisher and Gallagher should be leaders of Northwestern's defense for the next two years." Right behind Gallagher and Fisher, safeties Jared McGee, a senior with 42 stops, and JR Pace, a sophomore with 39 takedowns, ranked third and fourth in tackles, respectively, while Pace also nabbed three interceptions. The duo leads a defensive backfield that recorded three interceptions during its wins over the Spar- tans, Cornhuskers and Scarlet Knights. "Jared McGee is the leader in the secondary," Vaccher said. "He's more of a center- fielder and the quarterback of the defense. Pace can come up and really lay the lumber in run support. As a unit, the safeties gave up some big plays over the top early in the season, but they've been more dependable the last few weeks. "Montre Hartage is Northwest- ern's best cover corner. The senior got off to a bit of a rough start to the season, getting victimized for a couple big plays, but he's been more consistent in recent weeks and has been playing at a higher level. "On the other side, true freshman Greg Newsome II emerged as the starter in week two and looked to be a star in the making before he missed the last three games with an injury. … He will be a guy to watch in the future." GAME PREVIEW: NORTHWESTERN Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME AT NORTHWESTERN Game Info Date: Nov. 3, 2018. Site: Ryan Field (47,130). Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. Television: ESPN. Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129) and on Notre Dame's IMG affiliates. Series Facts: This will be the 49th all-time meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame leads the series 37-9-2, highlighted by 14 straight victories from 1965-94. The Wildcats won the last meeting, 43-40, in overtime at South Bend in 2014. Head Coaches: Navy — Pat Fitzgerald (87-51, 13th season); Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (77-34, ninth season). Noting Northwestern: With a win Nov. 3, Northwestern would have its first three-game winning streak against Notre Dame since 1959-62, when the program claimed four straight under head coach Ara Par- seghian … Northwestern has not defeated a top-25 non-conference opponent in the regular season since taking down then-No. 21 Stanford to open the 2015 campaign … Northwestern started 4-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2000, when it finished 6-2 in the league to earn a share of its most recent Big Ten championship … Fitzgerald has led the Wildcats to eight bowl appearances in his 12 seasons and has guided the Cats to three of their four bowl wins in program history.