Blue White Illustrated

August 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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8 8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Even by the standards of mod- ern college football, in which the relaxation of transfer restrictions has produced waves of roster up- heaval at schools across the coun- try, Northwestern has been on a wild ride lately. Four years ago, the Wildcats went 8-1 in Big Ten action and played for the conference cham- pionship. A year later, they were in the West Division basement at 1-8. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, they rebounded smartly, going 6-1 and returning to Indianapolis to face Ohio State for the title. Then last year they followed up their divisional crown by going 1-8 again. Maybe that means the Wildcats are on their way back up in 2022. Pat Fitzgerald, who is the fifth- longest-tenured coach in the FBS heading into his 17th season at his alma mater, is surely hoping so. Before Northwestern can start thinking about contending with the likes of Iowa and Wisconsin, however, it will need to resolve its quarterback dilemma. Ryan Hilinski is back for his junior season, but he com- pleted just 54 precent of his attempts last year and threw more interceptions (4) than touchdown passes (3), which means there's no guarantee he'll hold off redshirt freshman Brendan Sullivan for the starting job. Last year's leading rusher, Evan Hull, is back, too. He'll be challenged by Cam Porter, the Wildcats' leading rusher in 2020 before missing last season with a lower-body injury. In addition to their quarter- back problems, which consigned them to last place in the Big Ten with a dismal scoring average of 16.6 points per game, the Wild- cats have to upgrade a defense that gave up 29 points per game, the league's third-highest total. D e fe n s ive c o o rd i n a to r J i m O'Neil had been an eye-opening hire when Fitzgerald brought him aboard in February 2021. O'Neil brought a wealth of NFL experi- ence, but he hadn't coached at the college level since 2008, and he hadn't been a collegiate defensive coordinator since 2005 when he was at Towson. O'Neil's biggest problem last yea r wa s t h a t No r t hwe s te r n couldn't stop the run. Opponents gouged the Wildcats for 213 yards per game. To put that number in perspective, Rutgers, which fielded the Big Ten's next-worst run defense, give up 161.8 yards. Given those difficulties, it's perhaps not so surprising that three of Northwestern's seven incoming trans- fers are defensive linemen. It's all but impossible to win Big Ten games con- sistently if you can't stop the run. — Matt Herb O C T . 1 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | U N I V E R S I T Y P A R K , P A . Pat Fitzgerald has the fifth-longest tenure of any active coach in the FBS, having been in charge of Northwestern's program for the past 16 seasons. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL 2022 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2021 Result Aug. 27 Nebraska* L, 56-7 Sept. 10 Duke L, 30-23 Sept. 17 Southern Illinois — Sept. 24 Miami (Ohio) — Oct. 1 at Penn State — Oct. 8 Wisconsin L, 35-7 Oct. 22 at Maryland — Oct. 29 at Iowa L, 17-12 Nov. 5 Ohio State — Nov. 12 at Minnesota L, 41-14 Nov. 19 at Purdue L, 32-14 Nov. 26 Illinois L, 47-14 * at Dublin, Ireland WHAT COULD GO RIGHT Northwestern's transfer additions, which include former Pitt linebacker Wendell Davis and former Stanford defensive tackle Ryan Johnson, could plug some of the de- fensive holes. That would at least give the Wildcats a fighting chance against the likes of Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin, op- ponents that ripped them for 56, 41 and 35 points, respectively, last season. WHAT COULD GO WRONG The defensive line could continue to struggle, and Ryan Hilinski could get off to another poor start at quarterback, forcing the Wildcats to turn to a freshman — rarely a formula for success at this level. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads 14-5 Last Meeting: Penn State defeated host Northwestern 31-7 on Oct. 7, 2017 Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (109-90 in 16 seasons at Northwestern; career coaching record: same) 2021 Record: 3-9, 1-8 Big Ten Returning Starters: 12 (7 offense, 5 de- fense) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Evan Hull (1,009 yards, 7 TDs) Passing: QB Ryan Hilinski (978 yards, 3 TDs) Receiving: WR Malik Washington (578 yards, 2 TDs) Tackles: LB Bryce Gallagher (89) Sacks: DE Adetomiwa Adebawore (4.5) Interceptions: No returning player had an interception last season WEEK 5 NORTHWESTERN

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