Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/413403
GAME PREVIEW: NORTHWESTERN keep the defense on track. Advantage: Notre Dame NORTHWESTERN PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE The best-known quarterback to come out of North- western in recent years was Kain Colter last year, though it was more for his off-the-field involve- ment in the unionization case he brought against the NCAA than for his performance while in a Wildcats uniform. Fifth-year senior Trevor Siemian has taken Colter's place on the field, but his play has been in- consistent. Through eight games, he had completed 159 of 283 passes (56.2 percent) for 1,564 yards with only four touchdowns and six interceptions. Before the season, it looked like Siemian would have last year's top two targets to rely on. Both seniors Christian Jones and Tony Jones (no relation) returned after catching 54 and 55 passes for 668 and 630 yards, respectively, last season. But only weeks before the season opener, Christian suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the Wildcats have struggled to recover. Through eight games, no re- ceiver has broken 30 catches or 300 receiving yards, or caught more than one touchdown pass. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has limited opposing offenses to 227.2 passing yards per game and inter- cepted 12 throws through two-thirds of the season. Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder's ag- gressive blitzes frequently hurry quarterbacks into poor decisions. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. NORTHWESTERN RUN DEFENSE Throughout the season, this space has often re- ferred to a three-headed running back committee. While Notre Dame still boasts three genuine running threats in senior Cam McDaniel and sophomores Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant, Folston has taken a firm grip on the job after running for a total of 367 yards against North Carolina, Florida State and Navy. His 532 rushing yards and 5.3 yards per carry led the Irish through eight games, though senior quarterback Everett Golson can claim seven rushing touchdowns to Folston's three. The combination of Folston and Golson in the backfield provides Notre Dame a multitude of run- ning options. On top of that, Irish offensive coordi- nator Mike Denbrock has shown a predilection to the jet sweep this season, getting the ball into the hands of receivers such as senior Amir Carlisle and junior C.J. Prosise with blockers in front of them. Northwestern returns most of its defensive line, though it did lose its leader in Tyler Scott. At line- backer, the Wildcats lost top tackler Damien Proby, but returned their next two leaders in fifth-year se- niors Chi Chi Ariguzo and Collin Ellis. Ariguzo led the team with 72 tackles through eight games, including one sack among four stops for loss, while Ellis added 33 more tackles and an interception. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. NORTHWESTERN PASS DEFENSE Despite his ad-lib skills as a runner, Golson prefers throwing the ball from the pocket and his statistics confirm as much. Through eight games, he com- pleted 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,311 yards with 22 touchdowns. Golson has connected with 10 different receivers this season, led by sophomore Will Fuller's 46 catches for 599 yards and nine touch- downs through eight games. A well-balanced array of options complement Full- er's breakout season. Sophomore wideout Corey Robinson ranks second on the team with 29 catches for 393 yards and four touchdowns after two-thirds of the season, while senior tight end Ben Koyack and junior wide receiver Chris Brown both boast 23 catches. The Irish passing attack's 288.9 yards per game ranked 26th in the country heading into the Arizona State tilt, helping pace the way for an offense that had scored an average of 35.4 points per game, which was 30th in the nation.