The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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132 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY ANDREW VAILLIENCOURT After winning 10 games and finishing sec- ond in the Big Ten West Division in 2017, expectations are high for the 2018 North- western Wildcats. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who is in his 13th year at the helm, has the talent to do it, but the team also has one giant question mark — will fifth-year senior star quarterback Clayton Thorson be healthy? The dual-threat signal-caller tore his ACL during the first half of the team's bowl game against Kentucky and is expected to be ready for most, if not all, of the 2018 season. Thorson is dynamic and can move the ball down the field with his arm and his legs, com- pleting 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,844 yards with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also gained 248 yards on the ground (but finished with a net total of 23 yards due to sack yardage) and scored a career-best eight touch- downs. He has started 38 consecutive games at Northwestern and has thrown the most touch- down passes (44) in program history. With the loss of running back Justin Jack- son, who ran for more than 1,300 yards last fall, Thorson will be expected to carry the offense even more than he has in the past. However, redshirt sophomore running back Jeremy Larkin should be more than capable to fill in for Jackson. He ran for 503 yards and five scores his rookie season, and has been prepped to carry the load. He had his first 100-yard game against Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. Thorson gets his top two targets in the pass- ing game back in junior wide receiver Bennett Skowronek and senior wide receiver Flynn Na- gel. The pair combined to catch 93 passes for 1,133 yards and nine touchdowns last season. In addition, the Wildcats bring back four of its five starters along the offensive line (all but center) — an area that will be criti- cal in keeping Thorson upright. It's unclear whether he'll have the same mobility as he had in previous years due to the knee sur- gery, but being able to rely on his line will be important regardless — as Michigan fans discovered in 2017. Northwestern ranked No. 55 nationally in total offense last season, averaging 408.0 yards per contest. For all the firepower that the offense brings to the table, however, the defense was even better a year ago and returns several key standouts. Ranked No. 34 in total defense a year ago, Northwestern allowed 357.2 yards per game. It also tied for No. 26 in turnover margin with a plus-seven mark. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Paddy Fisher leads the strong front seven after re- cording a whopping 113 tackles in his debut. He was named second-team All-Big Ten by the media and third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches. He also earned the Freshman De- fensive Player of the Year award from the Big Ten Network and led all first-year Football Bowl Subdivision players in tackles. Fisher paced the Big Ten with four forced fumbles and was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week after he posted 19 tackles, two forced fumbles and two quar- terback hurries against Michigan State. He's not the only stud linebacker Northwest- ern returns — fifth-year senior Nate Hall was second on the squad in tackles with 79 while adding 16.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. It was redshirt junior defensive end Joe Gaziano, however, that led the Wildcats in sacks. He also led the Big Ten in that category with nine, top- ping Michigan fifth-year defensive end Chase Winovich and junior viper Khaleke Hudson, who each finished 2017 with eight sacks. Northwestern will have to find two new starting safeties after losing both Kyle Queiro and Godwin Igwebuike, but it does bring back both starting corners — senior Montre Hartage and redshirt junior Alonzo Mayo. The key for a division-winning season will be the Wildcats' matchup Oct. 27 against Wisconsin. The Badgers have won the West three of the last four years, with Northwest- ern finishing second twice. If Fitzgerald's team wants to breakthrough and make a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten champion- ship game, that meeting will be a must-win. Notes Northwestern's final Associated Press poll ranking of No. 17 in 2017 was the program's highest finish since 2012, when it also finished 17th … The last time Northwestern finished ranked higher than No. 17 was in 1996, when the Wildcats finished No. 15 … Athlon ranks Clayton Thorson as the nation's No. 37 quarterback, but admits it would be much higher if his health status was clear. ❏ The Wildcats Take Aim At The Big Ten West Division Title 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Aug. 30 at Purdue W, 23-13 Sept. 8 Duke L, 41-17 Sept. 15 Akron — Sept. 29 Michigan — Oct. 6 at Michigan State W, 39-31 Oct. 13 Nebraska W, 31-24 Oct. 20 at Rutgers — Oct. 27 Wisconsin L, 33-24 Nov. 3 Notre Dame — Nov. 10 at Iowa W, 17-10 Nov. 17 at Minnesota W, 39-0 Nov. 23 Illinois W, 42-7 PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Clayton Thorson, 5th-Sr., QB — Named third-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media in 2017 … Became Northwestern's all-time winningest quarterback last year and now has 26 career wins … Ranked third in the Big Ten with 218.8 passing yards per game in 2017 … Ranked 19th in the na - tion and led the Big Ten with 21.5 completions per game during the regular season a year ago. Defense: Joe Gaziano, R-Jr., DE — Named second-team All-Big Ten by the media and was a third- team pick by the coaches in 2017 … Ranks ninth in program history with 13.5 career sacks in just 26 ca - reer games … Was second on the team in forced fumbles with three last fall. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Paddy Fisher leads a stout front seven for the Northwest- ern defense after he debuted with 113 tack- les and a Big Ten-best four forced fumbles in 2017. PHOTO BY STEPHEN J. CARRERA/NORTHWESTERN ATHLETICS GAME 5 • NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS • SEPT. 29 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: U-M leads 57-15-2 First Meeting: NU 10, U-M 8 (Oct. 29, 1892, at Chicago) Last Meeting: U-M 38, NU 0 (Oct. 10, 2015, at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald, 87-65 at NU and overall (13th year) 2017 In Review: 10-3 overall, 7-2 Big Ten (2nd West Division) Final 2017 Ranking: No. 17 in Associated Press and coaches' polls Returning Starters: 15 (7 offense, 7 defense, 1 spe - cialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2017 (Music City vs. Ken- tucky, W 24-23) Big Ten Championships (last): 8 (2000) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Clayton Thorson (2,844 yards, 15 TD, 12 INT) Rushing: Jeremy Larkin (503 yards, 5 TD) Receiving: Bennett Skowronek (844 yards, 5 TD) Tackles: Paddy Fisher (113) Sacks: Joe Gaziano (9) Interceptions: Montre Hartage (3)