Wildcats will have hands full against MSU on Saturday
Northwestern is not off to a fast start this season, but that's happened before.
Michigan State carries one of the nation's best defenses. Nothing unusual there.
So the Wildcats figure to have their hands full for Saturday's Big Ten opener against MSU. But Northwestern has found a way to beat the Spartans in each of the last three seasons, and has won four of five in the series dating back to 2012.
In fact, the Wildcats have averaged 40.7 points in the last three games against MSU, though one of those went to triple-overtime. So why does coach Pat Fitzgerald seem to have this opponent figured out?
"I think we try to show up against everybody. That's kind of the goal," Fitzgerald said this week. "We play a very similar style of football, and I think that's why the games are so close. I think both teams are very disciplined in what they do and how they do things. I think both programs play team football, complimentary football."
OK, that answer was a little vague. What does Michigan State's Mark Dantonio think?
"Their quarterback (Clayton Thorson) played well in those games," he said. "And execution. I would say execution, and then there's been some breakdowns."
Thorson is the Wheaton North alum and current member of the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, who started those three wins over Michigan State. His replacement, Clemson transfer Hunter Johnson, didn't play well in the season opening loss at Stanford. He was better in last week's win over UNLV, completed 12 of 25 passes for 165 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
The best news for NU's offense was discovering some running back depth. With starter Isaiah Bowser sidelined by a knee injury, redshirt freshman Drake Anderson ran for 141 yards on 26 carries.
He's the son of Damien Anderson, who played from 1997-2001 and ranks second on Northwestern's list of all-time leading rushers. Junior Jesse Brown was also impressive, getting 79 yards on just 9 carries.
"He (Anderson) was really close to playing last year," Fitzgerald said. "We went up to Michigan State last year not really sure where we were at yet. We were very unsettled at the position. Then we go to Rutgers, and Isaiah kind of took it over, to his credit.
"Opportunity just presented itself. I think (Anderson) is a big-time player. I think he's going to be a great player for us for a long time. I felt pretty solid about that room, we've just got to keep getting them experience."
Whoever runs the ball will face resistance from a Michigan State defense that's been impressive so far. The Spartans rank second in the nation in rushing yards allowed (23.3), third in total defense (216 yards), and fifth in sacks.
"They've got all-Big Ten players across the board at every position," Fitzgerald said. "They're well-coordinated, they're on the same page, they play physical, they play great team defense. You very rarely see them ever beat themselves."
On the other side, MSU did beat itself. The offense gained 404 yards in last week's much-discussed 10-7 loss to Arizona State. The Spartans missed three field goals in that one.
The Wildcats get to play at home this weekend, but the road won't get any easier. Next Saturday they visit Wisconsin for a potential Big Ten West showdown, then play Nebraska, Ohio State and Iowa. Fitzgerald had some thoughts on the Big Ten's policy of playing nine league games, which includes three crossovers with the other division.
"I wish we stayed at eight league games," Fitzgerald said. "We decided to go to nine.
"I would prefer to go to 10. I don't like the nine at all. The nine just doesn't make sense to me. It is what it is, now we've got all these disjointed schedules and it looks like it's going to be that way for a long time."
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