Mizzou's Daniel & Co. grab Wildcats' rapt attention

Pardon Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz if it sounds like he's struggling with postseasonal affective disorder.

The Wildcats learned Dec. 7 they would face Missouri in the Alamo Bowl.

But the way Hankwitz makes it sound, that's hardly been enough lead time for he and his staff to figure out ways to slow down the Tigers.

One envisions Hankwitz breaking down Mizzou videotape and tendencies all the way until 6:59 p.m. Monday.

"They do more than anybody we've played," Hankwitz said. "They give you more exotic formations, trick plays. Everyone has a different variation of the spread, and they have a different one than anybody we've seen so far.

"And compound that with the fact Chase Daniel hit 74 percent of his passes -"

Missouri arrived in San Antonio as the nation's sixth-best team in scoring (43.2 ppg) and total offense (497.5 ypg).

With the exception of the 2007 Big 12 title game, when the Tigers managed "only" 17 points against Oklahoma, Missouri produced at least 3 touchdowns in each of senior quarterback Daniel's last 29 games.

But to ogle Daniel's staggering career accomplishments (see accompanying chart) is to ignore his star-studded supporting cast.

Wide receiver/kick returner Jeremy Maclin, who was named as the nation's top all-purpose player, and tight end Chase Coffman both made The Associated Press' All-America team.

Coffman, who owns 240 career catches for 2,592 yards and 30 scores, is the most prolific pass-catching tight end in NCAA history.

"Maclin, Coffman, (Tommy) Saunders. You know, they've got a lot of weapons," said Hankwitz, warming to his woe-is-me rant. "You worry about the pass, and then you look at their running back (Derrick Washington) has gained 969 yards (and) 6.1 a carry.

"Yeah, you have more time (to prepare), but they do more than anybody, so we need the extra time."

Redshirt freshman cornerback Jordan Mabin is, by a considerable margin, the most inexperienced starter in Northwestern's secondary.

He joined the lineup in Week 3 after a season-ending shoulder injury to Justan Vaughn and, after a slow start, adjusted to life on an island.

The freckle-faced Mabin, named a freshman All-American by Sporting News, wound up leading the Wildcats with 3 interceptions.

"Each game, actually each day, I'm getting better out here," Mabin said. "For me, the game's slowing down for me each day.

"I was always confident in my speed. I would say reading through my progressions is one of the things I've progressed at a little bit.

"When you first get in there, everything's going so fast that you think, 'Oh, no, I've got to run with this guy.' But if you just slow the game down and read your progressions, you'll be able to just make plays instead of reacting to plays."

To ensure Mabin and others know what they're seeing, NU's defensive coaches have prepared frequent open-video quizzes on Mizzou's endless formations and tendencies.

(By the way, here's a Northwestern tendency that bodes well for the Alamo Bowl:

Missouri averaged 40 pass attempts this year. Of the four games this season in which NU's opponent tried at least 40 passes - Duke, Ohio, Purdue and Minnesota - the Wildcats won them all).

Mabin and junior running mate Sherrick McManis, a potential preseason all-Big Ten pick next year, won't be assigned to particular receivers.

They'll stay on their respective sides and match up with whomever shows up across from them.

"We're excited," Mabin said. "You can't ask for more."