by The week off for Ohio State and not playing THE GAME versus Michigan was disappointing but may be beneficial for the team. The recovery time has allowed players out with Covid to return back to practice and prepare for this matchup.
Coach Ryan Day will be back on the sidelines as well as the rest of the staff, leading the team towards the title.
Justin Fields was once again strong against Michigan State. He not only threw some beautiful strikes, but also got outside the pocket and picked up yards on the ground. The Northwestern defense is just an improved version of the Spartan defense. Fields could be deadly when getting outside the hashes and taking advantage of the speed of the Buckeyes.
Teague and Sermon might not be the biggest factors but they will still be important in short yardage situations. If they can pick up the first downs in short yardage then the Wildcats won’t have much of an answer.
Per usual, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave will be the top receivers on Saturday. Watch out for Jeremy Ruckert because I expect a big game from him as well.
Several players on the defense have a point to prove due to lower rankings on the All-Big Ten teams. Haskell Garrett and Baron Browning have been much better than third-team players. They will both come out guns blazing and Northwestern needs to prepare for that. The front seven will once again look to dominate against the run and even add more pressure in the backfield.
Cole’s Prediction on the next page
Well written.