Northwestern-Iowa: College Football Pregame Primer

Pre-Game Primer

 Northwestern (4-0) at Iowa (3-1)

Date:  September 27, 2008

Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA

Game Time: 11:00 a.m. CT

On Air: ESPN Classic, 720 AM

Line: Iowa by 8.5

Northwestern can win if…

…the defensive line continues to be a force on every play.  The Iowa Hawkeyes change quarterbacks more than any team in the nation and has seen the best and worst of both Jake Christensen and Ricky Stanzi.  Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz will be licking his chops as he prepares to unleash the hounds on these two unproven commodities.  The Cats already lead the Big Ten in sacks with 15 and will likely watch that number improve Saturday.

On offense, the Wildcats are expecting running back Tyrell Sutton to be on the field despite leaving last weekend with a hamstring injury.  The reoccurring theme in this space has been how Sutton goes, so goes the offense.  For example, the Cats piled up 200 total yards in the first half against Ohio with Sutton at full health, but managed only 80 in the second half with him shelved.  Look for him to be the focal point of the offensive game plan once again.  Sutton will have to bring his A-game, as he will be matched up against one of the better defensive tackles in the conference in Iowa’s Mitch King.

Quarterback C.J. Bacher had the worst game of his career last Saturday against a poor Ohio secondary, tossing four interceptions while failing to throw for a touchdown.  The competition only gets better from this point on, so Bacher hopefully learned his lesson.

Northwestern will struggle if…

…Bacher fails to be the premier passer the Wildcats expect him (and need him) to be.  Iowa will look to shut down Sutton early, forcing Bacher to beat them with the big play, which has been nonexistent so far in 2008.  Iowa ranks second in the nation in pass efficiency defense.

Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz named Stanzi the starting quarterback for the game, but the Iowa City faithful know Stanzi is one game away from being replaced by Christensen once again.  Regardless of who is under center, the Wildcats must stop running back Shonn Greene, who ran for 147 yards in a losing effort against Pittsburgh last weekend.  Northwestern defensive tackle John Gill will need to command the double team for the Hawkeye running game to be contained.

Northwestern players to watch

Running back Tyrell Sutton

The 5’9’’ senior continues to be Northwestern’s one true threat to take it to the house on any given play.  If the hamstring injury is fully healed, as Sutton proclaimed Wednesday, then he should have no problem adding to his already impressive six touchdowns.

Wide receiver Jeremy Ebert

The true freshman will make his second straight start as former starter Andrew Brewer is out for Saturday’s game with a knee injury.  Ebert has big-play potential and reminds me a lot of the Indianapolis Colt’s and former Ohio State Buckeye Anthony Gonzalez.    

Defensive end Corey Wootton

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. should think about taking a weekend trip to see Wootton play, as the 6’7’’ junior has been making scouts drool with his NFL potential.  With the mediocre play of the Iowa quarterbacks, Wootton should plan on padding his statistics and living up to the much deserved hype.

Iowa players to watch

Quarterbacks Jake Christensen and Ricky Stanzi

Is this the same situation the Chicago Bears have had what seems like forever?  Stanzi, a sophomore, was officially named the starter on Monday. Based on how this fluctuating quarterback situation has played out this season, don’t be surprised if Christensen somehow finishes the game.  Their numbers are very similar, as Stanzi has only one more touchdown and interception than Christensen, albeit in eight less attempted passes.

Running back Shonn Greene  

The Hawkeyes leading rusher has been the one constant in an always-changing offense.  With 506 yards in four games, Greene ranks 5^th nationally, but will likely be in for a long day against one of the top defensive fronts in the country. 

Most Telling Statistic

Over the past two games, Northwestern’s defense has recorded 132 negative yards from sacks and tackles for loss.

Most Disturbing Statistic

Over the past 17 months, Iowa has had 19 players arrested.

Prediction

Bacher returns to the stadium where he earned his first career victory as a starting quarterback.  Fitzgerald also earned his first Big Ten victory as NU’s head coach in that game.  This will be the first big test for the Wildcats, and luckily are facing an Iowa team coming off a disappointing one point loss from the previous week.  If Bacher can refrain from turning the ball over and help Sutton get the running game going early, he should be able to exploit the stingy Iowa defense.

Iowa will be running essentially the same game plan as Northwestern by trying to establish the run with their own play-maker in Greene.  The winner of this game is the team that stops the opponent’s running back.  The way the Wildcat defensive line has been playing, it’s too hard to say they won’t be the ones to accomplish that goal. 

- Northwestern 24, Iowa 20