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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 26, Digital 6

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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 26, ISSUE 6 99 Stifle(D) 2015 Results (10-3) 9/5 STANFORD . . . . . . . . . . W, 16-6 9/12 EASTERN ILLINOIS . . . W, 41-0 9/19 at Duke . . . . . . . . . . . . W, 19-10 9/26 BALL STATE . . . . . . . . W, 24-19 10/3 MINNESOTA . . . . . . . . . W, 27-0 10/10 at Michigan . . . . . . . . . L, 0-38 10/17 IOWA . . . . . . . . . . . . . L, 10-40 10/24 at Nebraska . . . . . . . . W, 30-28 11/7 PENN STATE. . . . . . . . W, 23-21 11/14 PURDUE . . . . . . . . . . . W, 21-14 11/21 at Wisconsin . . . . . . . . W, 13-7 11/28 at Illinois . . . . . . . . . . W, 21-14 1/1 vs. Tennessee . . . . . . . . L, 6-45 Northwestern Wildcats NOV. 12 ROSS-ADE STADIUM TIME: TBA • TV: TBA COACH: PAT FITZGERALD RECORD AT NORTHWESTERN: 70-56 (10 SEASONS) RECORD VS. PURDUE: 4-3 2016 Schedule 9/3 W. MICHIGAN 9/10 ILLINOIS STATE 9/17 DUKE 9/24 NEBRAKSA 10/1 at Iowa 10/15 at Michigan State 10/22 INDIANA 10/29 at Ohio State 11/5 WISCONSIN 11/12 at Purdue 11/19 at Minnesota 11/26 ILLINOIS G O L D A N D B L AC K 'S E A R LY L I N E : N O R T H W E S T E R N - 2 The key to the Wildcats' success in 2015 can be attributed to one area: Defense. Here's how many yards and points it held under the season average of these four bowl bound opponents: Coach Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern's all-time winningest coach with 70 career victories, is one of only three coaches in school history to guide Wildcat football teams to three consecutive winning seasons (2008-10) and the first since Ara Parseghian coached the Wildcats to winning years from 1958-1960. Fitzgerald's .560 winning percentage at NU is also the highest since Parseghian. 2016 Opponent Preview F or only the fourth time in school history, Northwestern won 10 games in 2015. The resurgence came at a pivot- al time, considering the program was coming off consecutive 5-7 seasons and there were rumblings about Coach Pat Fitzgerald. But just as impressive as the victory total — and what gives hope for this season — may have been the way the Wildcats won: With defense. The unit was one of the Big Ten's better ones, ranking in the top half in scoring (18.6 ppg), total (318.9) and rushing (126.2). And it'll be counted on again to lead Northwestern to another bowl game, though an improved of- fense surely would be appreciated after ranking last in the league in scoring, total offense and passing. "Really, the offense can only get better in 2016," said Louie Vacch- er, who covers Northwestern for Wildca- tReport.com. The defense, though? It has a stud linebacker in Anthony Walker, who led the Big Ten with 22.5 tackles for loss and led the team with 122 tackles. He's had success because Northwestern lets him roam free in its system — and he's also had the benefit of solid play up front to keep him clean to make plays. "He is a heat-seeking missile who plays from sideline-to-sideline with abandon and has a knack for getting to the ball quickly and in a bad mood," Vac- cher said. "Walker is a superior athlete and has great speed for a MLB. There's a reason some NFL draft experts rank him as the second-best linebacker in the country." Walker may be the biggest name on the D, but it's a unit that's extremely sol- id up the middle where it returns four experienced tackles, Walker and safety Godwin Igwebuike, who Vaccher says may be the best all-around athlete on the team. The Wildcats lost four-year starter Nick VanHoose at cornerback and Drew Smith at linebacker, but experienced players are ready to step in at both spots. Defensive end is a bit of a concern where situational players will need to rise to fill full-time roles. The same will need to happen at re- ceiver where Fitzgerald has lamented that position group's play for two sea- sons. It has struggled to get separation and beat man-to-man coverage, which may have hindered redshirt freshman Northwestern Justin Jackson may not have elite speed, but he's got everything else: Power, elusiveness and good hands out of the backfield. He's expected to have another complete season for the Wildcats. Differential vs. NU Yds./Pts Stanford -199.0/-28.8 Duke -148.7/-20.8 Minnesota -191.5/-22.7 Wisconsin -178.6/-19.7

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