Without record-breaking quarterback Brett Basanez, the Northwestern Wildcat offense isn’t as potent as it was last season, but nonetheless, the ‘cats are off to a 2-1 start and will try to make it 3- 1 before. The Big 10 game begins with a victory in Nevada.
Beating the wolf pack won’t be an easy task for the Wildcats, as Nevada looked good early on despite only bringing a 1-2 record to Friday night’s game. The Pack hung out with Fresno State in their first game before eventually losing 19-28, were smoked 30 at Arizona State, but came back with a bang with an impressive 28-10 win over Colorado State.
If Northwestern wants to succeed on the road in this one, it will have to be able to pressure quarterback Jeff Rowe, who lit up the CSU Rams for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-22 passing last week. Last season, I would have written this off as a lost cause, as the Wildcats were ranked 117th in defense in the country. That means only two other defenses allowed more yards per game last season. This season, Northwestern has shown improvement on the defensive side of the ball, holding Miami of Ohio to just one field goal in its road opener and East Michigan to just six points in last week’s win. Northwestern may not get the best push through the middle, but their wingers, led by Kevin Mims, are very good and should be able to generate some heat in the corner. The secondary is a very solid unit for the ‘cats’. Granted, they were shaky against New Hampshire, but we can’t forget that was an emotional game, as it marked the first home game since coach Randy Walker’s death, and New Hampshire has a no-huddle offense with a lot of offensive variety. for which it is difficult to prepare.
Nevada’s offense was very impressive last week, and the big win over Colorado State should have the Wolf Pack fired up and ready to go after another win at home against a Big 10 opponent. We know Northwestern doesn’t have the same offense that it did. a season ago, but we also know he doesn’t have the same defense. We know Jeff Rowe is a very talented passer, but he hasn’t seen wingers as good as Sims and co. or a secondary with as much speed. But if Rowe can find his receiver like he did last week, it won’t matter who’s playing in the defensive backfield.
Don’t trust the so-called “TV experts” for this. Take the word of a tipster who has researched every area of this matchup and found the winning angle. If you’re looking to cash in on Friday night’s college football game, be sure to play who I’m playing against.
