July 21, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. -- This is the second part of a series previewing the 2004 Wildcats. Today's feature focuses on Northwestern's offensive unit. The following is a position-by-position look at the Wildcats:
Quarterback
With 22 career starts under his belt, including the last 16 in succession, Brett Basanez heads into his junior season as the Wildcats' starting quarterback. Redshirt freshman Chris Malleo will be Basanez's backup.
Basanez's offensive production tailed off from his freshman season when he earned Sporting News Freshman All-America honors. Still, in just two seasons of action, Basanez has moved into seventh place on three of NU's career charts: total offense (4,435 yards), passing yardage (4,120) and pass completions (352).
"Brett received a great deal of undeserved criticism from a lot of quarters last year," says Walker. "But the best thing about Brett Basanez is the way he responds. He has taken full leadership and responsibility and has done everything he needed to do in the off-season. Brett has a lot of personal pride. I would be surprised if he's not first on our depth chart at the end of August.
"But with that said, he's going to get challenged. We've got a hungry freshman quarterback -- Chris Malleo -- and several other talented newcomers who are working just as hard. Overall, this should be a great situation for this position."
Basanez completed 162-of-302 passes (53.6 percent) for 1,916 yards and four touchdowns last year. As a ball carrier, he gained 219 yards and scored two touchdowns.
"The best way for our quarterbacks to improve upon last year, though, is for our entire offensive unit to get better," says Walker.
Running Back
Is a 1,000-yard rusher waiting in the wings?
Two years ago, following the departure of all-time leading rusher Damien Anderson, the same question was being asked. Enter Jason Wright, who did nothing more than run for 2,622 yards and total 3,884 all-purpose yards in just two years.
Now, the backfield attention turns to Noah Herron and Terrell Jordan, two players who have played an increasingly bigger role in the NU offense as their careers have progressed. Herron had a solid junior year, and came up big on several occasions, especially when Wright was ailing with his injured ankle.
Herron turned in a career day against Penn State, rushing for a career-high 180 yards. He finished the season with 739 yards and a team-best 6.2 ypc average. Like Wright, Herron is an accomplished receiver. He caught 19 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown in 2003.
Jordan, who was slowed at times by injuries a year ago, finished as the team's third-leading rusher with 253 yards on 46 carries (5.5 ypc). He rushed for a career-high 87 yards against a stingy Purdue defense last year.
"Noah has been very productive during his career, but I like the way Terrell has responded this off-season," says Walker. "These guys will have a great battle. They are different type of backs and will really complement each other. Both players are capable of being 'the guy.'"
Wide Receiver
Injuries hit this position harder than any last year, as the 'Cats played a couple late-season games with three of their top four receivers on the sidelines. However, the injuries forced the NU coaching staff to play some younger receivers and that experience should pay dividends this season.
Several key veterans return, led by senior Ashton Aikens and junior Mark Philmore. Aikens and Philmore were two of the players hit by the injury bug last season. Aikens missed the final seven games of the year with a knee setback while Philmore, who also injured a knee, missed the final five games of the regular season. Aikens caught 18 passes (8.6 ypr) while Philmore totaled 23 receptions (9.9 ypr).
Some of the players who helped fill in for the injured 'Cats were sophomore Shaun Herbert and junior Brandon Horn. Herbert and Horn both finished with 10 catches, although Horn averaged a whopping 28.5 ypr, which included a 77-yard touchdown. Horn was the only NU receiver to catch a touchdown pass in 2003.
"We have some talented receivers, but they must improve every aspect of their game for us to be more effective with our passing game," says Walker. "From running routes, to blocking, to catching and to getting the ball in the end zone -- we need to make some significant progress before Sept. 2 arrives.
"Certainly, if we stay healthy at that position, that would be a big plus for us. Ashton, Mark, Brandon and Shaun all have the capability of making some big plays for us."
Some other returnees who figure to be in the wideout mix include Frank Bass, who transferred to NU from Division III St. Olaf after originally starting his career with the Wildcats; junior Eric Batis, who is the Wildcats' holder on special teams; and redshirt freshmen Kim Thompson and A.J. Burdex.
Thompson, who stands 6-feet-4 and has excellent speed, had an outstanding spring, consistently leading or being near the top of the receiving statistics in all three scrimmages.
Offensive Line
On paper, this position figures to be one of the Wildcats' strongest, and for good reason. Every starter and key reserve returns. In addition, one of the team's best players, junior All-America tackle candidate Zach Strief, anchors this group.
Although the unit returns intact, there are two primary goals for this group in the off-season: improve its pass protection and solidify its second-string positions.
"Pass protection is the last thing you master as an offensive lineman in college football," says Walker. "While our offensive line played well at times last year, especially with the run block, we were not consistent with our pass pro. We had some young guys who were young and growing, and that didn't come together for us as quick as we would have liked. I think we'll see some real improvement in that area this year."
Strief and senior Trai Essex return as the tackles, with Strief on the right side and Essex on the left. At center, is true sophomore Trevor Rees, who started all eight Big Ten games and the bowl game last year. He picked up freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News.At the guard positions are seniors Matt Ulrich and Ikechuku Ndukwe.
Ulrich and Essex are the veterans of the group with 25 consecutive starts in the books. Some of the key players in the hunt to push the veterans are juniors Vince Clarke and Joe Wohlscheid, and sophomores Joe Tripodi and Rick McDole. All three players have been slowed by injuries and other setbacks, but all figure to play key roles if they stay healthy.
Tight Ends
With the losses of Ray Bogenrief and Gilles Lezi to graduation, the tight end position is wide open in 2004. Junior Taylor Jones, however, has the most experience and will get the first shot at this position.
True junior Sean Mansfield and redshirt freshman Frayne Abernathy also will battle for the position, along with Jones. Junior Braden Jones is also in the mix at tight end.
THURSDAY: A look at Northwestern's 2004 defense.