Aug. 8, 2005
When Randy Walker was hired as the Wildcats' head football coach in 1999, one of his priorities for the program was to field a competitive Big Ten program each year.
Like most Division I-A programs, Northwestern aspires annually to win a conference title and compete for a national championship. But those are lofty expectations for even the most tradition-rich programs, and with the current landscape of college football, that can be unattainable in certain years.
One thing Walker felt was attainable each year, however, was a six-win season and an ensuing bowl trip. The past two years, Northwestern has notched six regular-season victories and earned a postseason invite. Last year, a 12-game schedule that was punctuated with a tough-to-swallow loss at Hawaii, kept NU from going bowling for a second straight year.
"There are several factors that dictate how successful you can be," says Walker, "but I've always felt that getting to a bowl game is something that our program can shoot for on a regular basis. The past two years, we've been playing for something in November, and that's what has pleased me the most, especially after our very challenging 2001 and 2002 seasons.
"I see no reason why we can't put ourselves in that position again. We've had another strong off-season and our players are doing the things you expect from a successful team. We certainly have some holes to fill, but what encourages me is that we have experienced players returning at every position group, led by a four-year starting quarterback."
Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment by Northwestern the past two years is that they have not relied on a soft nonconference schedule to load up on victories. The Wildcats have posted a 9-7 mark in their last 16 Big Ten games, which includes a fourth-place finish (5-3) in 2004.
The following is a position-by-position look at the 2005 Wildcats:
Quarterback
Only four other Division I-A quarterbacks have started more games in succession than Brett Basanez, who begins his senior season with a 28-game consecutive streak. Walker says you cannot minimize the amount of experience the Wildcats have with Basanez.
"He has logged a lot of plays during his career, and has experienced both the highs and lows of the position. I expect Brett to have his best season yet. With another year of improvement and a healthy shoulder, he will be one of the Big Ten's best quarterbacks."
Basanez, who is college football's second-leading active all-time passer with 6,958 yards, earned consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last year after ranking second in the conference in total offense, passing yardage and completions per game. He is on the cusp of setting Northwestern career marks in those three categories as well.
In addition, Basanez is just five victories away from becoming the program's winningest quarterback of the modern era.
Backing up Basanez will be redshirt freshman C.J. Bachér and a host of talented freshmen.
Running Back
A year ago, Northwestern's staff wondered if there was a 1,000-yard rusher waiting to replace Jason Wright. The answer came in the form of Noah Herron, who emerged as one of the Big Ten's best running backs. Herron finished with 1,381 yards, the fifth-best mark in school history.
One of the Wildcats' biggest off-season question marks has been determining who replaces Herron and his production. Senior Terrell Jordan, who has totaled 568 yards and averaged 5.1 ypc the past two seasons, is the leading candidate to replace Herron -- if he can stay healthy.
Jordan, who is talented enough to rush for 1,000 or more yards, has been slowed throughout his career with numerous leg injuries.
Jordan will be pushed, however, by a number of freshmen and sophomore running backs. Sophomores Nathan Shanks, Brandon Roberson, Gerard Hamlett and Akeem Hunter, along with true freshmen Omar Conteh and Tyrell Sutton, all figure in the running back mix.
Roberson, who may be Northwestern's fastest running back since Damien Anderson, was one of the few tailbacks who stayed healthy in the spring and had a stellar four weeks.
"We want to run the football and that is not a secret," says Walker. "It should be a competitive preseason as we figure out who's going to carrying the ball for us. I'm excited about this group."
Walker has had a 1,000-yard rusher in all but one of his six seasons as Northwestern's head coach.
Wide Receiver
Led by senior Mark Philmore, the wide receiver position is one of Northwestern's strengths in 2005. Five of the Wildcats' top seven receivers are back, led by Philmore and Jonathan Fields, who combined to catch 102 passes for an 11.7 ypr average and six touchdowns.
"I think the passing game will be one of our strengths with a four-year starting quarterback and experienced receivers," says Walker.
Philmore led the Wildcats in receptions (54) and yardage (633) last year, despite missing the last four games with a knee injury. He has caught a pass in all 28 career games played and has 108 all-time catches. Fields, who had the breakout game against TCU last year (202 yards and three touchdowns), finished with 48 catches and a team-best four TD's.
Junior Shaun Herbert led the Wildcats in yards per reception with a 14.5 average. Other key returnees include Brandon Horn (24 receptions, 8.5 ypr, 2 TD) and Kim Thompson (11 receptions, 11.1 ypr, 1 TD).
Offensive Line
Only one starter returns -- All-America tackle candidate Zach Strief -- which leaves this unit a question mark heading into the fall. The Wildcats took a hit in June when their two-year starting center, Trevor Rees, was suspended for academic reasons.
"We think we have some talented guys to replace the starters we lost up front," says Walker. "These guys just need some quality practice and game experience. Once they get that under their belt, they'll be fine. It's a situation we faced two years ago and that group helped get us to a bowl game."
At center, Austin Matthews, Adam Crum, Joel Belding and perhaps Vince Clarke will get an opportunity to replace Rees. A versatile lineman, Matthews has played all three offensive line positions, but he has limited game experience. Clarke has the size and athleticism to be a solid collegiate center, but he has been plagued throughout his career with injuries.
Besides center, the three other positions to be filled are the ones that were previously held by left tackle Trai Essex, left guard Ikechuku Ndukwe and right guard Matt Ulrich.
Expected to replace those three starters are sophomore Dylan Thiry at left tackle, junior Joe Tripodi at left guard and junior Ryan Keenan at right guard.
"I have a lot of confidence in our younger guys -- they've been preparing for this opportunity," says Walker. "As always, we want to identify some quality depth at offensive line during the preseason."
Tight End and Fullback
Starting tight end Taylor Jones is not returning for a fifth year, leaving this position open for either Erryn Cobb or Frayne Abernathy to inherit. Cobb played fullback last year, but will get a shot at the tight end position this spring.
The Wildcats' hybrid R-back (fullback) position will see Abernathy and former quarterback Chris Malleo taking snaps here.
(On Tuesday, Aug. 9, NUsports.com will feature the Wildcats' defense and special teams.)