Fifty-one, 44, 35. All were scores that stared down at Northwestern defensive tackle Pete Chapman from the opponent’s side of the scoreboard last season.
But Chapman glared back, knowing he could still celebrate when the final gun sounded because the explosive Wildcats offense had found a way to top those numbers.
“We were fortunate last year because we didn’t stop the run very well and we still ended up winning because our offense carried us,” Chapman said. “We don’t ever want to feel that way again. If we’re going to reach our goals, the defense has to hold up its end of the bargain.”
This season Chapman and the NU defense are trying to find a solution to 2000’s defensive woes, when the unit allowed more than 33 points and 400 yards per game. The Cats gave up 51 points to Michigan, 44 to Wisconsin and 35 to Minnesota, but in all of those games, the Cats offense came through and NU prevailed in overtime or in the closing seconds.
NU coach Randy Walker has been throwing new wrinkles in his scheme this spring to bolster the defense, including experimenting with a 3-4 setup and testing linebacker Napoleon Harris at both defensive end and safety.
The Cats are loaded with talent at linebacker, and have one of the top returning corps in the country: Harris, Kevin Bentley and Billy Silva are all NFL prospects. NU also has junior Pat Durr as the fourth option in a 3-4 set. Durr was named Big Ten defensive player of the week once last year while filling in for an injured Bentley.
Silva – the Cats’ leading tackler last season – has received preseason honors, being named to the Bronko Nagurski watch list for the nation’s top defensive player. Bentley could have been on that list as well had he not been hobbled for a good part of the 2000 campaign.
But as deep as they are at linebacker, the Cats are just as shallow on the line and at defensive back. Returning starters Chapman and fifth-year senior Salem Simon will provide a strong tandem at tackle, but Walker is still struggling to find ends that can hurry opposing quarterbacks like departed seniors Dwayne Missouri and Conrad Emmerich did last season.
“You’ve got to get some pressure on the quarterback,” Walker said. “If you let them pitch off a mound all day, they’re going to throw strikes.”
Big Ten quarterbacks did just that to NU’s defense last season, totaling an average of 222 passing yards per game – more than even the Cats’ potent offensive attack could manage. And with opposing coaches likely watching hours of film on NU’s spread offense this offseason, the defense might not have as much margin for error next fall.
Moving an athletic linebacker to an end position is something Walker did at Miami (Ohio) to better his pass rush, in effect putting five linebackers on the field. Last season he moved Emmerich from linebacker to end as well. This season, Harris could be Walker’s man.
“(Harris) has done some of that, and he presents some problems for people and we’re giving him a look at (end),” Walker said. “We’ll put our best pass rushers at defensive end and let them go and wreak havoc.”
At defensive back, NU lost senior leader Harold Blackmon but will still have experience, with juniors Chasda Martin and Raheem Covington atop the depth chart.
“If the defense can stop the run, everything else should fall into place,” Silva said. “Pressure on the quarterback is a DB’s best friend. If the quarterback is running around scared, he’s going to throw up some balls.”
Walker’s main focus remains stopping the run, which he believes is the key to victory, and that will only come if his returning linemen stay healthy and help the less-experienced players – something that Chapman and Simon can do.
“Salem and I are always there for questions, but the thing they are going to have to deal with is that once the bullets start flying on Saturdays, it’s going to be a lot faster than they’re used to,” Chapman said. “They’re going to be holding on to their butts for a little while, but once they get into the flow of things they’ll be able to catch on and play up to their potential.”
