Randy Walker isn’t curled up on his bed crying while hugging his dog, Magic, for support. Or at least he shouldn’t be.

Yes, he lost two offensive coaches in the last week (offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar to California and offensive line coach James Patton to Oklahoma), but there won’t be much to worry about on that side of the ball next year anyway.

Northwestern will be working in a young, unproven quarterback next season, so even before Dunbar left, the offensive philosophy would have been something like this:

Tyrell Sutton rush to the left. Sutton up the middle. Sutton right. Screen pass to anyone. Sutton wherever he wants to go. Repeat.

With that offense, Walker could hire Magic as his coordinator and still succeed next year.

But the point is, four of five starters return on the offensive line, and former starting center Trevor Rees will probably be back after sitting out this year for academic reasons.

With the veteran line, Walker will have the opportunity to be patient while developing former quarterback Brett Basanez’s heir, and the new coordinator can spend most of next year learning the intricacies of Walker’s spread offense. All the quarterback has to do is master the art of the handoff, as he should be giving the ball to Sutton at least 300 times. When C.J. Bacher, Mike Kafka or Andrew Brewer is ready to manage the offense in 2007, the offensive coordinator will also be ready.

While it doesn’t really matter who Walker chooses to succeed Dunbar, a definite interview question should be, “How many pass plays would you call if you were going against the worst-ranked rush defense in the nation in a bowl game?” If the candidate says 70, Walker should go in another direction.

He needs to be a little more careful when replacing Patton. The offensive line doesn’t need much help now, but eventually it will need assistance progressing. Patton was also one of NU’s top recruiters, which makes him more difficult to replace.

Raiding MAC teams to fill vacancies has worked well for NU in the past (see Walker, Patton and defensive line coach Eric Washington), so it would be worth a try to make a push for Toledo offensive line coach Mike Devlin.

In just his second season at the school, he helped lead Toldeo to the 13th best rushing attack in the country last year. Devlin played at Iowa, so he knows the Big Ten. He also played in the NFL, a fact that can make a favorable impression on recruits.

With anyone as offensive coordinator and Devlin coaching the O-line, look for Sutton to gain 1,700 yards next year, a quarterback prepared to shine in 2007 and NU to have a shot at making a second straight bowl game.

Deputy sports editor Abe Rakov is a Medill sophomore. He can be reached at [email protected].