The last time the Northwestern defense faced one of the nation’s elite running backs, Wisconsin’s P.J. Hill ran all over the field, totaling 257 yards.
“We took that pretty hard,” junior linebacker Adam Kadela said. “We made a decision right after that to stop the run.”
The Wildcats have given up an average of 79 rushing yards per game and only 2.8 yards per carry.
But this was against unproven backs like Purdue’s Jaycen Taylor and Michigan State’s Jehuu Caulcrick.
NU might find it a little harder to stop junior Mike Hart, the premiere back for No. 2 Michigan (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten).
Hart ranks seventh in the nation in rushing yards per game with 129, one spot behind Hill.
In his time at Michigan, Hart has put up 3,631 yards of total offense and scored 23 touchdowns.
“All we can control is how we play, and that’s going to be fast, physical and not playing tentative, not waiting for him,” Kadela said. “If you wait for him, you’re going to be waiting a while because he’ll be past you.”
The area the Cats’ defense has struggled with the most during the conference season is the passing game, allowing 1,303 yards in four games.
And the Wolverines don’t appear to offer much relief in this aspect either.
Junior quarterback Chad Henne is a three-year starter who has passed for 6,771 yards and 62 touchdowns in 32 games.
Henne has nine touchdowns and four interceptions in five conference games.
“They pretty much let you know what they want to do and they stick with it,” sophomore safety Brendan Smith said.
On the other side of the ball, Michigan boasts one of the stingiest defenses in the nation. The Wolverines give up 240.9 yards per game, good for fifth nationally.
Their rush defense is the nation’s best, giving up only 33.6 yards per game and 1.4 yards per rush.
Sophomore running back Tyrell Sutton said the Wolverines’ front seven was among the most physical he’s ever seen.
But he’s not intimidated.
“I’m not scared of anybody,” he said. “They’ll get hurt. They’ll take a play off. They’ll make a mistake. They’re human just like we are.”
Sutton is coming off his best game of the season, rushing for 172 yards against Michigan State.
He said he can use his size to evade the Michigan rush.
“I hope to use my elusiveness and quickness and be able to hide behind my lineman in order to free myself,” he said.
Michigan holds a 50-14-2 all-time record against the Cats, including victories in the teams’ last three meetings. The Wolverines beat NU 33-17 last year in front of a Homecoming crowd of 47,130 at Ryan Field.
The Cats will be facing a crowd almost two and a half times larger when they travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday.
While this weekend’s game features an undefeated team and a squad that hasn’t won in five weeks, coach Pat Fitzgerald said anything can happen in a conference with as much talent as the Big Ten.
“Any team can win at any given time,” he said.
Reach David Morrison at [email protected].
