In the final minutes of practice on April 10, Northwestern defensive end Corey Wootton met his match: 6-foot-8 senior offensive lineman Dylan Thiry.
Coach Pat Fitzgerald had the two giants step face-to-face, in a drill designed to simulate an in-game running play. Before Thiry could blink, Wootton slipped under his right arm and wrapped up senior running back Brandon Roberson up for a three-yard loss.
As the Wildcats prepare for their annual spring football game on April 21, the celebration of Wootton and his teammates after the play reflected a change in NU’s attitude from the start of last season.
Defensive intensity.
“We’re competing on defense and we have a hunger to improve,” Fitzgerald said. “If you have the mentality to create turnovers, wreak havoc and be a physical defense, good things will happen.”
For that physical defense to take shape, Fitzgerald said the cues begin up front. Defined by its linebackers in past years, NU enters 2007 with a defensive line stacked with veterans looking to improve upon the 23 sacks recorded a year ago.
“Us getting in the backfield and getting pressure on the running back and quarterbacks disrupts offenses,” Wootton said. “If we can do that, we can get (opponents) off the field.”
Wootton and fellow sophomore defensive tackle Adam Hahn return after being named to the Sporting News All-Big Ten Freshman team, combining for 79 tackles and 12.5 tackles for a loss in their first season playing for the Cats. The line will receive an added boost with the addition of redshirt freshman Corbin Bryant, who was lost for last season after breaking his leg in an early September practice.
“I have no idea who’s going to start,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s the great thing about having depth. With that kind of competition, good players can become great and great players can become special.”
While the Cats ranked ninth in the Big Ten in several categories – rush defense (158.3 ypg), opponent third-down percentage (41%), and turnover margin (-0.58) – the defense revitalized itself in the final month of Fitzgerald’s first year campaign.
Against Iowa on Nov. 4, NU used physical play to notch its first conference win. The Cats picked off senior quarterback Drew Tate twice held the Hawkeyes to 147 passing yards and a season-low seven points.
“College football is a game of momentum,” linebacker Adam Kadela said. “It’s about taking (the ball) away from the other team when they have it and once you get it keeping hold of it.”
The fifth-year senior heads a linebacking corps tabbed as rebuilding after losing seniors Nick Roach and Demetrius Eaton. But while Roach missed the final four games of the season with a broken leg, Kadela recorded a team-high 80 tackles.
“In terms of the younger guys, it’s about giving them as many reps as you can,” Kadela said. “As a fifth-year player, I just try to improve my game with little things.”
Junior strong safety Brendan Smith and senior Reggie McPherson will man the safety positions, with senior Deante Battle and sophomore Sherrick McManis playing cornerback. McManis’ level of play rose toward the end of last season, highlighted by his shutdown of star Ohio State wideout Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn managed two catches for 40 yards in the Buckeyes’ 54-10 drubbing of NU in Evanston last December.
But one of those two catches was a 34-yard touchdown connection with Heisman Trophy-winning QB Troy Smith – one of five pass plays going for 30 or more yards against NU last season.
“Those were little things we did wrong in our scheme,” said Smith, who led the team with three interceptions last year. “We have to go through spring focusing on little details to get to where we want to be defensively. That includes eliminating explosive plays that put us in bad situations last year.”
Reach Chris Gentilviso at [email protected].
