There were two big questions facing the Northwestern offense heading into this season: How well would the unit execute new offensive coordinator Mick McCall’s no-huddle offense, and how well would an inexperienced offensive line perform?
The Wildcats took a big step toward answering both questions in Saturday’s season opener.
The offense as a whole scuffled early against the Syracuse defense, but it eventually found a rhythm and racked up 484 total yards with a balanced attack of 42 runs and 35 passes.
After each play, the Wildcats would immediately get back to the line of scrimmage and snap the ball, making it difficult for the Syracuse defenders to set themselves and catch their breath. Its lightning-quick pace, which kept the press-box public address announcer scrambling to keep up, had a significant effect.
“You can see after the first series we had that they were gassed,” running back Tyrell Sutton said. “It showed out there that we were ready for (the fast pace) and I don’t think Syracuse was ready for it.”
Saturday’s offensive line featured only one returning starter, right guard Joel Belding. Kurt Mattes, penciled in as the team’s starting right tackle this season, was held out with an ankle injury and was replaced by Desmond Taylor.
Yet the lack of experience didn’t seem to be much of a problem against the Orange, as the line consistently opened holes for Sutton and backup running back Omar Conteh, who combined for 215 yards on 33 attempts. Quarterback C.J. Bachér rarely faced pressure and was sacked only once.
“That’s what I’m most proud of today, ” coach Pat Fitzgerald said of the line, whose starters also included left tackle Al Netter, left guard Keegan Kennedy and center Ben Burkett.
Reigning in the Gunslinger
Bachér showed flashes of brilliance in 2007 but also tossed 19 interceptions to go along with his 19 touchdowns. He was the first to admit that many of those mistakes were the result of him trying to do too much and forcing passes into tight areas.
Heading into the season, the fifth-year senior had talked a lot about controlling his “gunslinger” mentality. But early in Saturday’s game, it looked like he might not have learned his lesson. On NU’s first possession, the Cats had the ball at the Syracuse 39-yard line before Bachér attempted a tough pass over the middle to Eric Peterman. But Bachér didn’t account for safety A.J. Brown playing as tightly as he was, and Brown stepped in front of Peterman for the interception. As it turned out, the pick was merely a minor stumbling block on the way to a solid game for Bachér. He finished with 215 yards and three touchdowns and didn’t turn over the ball again.
“We met on Thursday and I looked at (Bachér) after we got done, and I said to him, ‘What are you going to do after you throw a pick on Saturday?'” Fitzgerald said. “And he smiled and gave me that half-hearted look and said, ‘I’m going to respond, Coach.’ And that’s what he did. He responded.”
Notes
Sutton now has 3,140 rushing yards and 4,128 all-purpose yards in his career, putting him third in both categories in NU history. He’s the Big Ten’s active rushing leader…. Bachér spread the ball around, hitting 10 different receivers. Converted quarterback Andrew Brewer led the way with six catches for 48 yards, and Jeremy Ebert, Zeke Markshausen and Sidney Stewart all recorded their first career receptions. Ebert and superback Josh Rooks notched their first career touchdowns. … Punter Stefan Demos helped the Cats establish a major field-position advantage, landing all of his punts inside the Syracuse 20-yard-line, including two inside the 5-yard-line.
