Can the Cats play mistake-free football for 60 minutes?

In their last two conference games, the Wildcats have played a combined 60 minutes of quality football. Against Michigan State, NU jumped out to a 7-0 first-half lead. Last week against Indiana, the Cats outscored the Hoosiers 12-0 in the second half. To beat Penn State, NU can’t play 30 minutes and expect to win – the Nittany Lions are too good. The game will come down to controlling the clock and taking care of the ball from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.Who will play in Northwestern’s secondary?

Your best guess as to who will start at corner and safety is as good as anyone else’s. Senior safeties Brad Phillips and Brendan Smith are returning from injuries. Sophomore safety Brian Peters played with a cast on his hand last week. Senior cornerback Sherrick McManis re-injured his leg against Indiana and is listed as questionable on the injury report. Backup corners Justan Vaughn and Demetrius Dugar have missed time as well. Ricky Weina and Jared Carpenter have filled in admirably, but NU needs to be close to full strength if it’s going to contain the high-powered Penn State offense.