Northwestern redshirt sophomore defensive end Anto Saka circled Friday’s game on his calendar the moment the Big Ten released its 2024 schedule. For the first time in his collegiate career, Saka will return home to Maryland for a homecoming of sorts at SECU Stadium.
Saka told The Daily on Tuesday that he’s been accumulating as many tickets as he can for the contingent of family and friends he expects to attend the Wildcats’ clash with the Terrapins. The Phoenix, Maryland, native said he’s gathered 27 tickets thus far, with hopes of rounding up a few more.
“Hopefully we get a win,” Saka said. “It’s always good to come back home, see family and play against the people I grew up playing with and against.”
The 6-foot-4-inch, 247-pound edge rusher will look to wreak havoc on passing downs less than 50 miles south of his high school stomping grounds of Loyola Blakefield, where Saka soared to national prominence as a four-star recruit and received 34 collegiate offers.
Saka has tallied a team-high 2.5 sacks in four games played, making a marked impact amid a limited snap count. He missed his team’s Week 3 matchup with Eastern Illinois due to injury, but Saka battled back into the lineup for the Big Ten opener at Washington the following week.
He said he carries the same mentality whenever he steps on the field.
“Blow it up,” Saka said with a chuckle. “That’s really all it is. Step on the field and make something happen.”
Saka’s production marks a continuation of a breakout 2023 campaign when he finished second on the team with 5.5 sacks. He became the first NU player to record three sacks in his first five collegiate games since 2008.
For assistant defensive line coach Christian Smith, Saka’s steady growth speaks to coach David Braun’s underlying vision of crafting the conference’s preeminent developmental program.
“Anto has a ton of potential, maybe the most on this football team,” Smith said. “He’s taking advantage of his potential, his natural ability of being explosive, twitchy — but he’s a technician as well. (He) uses his hands really well in pass rush and works the edge. When you’re an athlete like that, it sets up a lot of other things in your game.”
Smith said Saka’s skill set opens up a bevy of opportunities for his teammates on the defensive line, and the edge rusher was pivotal to the unit’s significant improvement last season.
But, Smith added that Saka’s hunger to improve is the most pertinent facet of the redshirt sophomore’s game.
“He’s never going to be satisfied,” Smith said. “He comes in and asks what he needs to do. But, the thing he was doing best in fall camp was that he took huge strides in the run game. His snap is only going to go up.”
With Saka redshirting during his true freshman campaign, he could merely watch Maryland secure its first-ever victory over the ’Cats. During that Terrapin victory, then-backup quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. stepped in for an injured Taulia Tagovailoa, leading Maryland to a 31-24 win.
Two years later, Edwards has thrived in his newly-minted starting role, and Braun said pass-rushers like Saka, redshirt sophomore linebacker Kenny Soares Jr. and redshirt junior defensive end Aidan Hubbard will be essential to the week’s game plan.
Saka said he has full trust in his team’s scheme and its ability to throw Edwards, who took five sacks in his previous game against Indiana, off schedule.
“I’m trusting what the coaches have for me, trusting they will put me in the right position and I’m trusting my teammates — who are ballers — are gonna do their job,” Saka said. “Coach is working. He’s cooked up a wonderful game plan, so we just gotta go out there, follow our keys and do our jobs.”
Smith and Saka both reiterated a desire to put Saturday’s loss to the Hoosiers firmly on the back burner.
During the defeat, Saka snapped a six-game streak with at least a half-sack and NU failed to record a sack for the first time this season.
“We’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got work to do to reach our goals of being one of the best D-lines in the Big Ten,” Smith said. “Last game we let the offense down. Giving up 41 points is unacceptable … They know that. That’s credit to the leadership in the room and the standard they set forth for me to hold them accountable.”
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