The Defensive Secondary

Chris O'Meara- AP

In my linebacker analysis I said I didn't expect teams to have much success running the ball against Northwestern. The obvious implication is that teams will be passing a lot against Northwestern, and I fear that may not be a great thing. Both the cornerback and safety position could take a big step back this year.
At the cornerback position, we lose Sherrick McManis, who, in my opinion, was the best player on the team last year. Our other corner was Jordan Mabin, who fortunately is returning. Unfortunately, however, he failed to impress in pass defense last year. While he got an impressive number of tackles, he failed to defend many passes that went his way, with the notable exception of the interception that wrapped up the game against Wisconsin. The other corner this year will be Justan Vaughn, a senior. He has some experience starting but has suffered several injuries throughout his career. Jeravin Matthews, a junior former running back will be one backup. The other will be Demetrius Dugar, a sophomore who got one start last year replacing an injured McManis. Overall, this position does not look very good. These guys, particularly Mabin, really have to step up if we don't want our opponents to throw all over the place against us.
At safety, we lose last years' starters Brad Phillips and Brendan Smith. Nonetheless, I'm less concerned about this position than the corners. Brian Peters, a junior, will be one of this year's starters, and he will be just fine. He actually started 5 games last year subbing for an injured Smith. Despite being a backup on the depth chart he managed to be fifth on the team in tackles and second in interceptions (67 and 3 respectively). If you have any questions about his ability, just look at the picture at the top of this post. Yes, he made the grab, and, for the record, he had a cast on the other hand. The other safety will be the sophomore Jared Carpenter. He played a bit last year, but not enough for me to formulate much of an analysis. Hunter Bates, the sophomore special teams specialist, is one backup, and Mike Bolden, who is strangely listed as a corner on his bio, is listed as the other backup. David Arnold, the converted linebacker, is not on the depth chart due to injury. If he returns, do not be surprised to see him start. While this unit may not be an improvement from last year, it should not be terrible. I would however be more comfortable if Arnold could return.