2013 Northwestern Football Preview: The Superbacks

I feel it may be necessary to start this post with an introduction explaining what a superback is. After all, no one outside of Northwestern, as far as I have seen, utilizes a position by this name. Essentially, this position is something of a hybrid-back, filling the roles of a tight end, H-back, fullback, and slot receiver.In general however, it's safe to think of a superback as a versatile tight end. It's a position that, from 2008 through 2011, was filled, and filled well, by Drake Dunsmore. With his departure, superback was a big question mark last year. Regardless, the position performed well above expectations.

Last Year

True freshman Dan Vitale stepped up to fill the role Dunsmore vacated, and did so quite successfully. Despite being recruited by most schools as a safety, he looked right at home in this superback position, managing 28 catches for 288 yards and 2 TDs for the year, and he improved as the year went on, as his best performances came against Micigan State (9 catches for 110 yards) and in the Gator Bowl (7 catches for 82 yards). He also had substantial contributions that do not show up on the stat sheet, most notably his high-quality blocking in the run game. He also had a Dunsmore-esque ability to shed tackles. All things considered, he actually had a better year than Dunsmore's freshman year that occurred in a much more pass-heavy Northwestern offense. There was a lot to like, to say the least, from Dan Vitale last season. 

No other player had nearly the contribution Vitale had at the superback position. Tim Riley was arguably the number 2 guy, and certainly the second-leading superback on the stat sheet. That being said, he only carried the ball 8 times for 39 yards and caught 3 passes for 26 yards. He did, however, manage a touchdown reception. Many fans expected, or at least hoped for, a solid year out of Evan Watkins, a quarterback-turned superback. He, however, missed the entire year due to injury. Brian Smith, saw decent time, primarily as a goal line blocker, playing in 10 games. However, all 3 of these guys are now gone, after using only 3 years of eligibility. 

Redshirt freshmen Doug Diedrick and Mark Szott were also on the team but saw very limited play time. Meanwhile, Jack Schwaba redshirted. 

This Year

Vitale will again fill the "Dunsmore" role. Evidently, he spent the offseason bulking up and has actually improved his athleticism. Following the trend of his increased role throughout last season, as well as the jump Dunsmore took going from his freshman to sophomore year, it's fairly safe to expect a big year from him. 

Behind Vitale, the depth chart is somewhat hard to predict. Szott is typically predicted to be the number 2 option, but my (admittedly somewhat unfounded) guess is that Schwaba will step up. Diedrick is typically seen as the fourth option. Jayme Taylor, a Rivals 2-star tight end prospect, is expected to redshirt. 

Overall, this is a very young group, comprised entirely of freshmen and sophomores. If Vitale suffers an injury, it is difficult to predict how this unit will fare, but, assuming he stays healthy, this is a good looking group. 

Is this an improvement?

Yes (Sensing a trend?). As previously noted, Vitale improved as the year went on, and spent his offseason improving his size and athleticism. He's due for a big year and may be one of the quarterbacks' top targets. Beside Vitale, while three superbacks have been lost since last year, none were huge contributors and fit relatively niche roles that should be easily filled by Diedrick, Szott, or Schwaba. Overall, however, this position will live or die by Vitale's performance.