2013 Northwestern Football Preview: The Defensive Line

Many observers last year were very high on the Northwestern defensive line. Tyler Scott was a star, and there was a lot of good young talent in the rotation. I am similarly excited about this year's unit. Scott is still the star of this line, but that young talent now has experience and is poised to step up in a big way.

Last Year

The anchor of the defense last year was easily redshirt junior DE Tyler Scott. Last year, he had the best year by a Northwestern DE since the junior campaign Corey Wootton. Last year, Scott tied the conference lead in sacks, with 9, while also racking up 12.5 tackles for loss, 9th in the Big Ten. He also forced 3 fumbles and broke up 5 passes, an impressive mark for a defensive end. 

Starting on the opposite end of the line was senior DE Quentin Williams. While not the dominant force Scott was, he was very effective, racking up 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and a huge interception returned for a touchdown in the Gator Bowl. 

Freshman Dean Lowry served as Scott's backup and hurried the quarterback 6 times, a very impressive number given his limited play time. Freshman Deonte Gibson also looked impressive as a backup to Williams, recording 2 sacks and 3 QB hurries. Ifeadi Odenigbo was also supposed to contribute as a pass rusher off the end in his true freshman year but saw time in only one game and redshirted due to injury. 

Senior Brian Arnfelt served as the starter at one defensive tackle spot. Besides his leadership as a captain of the team, he performed well on the field, recording 25 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. 

Sophomore Sean McEvilly started most games at the other DT tackle spot, where he performed relatively well, despite not putting up huge numbers. Junior Will Hampton started game one before losing his spot to McEvilly. He, too, did not put up huge numbers, but was a solid backup. Sophomore Chance Carter played most remaining snaps at DT.

This Year

Scott is again the anchor of this defense. He has looked quite solid in the offseason and, according to Fitz, has taken the next step towards being a great player. Hopefully he can avoid the senior slump seen by both Wootton and Vince Browne. 

A position battle for the other starting defensive end spot broke out between Lowry and Gibson, but it now appears Lowry has all but secured the spot for the opener. I feel the drama over this position battle has been overplayed however, as the Wildcats like to platoon at defensive end, and both will see substantial playing time. 

Much has made of Odenigbo's role in the defense going into this year, and I'm not quite sure exactly where he will fit in. I can say this with a high degree of certainty, however: he will be a big playmaker for the defense this year and into the future. Many have advocated placing him at outside linebacker, as he is a bit undersized, and his greatest contributions are his speed and quickness. He, however, is officially listed as a defensive end, and that is most likely where he will primarily play. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see him play some downs as a stand-up pass rusher in passing situations. This may simply be me dreaming, but I would love to see him play as a sort of pass rushing backer on the same side of the field as Scott. If Scott is double teamed, it opens a clear lane for Odenigbo. If the OT focuses on Odenigbo, Scott can hopefully bull-rush through the single-team blocking. Northwestern also occasionally likes to use a 3 down lineman look in passing downs where Scott moves to the middle, as a sort of nose tackle. Odenigbo would be a great fit for an outside pass rusher in these situations. At the moment, however, this is only speculation. Only time will tell exactly where he will contribute. 

Unsurprisingly, the two biggest non-graduated contributors at defensive tackle appear to be the front-runners for those starting positions: McEvilly and Hampton. Chance Carter is expected to be the first option off the bench and redshirt freshman Greg Kuhar is expected to contribute as well. I am unsure how big a role he will play, but he's an exciting-looking option. He was listed a 4-star recruit by Rivals and turned down offers from a few big dogs, including Michigan, Iowa, and West Virginia. 

Is this an improvement?

Should be. Quentin Williams was very good, and it's sad to see him go, but I honestly thought Lowry and Gibson at times outperformed him last year, so it's exciting to see them get more play time. A lot of people were very excited by Odenigbo last year before he got hurt, and now we finally get a chance to see what he can do.
Losing Arnfelt is similarly sad, but, again, he is not unreplaceable. McEvilly performed well starting last year, and Hampton also looked like a solid option to start. Carter should only keep getting better, and I'm excited to see what Kuhar is capable of.