Quarterbacks
I will break down Colter and Siemian individually, but I think there is some value to looking at their combined performance, due to the fact that their combined quarterbacking essentially takes the role filled by one player on other teams. The fact is, combined, they were absolutely outstanding. Together, they went 30-37 for 375 yards, 4 TDs, and no picks. This is, in my opinion, Northwestern's best passing performance since Persa's and Colter's combined drubbing of Indiana in 2011. The only negative I can really point to in the passing game is that they were sacked 3 times (all Colter, actually), but even that is not that bad. Overall, this was fantastic to see.
Kain Colter
Colter started the game and appeared 100% following his injury, so that in and of itself was encouraging. Even more encouraging, however, was his contribution in the passing game. The Colter=run, Siemian=pass idea no longer seems to work, to Syracuse's dismay. The Orange came out with a run-oriented defense, and Colter torched them, throwing on all four plays of Northwestern's very quick opening scoring drive. While Kain's role in the passing game slowed substantially after the opening drive, he still had a good day through the air, and forced the orange to stay honest, going 15-18 for 116 yards and a touchdown. I did think he was a bit too quick to scramble at times, and I do wish he would trust his line and his passing ability better when in the pocket. While his legs are fantastic, he occasionally counts on them too much. Speaking of his runs, however, he performed well in this category, leading the team in rush yards, with 87 on only 11 carries, while scoring a touchdown on a fantastic stretch. Ignoring sacks, his rushing was better yet, going for 102 on only 8 carries. In the option game, however, he is a bit handcuffed at the moment, without Venric. Venric does a great job of spreading the field that Green, Trumpy, and Buckley have been unable to emulate, and defenders were largely able to key in on Colter. I mean this more as a sign of optimism than pessimism, though, as Colter performed admirably regardless, and will only be better with his option partner by his side.
Trevor Siemian
I'm trying hard to come up with criticisms for Trevor, and you know what? I got nothing. He brought in all the great throws from the Cal game with none of the bone-headed decisions. How's this for a first half stat line? 11-12, 181 yards, 2 TDs. And that's from a guy who only took about half the team's snaps! He played even less in the second half, but still performed admirably, adding an extra 78 yards and a touchdown. He rushed only once, but it was a 4 yard scramble for a first down. I'm no scout, but I will say this: I truly belief Siemian is the best pro prospect at quarterback we've had in a long time. He is fantastic at deep passes to the sideline, and if he can continue to do this without making stupid decisions, he will be a spectacular.
Running Backs
I'm going to cover our running backs as a unit because I don't have enough to say about any individual. Overall, there was less to like than there was in week one, but I'm not sure how much of the fault I should put on the backs. The line did not open up great holes, and, throughout the game, the Syracuse defense was simply keyed into the run. Green was our most impressive running back, going for 66 on 14 carries and a touchdown. He wasn't given many opportunities to succeed, as he frequently ran into a wall, but he did look good at pushing/pulling the pile. He also contributed in the receiving game, scoring the 'Cat's first receiving touchdown, and going for 17 yards on two catches. Trumpy had similar issues, as he simply could never get into space, and went for only 36 on 11. Stephen Buckley also saw substantial time. He didn't do much statistically (5 carries for 15), but he's an intriguing guy out there, as he's something of a running back/receiver combo, often motioning into the slot, and getting involved in the receiving game. Malin Jones also got a carry but got nowhere on it.
Receivers
Again, I will highlight some key players from this unit, but I'd like to talk about it as a whole first. Before the season, I discussed how I'd been disappointed by recent regression at the wide receiver position, and thought coaching might be to blame. As of now, I'm taking that back. This offseason marked a large progression for our receiving corps, and I have thus far been very impressed. We have an impressive corps, with various receivers filling various roles. Tony Jones as the deep threat, Christian Jones as a big over-the-middle guy, Rashad Lawrence as an all-around-playmaker, Dan Vitale as a perpetual mismatch who can break a tackle or four, Kyle Prater as a sure-handed physical monster, and Dickerson and Jensen as the consistent backups. We'll see how they do against better secondaries, but right now I'm very encouraged.
Tony Jones
Tony just had the game of a lifetime. Last week, he had what was, at the time, the best game of his career with five catches for 70 yards. This week, he blew that performance away with nine catches, 185 yards, and a touchdown. Despite being drop-prone last season, he's now catching everything going his way, and is lightning fast out there. He definitely appears to be an all-Big Ten candidate at the moment.
Dan Vitale
Vitale had another very solid game, catching four passes for 42 yards and a TD. Teams just look like they don't know how to stop him. He's a mismatch against just about anyone covering him. Dunsmore 2.0 watch: Vitale has 5 more catches, 71 more yards, and 2 more TDs than Dunsmore did at this point of his sophomore year. That being said, Dunsmore's breakout game was game 3, so we'll see how Dan does this upcoming game.
Rashad Lawrence
After never being targeted in week 1, Lawrence looked good this week, catching three passes for 36 yards, including a fantastic over-the-shoulder catch on the sideline from Siemian.
Christian Jones
Mr. Consistent. He looks very good coming across the middle and making catches. He had three grabs for 35 yards and a TD this week.
Kyle Prater
Prater didn't do anything spectacular, but it's just good to see him getting involved, and looking at least relatively healthy. He was targeted four times, caught three passes, and went for 22 yards.
Pass Defense
In terms of yardage, this was a prototypically Northwestern day. The corners gave up large cushions and allowed lots of underneath throws, but they did a good job of preventing anything over the top, as the Orange averaged only 6.5 yards per attempt. Tackling after the catch, however, was simply not good, particularly by Dwight White. He often looked embarrassingly bad on pursuit. This simply has to improve before we play teams with notably athletic receivers. On the plus side, and this is a big plus, the 'Cats wrapped up four interceptions, and I would say only one of those was gift-wrapped. Traveon Henry's really stands out, as he had terrific pursuit on the ball in the air and made a sideline grab, as did Ariguzo's, as he made an athletic diving grab. The 'Cats are now tied for first in the FBS with 7 picks. Northwestern also did a great job of knocking the ball down, especially from the defensive line, as they knocked down 7 passes. Their 21 passes defended on the year is also a nationally-best mark. Seeing as defended passes has been a weak point in certain recent years, this is very encouraging to see. Let me put this in perspective: NU has already defended half as many passes as they did in their 13 games in 2011.
Rush Defense
Statistically speaking, the 'Cats did pretty well, allowing 133 yards on 34 carries, but you can tell Fitz expects much more from his defense. Tackling was sloppy, and backs often managed to add a few yards to where they should have been stopped. On the plus side, the 'Cats did do a good job of eliminating the big play, as the Orange's longest run was a 15 yard QB-keeper in garbage time, but again, tackling simply must improve before the 'Cats take on the Buckeyes.
Colin Ellis
Statistically, this wasn't a standout game for Ellis, as he recorded six tackles with no picks, no tackles for loss, and no forced fumbles. Certainly not as impressive as week one. But to his credit he did his job very well, being where he was supposed to be on the field and playing with a lot of energy. The coaches were impressed, labeling him defensive player of the week.
Ibraheim Cambell
The guy just continues to impress me in both the run and pass game. He was making tackles in the box so much that I frequently thought he was a linebacker until I saw his number, and his pass defense continues to stand out, as he added his fourth interception in four games dating back to last year.
4 DE Set
I just wanted to point out something that, strangely, has not been mentioned in either game broadcast thus far. Northwestern fans should remember that, in the past, Northwestern frequently went to a 3 down lineman set in pass downs, particularly on third downs. While that set has not been eliminated, it has largely been replaced by an interesting 4 end, 0 tackle set. Typically this consists of Odenigbo and Gibson outside and Scott and Lowry in the middle. Just something to keep an eye on going forward.
Jeff Budzien
Not much to say. Just another perfect day, connecting from 32 and 21 while making all six PATs. He also continues to look good in kickoffs.
Brandon Williams
Saturday was a mixed bag for Williams. Three of his punts were solid, although one of those unluckily hopped into the endzone before being downed. The other two were not so good, as one was booted six yards deep into the endzone and the other was shanked out of bounds.
Punt/Kick Returns
Lousy. We need Venric back bad. We continue to have 0 punt return yards, and we had an ok, but not great, 42 yards on two kick returns from Buckley.
Bottom Line
This was a very good offensive performance. The passing game has improved leaps-and-bounds from last year. Siemian looks like he could be something special, and the receivers are finally looking like the unit they were supposed to be last year. On top of this, Colter's arm has improved in the offseason. As for the running game, having Colter in is certainly helpful, but we're missing Venric. The line does scare me a bit, however. They're providing very solid pass protection, but the running lanes look much smaller than they last year.
On defense, I'm reasonably happy with the secondary, but White must get much, much better at tackling, and VanHoose had his issues in that area as well. the linebacking crew continues to be solid, and we're stacked at defensive end. I do want to see a better push from the defensive tackles however, but this problem seems to be circumvented in certain situations with the 4 DE set.
On secondary, Budzien continues to be one of the best in the country, Williams is good if unspectacular, and the return game will improve with Mark's return.
Overall, we are a very good team, but not without flaws. I definitely want to see some improvements on the defense, but Fitz seems similarly frustrated, and I'm sure he and Hankwitz will work on fixing them in the next few weeks. We've got a couple boring games ahead of us, a bye week, and then perhaps the most anticipated Northwestern regular season game of the last 10+ years. Let's hope we get the kinks worked out by then, because if we do, we have a very, very special team.
Highlights
I almost forgot to include these!
And Northwestern football is putting out a fantastic series called "The Hunt." Episode 4 is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLkg0mMhf2c&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLB5F1E87A5B2FBF2A I encourage watching the earlier episodes as well.
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