This Saturday, Northwestern football returns from a bye week to take on the University of Michigan at home. Sporting the unique stars and stripes design in support of the Wounded Warrior Project, they emerge from a week of resting and recharging.
But can they resurrect the wounded Wildcat season?
There seems to be more anticipation for the debut of the new uniforms than the upcoming game itself. Maybe that’s fair: Michigan and Northwestern are evenly matched and both currently suffer in a losing streak. The Michigan Wolverines, though 6-3 overall, lost three of their last four games, and the Wildcats have seen five straight defeats.
Last weekend, the Wolverines lost to Nebraska by a mere four points, much like we did in our latest game. Unlike our matchup with Nebraska, where we fell to the Cornhuskers in a heartbreaking last-minute Hail Mary, Michigan never gained a big lead.
Perhaps the Wolverines’ total rushing yardage of -21 (yes, that’s a negative sign) against Nebraska is to blame for their decline. It could also be that QB Devin Gardner has been sacked 14 times in only two games. The Wildcats sturdy defense can take advantage of these factors with our consistent rushing pressure. Not to mention we are also tied for No. 1 in the nation with 18 defensive interceptions.
With RB Venric Mark out for the rest of the season and RB Stephen Buckley unlikely to see the field Saturday, Northwestern’s defensive prowess is a more significant game-changer than the offensive. The active trio of Treyvon Green, Mike Trumpy and Kain Colter will hopefully keep our running game alive.
Some individual threats on Michigan’s offense, however, can’t be ignored. Take Jeremy Gallon, the wide receiver only 53 yards away from his first 1,000-yard season.
While the Wildcats’ promising 2013 season has diminished, Saturday’s kickoff presents an opportunity to still finish strong. Michigan ended their home game winning streak in Week 11, and with confidence we can end our home game losing streak in Week 12.
It’s gonna be a close one, but we’ve got double to fight for this weekend: our nation’s injured service members and our very own purple pride.