Dave & Drew Thurman (12:07 pm)

Mascot: Wildcats

Stadium: Ryan Field Stadium (47,130)

Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (Third year, 17-16)

2007 Record: 6-6

2008 Record: 7-2

Base Offense: Spread

Base Defense: 4-3

Letterman: Returning - 47; Lost - 19

Returning Starters: Offense - 7; Defense - 8; Speacialists - 2

Returning Stars: RB Tyrell Sutton, SS Brendan Smith

Notable Alumni:

-Charlton Heston - Actor
-George McGovern - US Senator & Presidential nomine
-Warren Beatty - Actor
-Michael Wilbon - ESPN analyst and host of PTI (pictured below)
-Julia Louise-Dreyfus - Actress
-Jerry Springer - TV personality
-Hugh Heffner - Playboy fame
-Brent Musburger - Sports commentator
-Otto Graham - Football hall of famer who also played basketball

Northwestern Overview:

Offense:

The Wildcat offense this year has been on a roller coaster ride, filled with its ups and downs. Especially of late as they have battled the injury bug with some of their star players. This means the Buckeyes first have to prepare to see two different quarterbacks on Saturday. The starter if healthy is senior C.J. Bacher, who has accumulated 1700 yards passing to go along with 10 touchdowns. He has struggled with consistency though, completing just 59 percent of his passes with 11 interceptions. Bacher has also bailed the Wildcats out with his legs having 244 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

The other possibility at quarterback on Saturday is Mike Kafka, who played very well in Bacher's absense last week against Minnesota. Kafka was 12 of 16 for 143 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He really burned the Golden Gophers on the ground with 217 yards rushing.

On top of quarteback, the Wildcats have been plagued with injuries at the running back position. First, the Akron native Tyrell Sutton went down with a wrist injury after being hurt for a big part of last season. Sutton had 776 yards with six touchdowns on the season. His replacement then became Omar Conteh who has 235 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Conteh was injured this week in practice, so the Wildcats throw sophomore Stephen Simmons out as the starter against the Buckeyes. Simmons has a whopping 4 rushing attempts for 19 yards on the season, so there is not much to know about him.

The other position of major importance for the Wildcats is at wideout. Northwestern throws the ball a lot, and actually have 8 players with ten or more catches. The three main guys to look for are Ross Lane (397 yards, 0 TD), Rasheed Ward (329 yards, 2 TD), and Eric Peterman (386 yards, 3 TD). All three of these young men have 30 plus receptions, and will get a lot of short throws coming at them. With that said, all three have the ability to bust one long if they are given the space.

Defense:

Northwestern's defense has been better than many predicted. Their statistics are not mind blowing, but they are holding opponents to 18.1 points a game. This has been key because even though they are giving up 341 yards a game, they are holing opponents under 50 percent on red zone touchdowns. They have clamped down under pressure, and have forced field goals.

A lot of this is due to the fact that the strength of the defense is the back seven. Actually catch this, the top seven tacklers for the Wildcats come from the linebacking core or secondary. On top of tackles, these seven guys account for 26 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, and six forced fumbles. They truely are the heart of the defense. Especially at safety with Brad Phillips (75 tackles) and Brendan Smith (57 tackles). Phillips and Smith are tough all the way around, and will make quarterbacks pay for misguided throws.

The only other player to really keep your eye on is Corey Wootton. The junior defensive end has had a stellar year, accumulating 27 tackles with 12 tackles for loss and six and half sacks.

How It Will Go:

When Ohio State has the ball expect to see a power attack unleashed. The Wildcats interior defense is not incredibly strong, so look for the Buckeyes to try to pound the ball with Chris Wells. The Buckeyes could very well open things up for Pryor as well. If the running game is working, allowing Pryor to throw the ball down field would be great for his confidence. If Pryor has a successful game on the road against a ranked team, he really could get back on track. The slot wideouts and tight ends will need to play an important part of this game as well. The Wildcats have good safties, so it will be important for Pryor to get the ball to guys with one on one coverage. Brandon Smith, Dane Sazenbacher, and Brain Hartline will all have big games if the line can protect Pryor.

When Northwestern has the ball, expect to see a very hungry Buckeye defense. The Wildcats are down to their third string running back, so expect a lot of short passes to replace a consistent running game. Also, like last week against Minnesota, expect which ever Northwestern quarterback that starts to run much more than any of their backs. Kafka ran the ball 15 more times than anyone else on the team last week! Finally, get ready to see some forced turnovers by the Buckeyes. Northwestern has been very turnover prone all season, especially in their losses. In their two losses the Wildcats lost the turnover battle 0-8. 

Father vs. Son Prediction Battle:

Dave has it: Ohio State 24 Northwestern 14

Drew has it: Ohio State 31 Northwestern 10

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