Our 2022 opponent previews for Penn State football roll on with the Nittany Lions' first conference opponent at home this season, the Northwestern Wildcats.
Overview/Recap:
Last season, Northwestern went 3-9 on the year, a disappointing follow-up to their 7-2 record in 2020 that saw them earn a trip to the Big Ten Championship game. The Wildcats entered last season, losing a ton of talent on both sides of the ball and it was evident from week one of last season. The Wildcats opened up the season with a 38-21 loss to Michigan State on September 3 and never really was able to get it going. Their three wins on the year came against Indiana State, Ohio, and Rutgers.
As a whole, the Wildcats averaged less than 17 points per game a season ago while allowing nearly 30 points per game. It's not expected to get much better in 2022 either.
Offense:
The one piece of good news for Northwestern's offense entering this season is that they return nine starters from a year ago. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski is among those returning starters but he didn't exactly impress last season when, completing just 54% of his passes for three touchdowns, he also threw four interceptions. Each of the Wildcats' top three rushers from last season returns as well including sophomore running back Evan Hull who totaled 1,009 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. Senior Andrew Clair and sophomore Anthony Tyus both return as well, together they totaled 559 yards and two touchdowns a year ago. Most of the Wildcats' top receiving threats return in 2022 except Stephon Robinson was the team's leader last season in receptions and receiving yards with 46 receptions for 625 yards and two touchdowns. Malik Washington is their top returning receiver, he had 44 receptions for 578 yards and two touchdowns himself. They also return an experienced offensive line in 2022 which should help quite a bit.
Overall, Northwestern should be able to run the ball with their offensive line and Evan Hull, however, the lack of quality quarterback play will hurt them significantly throughout the season as they'll be quite one-dimensional. If you can slow them down on the ground, they'll have little to no chance of having consistent offensive success.
Defense:
Northwestern loses half of their starters from a season ago on defense, returning just five entering this season. Among the notable departures are linebacker Chris Bergin and defensvie back Brandon Joseph.
Their top defender returning this season is sophomore middle linebacker Bryce Gallagher who totaled 89 tackles including four tackles for a loss last season. Sophomore safety coco Azema will be another name to know on the Wildcats' defense as well as junior corner AJ Hampton (13 pass deflections) and junior defensive end Adetomwa Adebawore (4.5 sacks).
Last season, opposing offenses were able to attack Northwestern both on the ground and through the air. On the ground, the Wildcats allowed 5.3 yards per carry and over 200 rushing yards per game. Through the air, opposing quarterbacks moved the ball with ease, completing 67.1% of their passes for an average of 217 yards. Northwestern's defensive line struggled to get to quarterbacks as well, racking up just 19 sacks on the season.
Special Teams:
When it comes to special teams, Northwestern will be replacing both their starting punter and kicker from a season ago but top returner Raymond Niro will return after averaging 20.6 yards per punt return and 15.9 yards per kick return last season. When it comes to special teams, Northwestern will be replacing both their starting punter and kicker from a season ago but top returner Raymond Niro will return after averaging 20.6 yards per punt return and 15.9 yards per kick return last season. Redshirt freshman Jack Olsen will take over the kicking duties while UCLA transfer Luke Akers will take over as the starting punter. He averaged 43.1 yards per punt in 2021 for the Bruins.
Overall:
Northwestern will likely improve somewhat in 2022 but don't expect them to be anything better than average at best. The quarterback room is one of their biggest weaknesses and makes their offense mostly one-dimensional as discussed above. Defensively, improving on a defense that allowed nearly 30 points per game while also losing six starters from a year ago is a tall task. Some intriguing pieces defensviely for the Wildcats, I don't expect it to get much worse than it was last year for them but not sure it's going to get much better. Schedule-wise, Northwestern starts off their 2022 season this weekend against Nebraska before taking on Duke, Southern Illinois, and Miami (OH) in non-conference play. I expect them to likely get through non-conference play at 2-2, I believe 3-1 is certainly possible, however. Once they enter the heart of conference play, Northwestern can only put on a brave face. A grueling stretch of at Penn State, Wisconsin, at Maryland, Iowa, Ohio State, at Minnesota, and at Purdue before finishing off the season against Illinois. It's hard seeing them winning more than one game during that stretch. Our best prediction for Northwestern this season will be another 3-9 season with a ceiling of 5-7.
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