2-0 Wildcats ready for early clash of unbeatens

<p>Quarterback Thomas Sirk has impressed in his first two starts, but will need to attack a Northwestern secondary that picked off 15 passes last season to push the Blue Devils’ record to 3-0.</p>

Quarterback Thomas Sirk has impressed in his first two starts, but will need to attack a Northwestern secondary that picked off 15 passes last season to push the Blue Devils’ record to 3-0.

Following a 10-3 campaign in 2012, Northwestern suffered a disappointing two-year stretch in which it won a combined 10 games. But after a 2-0 start—including a 16-6 upset against then-No. 21 Stanford and a 41-0 rout of Eastern Illinois—the Wildcats are back on track.

No. 23 Northwestern will try to keep its undefeated season alive when it meets Duke Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium. The game will mark the 17th time the two programs have faced each other and although the squads have split the previous 16 matchups, the Wildcats have recently dominated the series, winning six of the last seven showdowns. 

“It's going to be a great challenge for us,” Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said at his weekly press conference Monday. “Going on the road for the first time, we’re playing an outstanding team. They play hard. They play physical. This will be the fastest team we’ve played yet this year. Their return game is dynamic. They play up-tempo. [We] just [have to] be prepared to adjust. That’s probably the most important thing. We’ve been here before.” 

Last year, although Northwestern (2-0) upset then-No. 17 Wisconsin as well as then-No. 18 Notre Dame, the Wildcats failed to continue that high level of play throughout the season. Northwestern’s offense was its main weakness—the unit produced just 23.0 points per game—as the Wildcats struggled with an inconsistent quarterback and a weak offensive line.

But so far in 2015, Northwestern seems to have addressed those problems.

Among the Wildcats' strengths is its offensive versatility. Fitzgerald's club relies on different sets and schemes to surprise defenses. Northwestern can spread teams out wide and will often line up two tight ends with two running backs and run downhill.

Like Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk, Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson has only two career starts. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, the redshirt freshman is an athletic quarterback who can beat defenses with both his legs and arm. Although he has only thrown for a combined 257 yards and one touchdown through two games, the Wheaton, Ill., native has completed 57.5 percent of his passes without throwing an interception and burned the Cardinal defense for a 42-yard touchdown run.

“He has a great grasp of the entire offense,” Fitzgerald said. “We’ll continue to try to play to his strengths and bring him along as we have in previous years when we’ve had a first-time starter at quarterback.”

The Wildcat offense also features a big offensive line and a strong running attack. Northwestern rushed for 225 yards in the season opener against Stanford and then gashed Eastern Illinois for 344 yards on the ground. Fitzgerald's squad has a deep stable of running backs but relies heavily on sophomore Justin Jackson. The Carol Stream, Ill., native rushed for 1,187 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman and has already recorded 212 yards this season.

“They do have a great running back and a huge [offensive] line,” Duke senior linebacker Dwayne Norman said. “It’s going to depend on our athletic ability to fill [in] the gaps and run sideline-to-sideline with their running back.”

On the other side of the ball, Northwestern boasts one of the nation’s top defenses. Ranked fourth nationally allowing 3.0 points per game, the Wildcat defense swarms to the ball and features a stout defensive line. Against Stanford, which prides itself in wearing down opposing defensive lines, Northwestern’s defense won the battle up front. The Wildcats recorded three sacks and eight tackles for loss, and held the Cardinal to less than 100 yards rushing.

Like the Blue Devils, Northwestern also relies on its experienced and deep secondary to limit big plays. Last year, the unit combined for 15 interceptions and helped the Wildcats limit opponents to less than 225 total passing yards per game.

“They’re very sound at what they do,” Sirk said. “They’ve been coached very well. They’re in the right places at the right time.”

Saturday’s bout is a crucial test for the Wildcats. In order for Northwestern to reach once again the 10-win plateau, it must continue its high-level of play against quality opponents away from home.

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