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Big Ten Scouting Report: Defense leads the way at Northwestern. Will it catch up to the Hoosiers?

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It almost seems like Pat Fitzgerald is playing at Northwestern all over again.

Could this defense become even better than his 20 years ago?

Even the Wildcat defenses of 1995-96, featuring Player of the Year Fitzgerald at linebacker, couldn’t equal the defensive numbers put up by this team so far.

Northwestern's Anthony Walker (18) makes another tackle vs. Duke as part of a stunning defensive renaissance. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Northwestern’s Anthony Walker (18) makes another tackle vs. Duke as part of a stunning defensive renaissance. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Sure, the Wildcats are 3-0 for the third time in four seasons. But this version from head coach Fitzgerald appears much different because of the phenomenal results so far on defense. After upsetting Stanford and suffocating Duke on the road, the Wildcats are allowing only 5.3 points per game, No. 1 nationally.

Fitzgerald’s defense has allowed only one touchdown this season. At Duke, it forced five straight punts to keep the Wildcats in the game.

Then consider that Wisconsin is the only ranked team left on Northwestern’s schedule. Of course, the Wildcats’ offense may still need to make significant strides to keep this run going, especially freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson.

At this point, we’re wondering how things will play out when Penn State travels to Ryan Field on Nov. 7. Could we be looking at a game in the single digits (scoring, that is)? Here are some insiders’ thoughts on where this Northwestern team is headed.

Meanwhile, linebacker Anthony Walker is doing a pretty good impersonation of his coach. Walker had 14 tackles — just in the first half — against the Blue Demons.

The ultimate goal is for these Wildcats to equal the success from Fitzgerald’s playing days. Those 1995-96 teams earned a combined 19-5 record.

Playing with fire

The jury is still out on the Indiana Hoosiers.

But make no mistake: If they can go on the road this weekend and beat a mediocre Wake Forest team, they will own their first 4-0 record in 25 years and will be in the driver’s seat for only their second bowl game since 1993.

The good news is the Hoosiers are thriving on offense with the return of talented quarterback Nate Sudfeld and Alabama-Birmingham transfer tailback Jordan Howard, who leads the nation in rushing yards (507).

Indiana tailback Jordan Howard is leading the nation in rushing ... but will that be enough to offset a struggling defense?   (Chris Howell/The Herald-Times via AP)

Indiana tailback Jordan Howard is leading the nation in rushing … but will that be enough to offset a struggling defense? (Chris Howell/The Herald-Times via AP)

The problems is that, once again, the Hoosiers are defensively impaired. That’s why they needed a botched two-point conversion just to beat FCS Southern Illinois and then were forced to rally from 11 points down to defeat Western Kentucky — even with both games at home.

What’s particularly scary is that the Hoosiers yielded a stunning 544 yards per game to three lackluster opponents. Check out this IndyStar report to learn more about this most unbalanced team before it travels to Penn State on Oct. 3.

Early Measuring Stick in Ann Arbor

The Jim Harbaugh Age at Michigan is building steam quickly after back-to-back victories.

Now, a major early hurdle comes from the Top 25 BYU Cougars visiting the Big House Saturday. Can the Wolverines continue their ground-game success against better competition? And can quarterback transfer Jake Ruddock truly get on-tracked? His trend of throwing more interceptions (five) than touchdown passes (three) must change quickly.

This is a big opportunity, too, for the Cougars. They already beat Nebraska in Lincoln and then Boise State and nearly knocked off UCLA. The Detroit Free Press breaks down the Wolverines as they prepare for Saturday.

Terps’ switch in time faces even more on the line

Maryland may have found its quarterback for the rest of the season. Can they figure out how to beat West Virginia on the road to build some serious momentum heading into conference play?

How will inconsistent new QB Caleb Rowe fare against rival West Virginia on the road?  (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

How will inconsistent new QB Caleb Rowe fare against rival West Virginia on the road? (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The Terrapins have played West Virginia more than any non-conference opponent and the most recent was arguably the toughest to digest. The Mountaineers pulled out last year’s match-up in College Park, 40-37, on a long, last-second field goal.

The Terps did rebound nicely from their own issues last week by stomping South Florida behind new quarterback Caleb Rowe. He threw four touchdown passes to offset three interceptions. He certainly was up-and-down but, at least, Maryland scored in bunches.

This insider’s look will set up the showdown in Morgantown.


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