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Northwestern 2020 Season Preview: Linebackers

Sixth in a series of Northwestern position-by-position breakdowns going into the 2020 season.

OFFENSE: Quarterbacks l Running backs l Receivers l Offensive line

DEFENSE: Defensive Line


Paddy Fisher
Paddy Fisher (AP)
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Linebackers are aptly named because they “have the back” of their defensive line ahead of them. If something gets through, they must be there to clean it up. LBs carry, pound-for-pound, the greatest weight of the defense, as they must defeat any front-line penetration and prevent any leaks into the secondary. And this season, the trio of Northwestern ’backers are at the front of the Big Ten conference.

Statistically speaking, it’s true. Blake Gallagher, Paddy Fisher and Chris Bergin all finished in the top 13 of the conference in tackles per game last year. No other school had even two LBs rank that high, while NU had all three. The year before, Gallagher finished fourth and Fisher was eighth in tackles. During his first year, Fisher was fourth en route to Freshman All-American honors. NU has had a first- or second team All-Big Ten LB in each of the least five seasons, with Anthony Walker earning it twice, in 2015 and ’16, while Fisher has been recognized the last three years.

The combo of Fisher and Gallagher should go down as one of the best pairs in school history, with each of them likely finishing in the top 10 in program history by year’s end. They’ve been side-by-side for the last two years, and their senior seasons could mark their best, as eight total starters return on this defense.

When this unit calls itself a band of brothers, they mean it literally. Three sets of siblings – the Gallaghers, Bergins and Muellers – are among this group.


The good

Like we said, this trio of Fisher, Gallagher and Bergin was, statistically, the best in the conference, covering a lot of ground. Fisher and Gallagher have been near the top of the conference in tackles the last two years and they return for their senior seasons, primed to go out with a bang.

Last season they headlined the 25th-best total defense in the country (336 yards per game), which was pretty remarkable, considering Northwestern’s offense couldn’t stay on the field for too long and the defense was playing without a lot of rest. This defense was also 26th in defensive yards per play allowed (4.9 ypp) and 36th in rush defense (137 ypg), largely because of the clean-up crew in this second level.

They were also 23rd in pass defense (199 ypg) and 49th in pass efficiency defense, helped a lot by these LBs being pretty good against in coverage. Collectively, Fisher and Gallagher have accumulated seven INTs and 16 passes defended between them.

These three seem very comfortable with one another and should be, having played as a trio, now, for two-and-a-half years. There was nearly a three-way tie for the lead in tackles, as Gallagher finished with 91, while Fisher had 89 and Bergin tallied 86. Provided they stay healthy, we expect to see similar results in 2020.


Chris Bergin
Chris Bergin (USA Today Sports)

Areas to improve

While the LBs proved they could swarm, they struggled to swipe last year – which is to say they didn’t take the ball away as much as coaches hoped to see. The defense ranked 107th nationally, forcing just 14 turnovers. The LBs only caused two of the 10 forced fumbles on the team and didn’t recover a single loose ball. They’ll need to improve in this area to help get Northwestern’s defense back to what they’re known for – creating turnovers.

Putting pressure on the QB was also lacking, but in Mike Hankwitz’s scheme, LBs don’t really get called on for that. He’s known for a bend-but-don’t-break-style defense, and these guys are called to read and react. Therefore, it can be expected that sack and pressure numbers will be low.

Finally, if we can split hairs, the tackling, believe it or not, can be cleaned up a bit. Fisher and Gallagher whiffed on more open-field opportunities last season than one would like to see, and we know coaches will look to iron that out.


What it comes down to

Northwestern has one of the top linebacking corps in the entire conference, and probably one of the top 30 or so in the nation. No joke – the program hasn’t seen a triad of tacklers this good in a long time. They set, survey and strike almost as well as their head coach, Pat Fitzgerald, and position coach, Tim McGarigle, did in their time wearing the purple-and-white.

Fisher gets a lot of press, and rightfully so. But make no mistake – and he’ll tell you this himself – his cohorts help make him the productive tackler he is on Saturdays. It will be interesting to see how the defensive line in front of him will perform after losing All-Big Ten DE Joe Gaziano and four-year regular Alex Miller. But if the line solidifies itself, as we expect them to under DL coach Marty Long, this group of linebackers should once again give offensive coordinators fits.


The starters

Blake Gallagher
Blake Gallagher (AP)

Senior WLB Blake Gallagher (6-foot-1, 235 pounds, 26 starts) led the team in tackles (91), INTs (3) and QB hurries (3) last year. He also had 5 TFLs. This stat line would likely earn any other player the most pub on his team, but, still, Gallagher remains one of the most underrated defensive players in the country. He’s been an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick the last two years and still walks in the shadow of No. 42.

Gallagher reads flow well and gets to the point of destruction with very little wasted movement. He’s a great downhill player with good leg drive. He made 50 tackles and snagged all three of his INTs in a six-game stretch that included games vs. three Top-20 teams. He seems to play his best against ranked teams, as he’s had nine double-digit tackles games in the last two seasons, with five of them coming against teams ranked in the Top 20.

In the middle, once again, is senior MLB Paddy Fisher (6-foot-4, 246 pounds, 38 starts), a preseason All-American who redshirted his first-year and has started all but one game since, earning All-Big Ten honors each year. As a captain last year, Fisher finished with 89 tackles, 6 TFLs, 3 PBUs, 2 forced fumbles a sack, and an INT. He’s recorded 10 double-digit tackles games in three seasons and is a much better pass defender than he gets credit for, notching 11 career passes defended. He’s also caused 10 career fumbles, which is already tops in program history.

Still, what he’s most well-known for is his tackling ability. With 100 stops this season, he’ll break into the top five in NU history in that category, though he’ll still fall well short of McGarigle’s career record of 545.

The final member of this group is senior SLB Chris Bergin (5-foot-11, 215 pounds, 16 starts), who’s, pound-for-pound, one of the toughest Wildcats on the roster. A former walkon, Bergin has earned every bit of the playing time and respect he’s been awarded. Coming in as a sprinter out of high school, he was primarily a special-teamer during his first year as a Wildcat. But his field coverage and tackling ability in the open field helped turn heads. He filled in at SLB during his sophomore year, when Nate Hall got injured, before becoming the full-time starter last year.

Bergin made 86 tackles, to go along with 6 TFLs, a ½ sack, 2 PBUs and 2 QBHs in 2019. His strongest games came toward the end of the season against Iowa, UMass and Minnesota, two of which were ranked in the Top 20. The highlight of his season was picking up a blocked field goal attempt against UMass and taking it 80 yards for a score. He had five games with eight or more tackles last season, which is as many as Fisher and Gallagher had. Make no mistake, Bergin more than holds his own in the linebacker corps.


The competitive depth

Redshirt junior WLB Peter McIntyre (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) played in 11 games last season, mostly on special teams, and provides solid tackling to spell Gallagher. He’s made five tackles the last two years and has bulked up 10 pounds since his first year.

Redshirt sophomore SLB Jaylen Rivers (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) enters as the penciled-in backup at SAM. He didn’t play last year and appeared in just two games his first year, though he’s put on almost 15 pounds of muscle since arriving in Evanston.

It will be interesting to see if McIntyre and Rivers are tuning up to be potential starters next year or if the coaching staff sees something in their younger Cats. We’re talking, of course, about redshirt first-years Michael Jansey (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) and Bryce Gallagher (6-foot-2, 220 pounds), who both had a lot of cred in last year’s recruiting class. After a year of sound education from some solid mentors, it will be fun to see what role these two might play in 2020 and beyond.

Jansey is the slightly better athlete, while Gallagher is the thumper, as well as a sound tackler, like his brother. It could very well be that these two man the two outside spots in 2021, so we’ll all keep a close eye on which of these four players get the most field time this year.

Senior MLB Erik Mueller (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) has been a special teams regular and backup MLB the past couple years. He recorded 7 tackles (5 solo) and a ½ TFL in 12 games last season. But with this being the final year of eligibility for both Mueller and senior MLB Troy Hudetz (6-foot-2, 223 pounds), who’s seen most of his action on special teams, too, we wonder if equal (or more) time will eventually be presented to redshirt sophomore MLB Khalid Jones (6-foot-1, 233 pounds). Jones came in with a pretty good resume and has been coached by some of the best in the biz. He should be given more opportunity to produce because if he doesn’t, that leaves a big question mark in the middle for next year.

Redshirt sophomore OLB Grayson Mann (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) appeared in three games last year, making one solo tackle and should likely see more field time on special teams than on defense this season.


The rookies

Cullen Coleman
Cullen Coleman

OLB Cullen Coleman (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) from Rye (N.Y.) Country Day was a pretty impressive get for Northwestern, picking the Wildcats over Notre Dame and Alabama, as well as conference foes, Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State. He brings size, speed and power to the position. Though he starred as a RB in high school, his physical and athletic play helped earn him a ranking as the country’s 35th-rated OLB.

OLB Xander Mueller (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) follows his brother, Erik, and famed Wildcat QB Clayton Thorson from Wheaton (Ill.) North to Evanston this fall. He has good field awareness and is quick to close, though he likely needs to fill out his frame. He made over 100 tackles and 6 TFLs in each of his last two prep seasons, and some feel he’s a highly underrated prospect that NU was able to cash in on.

Three preferred walkons look to join Northwestern’s string of recent non-scholarship stalwarts. ILB Owen Bergin (6-foot, 205 pounds) is now the third in his family to play for Fitzgerald. He plays low-to-high and downhill, without much wasted movement. Like his brothers, Joe and Chris before him, he plays bigger than his dimensions.

OLB Greyson Metz (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) from Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West passed up offers at other Power 5 schools, including Iowa, to walk on at Northwestern. Ranked as the 12th-best player in the state coming out of his senior year, he’s an incredibly smart kid who earned a 5.2 GPA and a 32 on his ACT.

Finally, there’s OLB Joe DeHaan (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) from Tinley Park (Ill.) Andrew, who makes the transition to OLB after playing safety in high school. He’s a heady player and a good athlete, better in coverage than between the tackles, though he certainly doesn’t shy away from contact.


Tim Chapman is a teacher and former Michigan high school football coach who is currently working on a book titled "ChampioN Underdog" about the 1995 Northwestern Rose Bowl team. Follow him via Twitter: @Champion_Lit. Email him at nufbhistorian@gmail.com.

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