Seventh in a series of Northwestern position-by-position breakdowns going into the 2019 season.
The secondary is a team’s last line of defense. Going into last season, this security net for the Northwestern Wildcats was a bit thin and had some holes in it. They were starting two new safeties for the first time in head coach Pat Fitzgerald’s regime, as well as an unproven cornerback and another who was widely seen as “undersized” and lacking keep-up speed. In addition, they were transitioning from a position coach who’d been there for 26 years to a guy who hadn’t coached that particular unit in 13!
But ultimately, NU came away with a unit that boasted an All-Big Ten corner and two solid safeties – one who was adept at tackling and the other who returns as the Big Ten’s leader in interceptions, on top of being a good tackler himself.
Though they finished 12th in the conference in pass defense (262 yards per game allowed), defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz has always been okay with giving up yardage in the passing game as long as they lock down inside the 40-yard line – and this group did.
To put it in security terms, this group started the season looking like a group of mall cops, but come November, they defended like the Secret Service.
The good
The Cats have one of the better safety tandems in the conference in JR Pace and Travis Whillock. Pace is a star who continues to shine brighter and could be one of NUs best-ever at that position when all is said and done. Whillock just started to emerge toward the second half of last season and shows a lot of promise.
Headlined by these two, this is certainly a group of sure tacklers. Five returning players from this unit made 23 or more tackles a year ago, and with tackling being one of the cornerstones of Fitzgerald’s defensive philosophy, you can bet that these numbers will be just as good in 2019.
The DBs were solid on the ground, and pretty good when called upon to defend the air too. On passing downs – i.e., third-and-long – they finished 43rd in the S&P+ for that category. They also did a respectable job limiting explosive plays (54th in ISOPPP+) and keeping everything in front of them. This kept opponents outside of the end zone, where the Wildcats were 36th nationally in red-zone scoring and 9th in preventing touchdowns inside the red zone (46%).
Finally – and it seems like we say this almost every year – they appear to have depth. The Cats survived a string of injuries in the secondary last season, especially at corner. The young players who were pressed into duty and baptized by fire now have valuable game experience, which makes them more dependable going into 2019.
Regardless of any apparent size or speed mismatches, these guys are aggressive and don’t seem to be intimidated in the least – and that goes a long way when playing against some very good receiver groups like Michigan State, Ohio State, Minnesota and Purdue.
Areas to improve
Northwestern’s corners got beat too often last year - even graduated star Montre Hartage. They’re somewhat limited in size on the outside (only one CB stands above 6-foot tall), so they could struggle against bigger, more physical WRs in the Big Ten. (Then again, that’s where that fearless attitude and aggressive nature helps.)
Another area to clean up are the penalties. Though Northwestern committed fewer penalties than any other team in the NCAA last year, this group had the most on the team – especially at the CB position. True, many of these penalties were either smart (for example, holding a guy to get a 15-yard penalty instead of getting beat for a touchdown) or aggressive (for example, early contact), but position coach Matt MacPherson would no doubt like to see those numbers decline.
A number that can go up is interceptions. The Cats had 12 INTs a year ago but they dropped four would-be picks, two by Pace alone. With slightly better positioning (we’re talking inches here), they could have had even more.
What it comes down to
Success in the back end this year will depend on how well they establish their two new CBs and how consistently they perform, especially in Big Ten play. The Wildcats play eight of the Big Ten’s top 10 passing teams from last season, and many of those opponents return with their quarterback and arsenal of receivers still intact. So these guys will have their work cut out for them in 2019.
The good news is that they have a comfortable amount of experience from which to pull. If this crew continues to tackle well and protects the red zone, then this defense will once again thrive under defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz and the Wildcats will put up a formidable fight in defense of their Big Ten West title.
The starters
Safety
Junior SS JR Pace (6-foot-1, 200 pounds; 14 starts) often gets lost in the shadows of DE Joe Gaziano and LB Paddy Fisher, but the Georgia native enters 2019 with the second-most tackles of any returning defensive back in the Big Ten. In addition to those 82 stops, he nabbed four INTs to lead the team and broke up seven passes, earning him honorable mention all-Big Ten accolades. For an encore, he scored defensive MVP honors in Northwestern’s Holiday Bowl triumph over Utah with seven tackles, an INT and a fumble recovery that he returned 34 yards.
Pace is a solid form-tackler who closes in a hurry. He’s also a good cover guy in the middle of the field and will lay the lumber if you’re not careful. Simply put, he’s a very good all-around safety who should find himself on some first-team All-Big Ten lists by the end of the season.
His partner is junior FS Travis Whillock (6-foot-1, 199 pounds; 5 starts). Whillock had one of the best second halves of the season for any Wildcat defender, making 52 tackles in the final six games and finishing fourth on the team in that category with 57 – which is pretty good considering he didn’t play his first two years (redshirt and injury). He added four PBUs, three TFLs and two fumble recoveries. Two of his best games came against third-ranked Notre Dame and seventh-ranked Ohio State, so he showed the ability to come up big on a big stage.
Whillock moves like a safety but hits and grapples with the strength and force of a linebacker – like his best friend Paddy Fisher. Usually playing closer to the line, Whillock gives the Wildcats good run support as well as a solid defender against flat and hook/curls on intermediate routes.
Cornerback
Out at corner, things are not as certain – yet. Redshirt senior CB Trae Williams (6-foot, 209 pounds; 14 starts) has made some good things happen in his time in Evanston. In his freshman season he made 42 tackles, broke up eight passes and started nine games. He’s only had four PBUs and an additional 42 tackles in his two years since. He also caused two fumbles and recovered three, and created a strip-sack vs. Nebraska last year which led to a scoop-and-score that gave NU the momentum they needed to turn the game around.
Williams is more of a tackler than a cover guy, and plays well near the line of scrimmage. We may see him come off the field in deep-coverage situations, exchanging with someone who has a bit more speed and better pass reflexes.
On the other side, sophomore CB Greg Newsome II (6-foot-1, 182 pounds; 4 starts) returns with big upside. He made five tackles and broke up a pass in his collegiate debut against Purdue last year. Injuries sidelined him for most of the season, but he came back for the bowl game to start against Utah, where he racked up three tackles and a PBU.
In his limited time on the field, we saw a young man with a lot of aggressiveness and athletic ability, despite some slight growing pains. We saw his quickness and footspeed last season, and he’s put on almost 15 pounds since then, which will help him to be an even better tackler on the edge. The biggest obstacle to his success may be injury, as his health has been on-and-off ever since last spring. If he can stay healthy, look for him to take-off this season and become the next premier cover guy in Purple.
The competitive depth
Safety
At safety, the Wildcats have two good backups.
Redshirt sophomore Bryce Jackson (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) got a lot of reps last spring and appeared in all 14 games during the season, making eight tackles (five solo). He has good tackling instincts and can help add an extra man near the box to not only help defend the run, but also match up with some bigger targets in coverage.
There’s also redshirt sophomore CB/FS Brian Bullock (5-foot-11, 189 pounds) who looks to make strides this season in what will be his first real season of play. He appeared in 2017 as a true first-year, making a pass-breakup in the opener against Nevada, but then suffered a season-ending injury shortly afterward. Bullock is similar to Hartage in that he doesn’t have shut-down skills, but his strength lies breaking at the right time and closing on a ball in the air well enough to be a worthy pass defender. These qualities, in addition to being one of the better open-field tacklers on the squad, have led the coaches to play him more at safety than corner. But expect him to be called upon at both if a need for depth arises, or maybe as the nickelback.
Another one to watch is redshirt first-year Jeremiah McDonald (6-foot-3, 200 pounds), who was an early enrollee last year that generated some hype. Fitzgerald said he expected McDonald to play early if the need arose, but since they were set at safety last year, he redshirted. McDonald could see the field more this year, especially on special teams, where he excelled in high school, making numerous tackles, blocking three punts and causing a fumble. Playing with great length, range and a high football IQ, he could be a breakout reserve player this year.
We would be remiss not to include redshirt senior SAF Joe Bergin (5-foot-11, 197 pounds), who was recently honored with jersey No. 1. A premier practice performer and special teams stalwart, the older of the Bergin brothers (LB Chris Bergin is a junior) has played in all 27 games the past two seasons, and has the unparalleled work ethic of other walkons who wore the No. 1, including Bo Cisek, Tim Hanrahan and Chad Hanaoka. He tackles well and motors from whistle to whistle. He may be third on the depth chart but don’t be surprised to see him on the field when the opportunity arises.
Redshirt sophomore walkdon Donovan Sermons (5-foot-11, 192 pounds) rounds out this group of veterans and looks for his first action on the field as a Wildcat.
Cornerback
Sophomore CB Cameron Ruiz (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) had a better season last year as a pass defender than Williams, as he made 26 tackles and broke up four passes. Ruiz, a lightly recruited CB out of far north suburban Chicago, appeared in 12 games and proved to be a solid backup who brings a lot of speed on the outside. He’s also been a Johnny-on-the-spot, forcing a fumble, recovering another and blocking a punt.
Senior CB Roderick Campbell (6-foot, 187 pounds) has another year to prove he was worth the four-star rating he earned as a three-year captain at Chaminade Prep in St. Louis, Mo. Injuries have been Campbell’s biggest nemesis. He plays with good body position and may have gained a step as he’s actually lost some weight since last year.
Another corner who could see the field in role situations is redshirt first-year CB A.J. Hampton (5-foot-11, 166 pounds). Appearing in only three games last year (mostly on special teams), Hampton showed speed and aggression in getting to the ball.
First-years
A good group of first-years enter Evanston ready to sharpen the defensive backfield, but most likely will see action in no more than the four games allowed for redshirts. These youngsters include S Coco Azema (5-foot-11, 180 pounds), early enrollee CB Rod Heard (5-foot-10, 160 pounds), S Brandon Joseph (6-foot-1, 181 pounds), CB Cameron Mitchell (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) and walkon CB Tyler Haskins (5-foot-11, 175 pounds). Look for coaches to sprinkle some of these guys onto the field for three or four games, either on special teams or in “comfort” time to take advantage of an opportunity for experience. However, don’t be surprised to see Heard and maybe one other player get more than the requisite four games.
