Brotherhood between Hollis and Johnson creates NU's lockdown pass defense

It was third-and-2 at the Purdue 31 when Tyrone Tracy Jr. burst into the open field. He had nothing but green grass ahead of him, and one of the best running backs in the Big Ten was on his way to making it a one-score game with five minutes left.

Then, Garnett Hollis Jr. happened.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound cornerback evoked LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo on a chasedown block, reeling Tracy in and dragging him down at the 8-yard line.

Purdue would score four plays later, but had to burn a timeout and a precious 1:55 off the clock in the process. Because of Hollis' heroics, the Boilers' final drive started at their own 38 with 2:12 and no timeouts.

Quarterback Ryan Browne, pressed for time, would throw a game-ending interception seven plays later at the Northwestern 25.

That effort, while exceptional, is indicative of the kind of play Northwestern has gotten from its two cornerbacks, Hollis and Theran Johnson, this season. They think they may be the best starting tandem in the Big Ten.

"We watched that clip [of Hollis' tackle] about four or five times yesterday as a defensive staff," head coach David Braun said at his press conference on Monday. "Garnett was our defensive player of the week on defense... It was an incredible play, even better effort.

"That's a play that will stick in my mind for a long, long time. That's what it looks like to be a true team player and really proud of the way Garnett continues to improve and take strides to be one of the best corners in the country."

Hollis cut to the chase on what was going through his mind during the 62-yard sprint.

"I don't think it was even a mentality," he said. "I just saw him run, I tried to go get him and I did go get him. I'm confident in my speed, that's why I tracked him down the whole way."

Hollis and junior corner Theran Johnson have been critical to Northwestern's defense this season. While it is true that the Wildcats play plenty of run-heavy teams, their passing defense this season has been truly exceptional.

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"I think me and Theran Johnson might be the best corner duo in the Big Ten," Hollis said with a smile.

"I'd probably say that's true," Johnson said shortly after. "I'm hearing it from him, we tell each other that every day. It doesn't mean too much hearing that from him now because we really believe that and we try to go out and show that week in and week out."

Johnson and Hollis are normally on opposite sides of the field, but are nearly inseparable off of it.

"When I make a play or when he makes a play, we always go out of our way to come over and make sure we show love," Johnson said. "I feel like our connection comes from outside football.

"We hang out a lot, two or three times a week every week, since I got here. We build that connection outside of football and it really helps you bring it to the field."

Their bond was strengthened in the preseason, when they battled during fall camp.

"We're just pretty similar, pretty competitive," Johnson said. "Throughout camp, we're challenging each other every week, really trying to see who's the best. Going at it every day, competing, it builds a brotherhood of brotherly love that you just can't really explain."

The progression and connection of Hollis and Johnson have been key to implementing Braun's system this season.

"They're absolutely critical," Braun said. "If you're not playing at a high level at the corner position, it doesn't matter.

"That's not just in the passing game, that's an upside in the run game... They've been playing at a really high level and [cornerbacks] coach [LaMarcus] Hicks has done a tremendous job with that group."

While other new position coaches, like Christian Smith with the defensive line and Armon Binns with the wide receivers, have received an abundance of credit, and rightfully so, Hicks' work with the corners has been under the radar but equally transformative.

"I think he's added a lot of knowledge to my game," Hollis said. "Certain techniques, some change ups to the things I've already learned, he's helped raise my level of play. He sees what you can give, he sees the potential you have, he's helped me get that out of [myself]."

For Johnson, Hicks helped him visualize his place in the big picture of the defense.

"He makes it important that we know what the safety knows," Johnson said. "I really know the whole defense, what everyone else is doing. It really makes it easier on me because I know where my help is and stuff like that. He's really helped me with that aspect of my game."

That cohesion and connectivity have ended the hesitance and uncertainty that plagued last year's defense and led to a 1-11 record.

"I'd say clearing up confusion," Johnson said about the year-to-year difference defensively for the Wildcats. "I feel like last year was a lot of confusion so people weren't playing as fast and triggering on their keys.

"This year, I feel like all of that really got cleared up in spring ball. So by spring ball, we knew exactly what we were doing and, ever since then, we've just been building."

The difference has shown up on Saturdays. Last year, Northwestern ranked 83rd in scoring defense, allowing 28.3 points per game. This year, the Cats rank 43rd and are giving up 22.1, or six fewer points per game.

Now, with a bowl game in the bag, there's one more block left to place on their nearly-completed season: Illinois. Even though it's a rivalry game with the Land of Lincoln Trophy on the line, Johnson is taking it as just another game.

"The only goal I have every week is to come out a winner," he said.

Hollis is taking it a bit more personally, recalling Illinois' dominant wins the past two years, when the Illini outscored them 88-17.

"The last couple years, they've been beating us pretty bad," he said. "It's time for us to play like we know how to play against these guys.

"They don't really show us too much respect. It really doesn't matter to us, at the end of the day, we're going to go out there to play ball for us. We're going to bring the Hat back, for sure."