Northwestern Football: Will Wildcats secure another Big Ten West title?

By Dante Pryor | Aug 19, 2019

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 17: Trey Pugh #80 of the Northwestern Wildcats congratulates teammate Isaiah Bowser #25 on scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first quarter of the game at TCFBank Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Northwestern defeated Minnesota 24-14. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

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EVANSTON, IL – NOVEMBER 24: Paddy Fisher #42 of the Northwestern Wildcats is congratulated byteammates after intercepting a pass late in the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Ryan Field on November 24, 2018 in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern defeated Illinois 24-16. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Paddy Fisher leads underrated defense

Paddy Fisher and Blake Gallagher return to anchor a defense that surrendered a mere 23.2 points per game and 5.6 yards per play.

Joe Gazanio and his 7.5 sacks from last season leads a high-energy defensive line. The issue with the defensive line is their size — they don’t have very much of it. They don’t feature an interior linemen over 300 pounds. They hope juniors Jake Spivak and Joe Saunders (both over 290 pounds) gives them a bit of bulk and depth along a defensive line that’s a bit light in the pants.

The secondary has a year of experience as they were young last year. They are led by junior JR Pace who led the team in interceptions.

This is a Pat Fitzgerald defense, however. They might be overmatched at times, but they are going to play hard and play disciplined. Teams that play the Wildcats know they have to earn every yard they gain.

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