Notre Dame hopes to bounce back from its desert drubbing as the Fighting Irish return home for the first time in five weeks to battle the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday afternoon. This is the 48th meeting between these programs but the first since 1995. Notre Dame holds a 37-8-2 advantage in the series, and four of the Wildcat victories came during 1959-1962 when a gentleman named Ara Parseghian was their head coach. The game will be nationally televised by NBC beginning at 3:30 PM Eastern time.

Northwestern is 3-6 this season with wins over Wisconsin and Penn State. Pat Fitzgerald is in his ninth season at the helm and is currently 58-52. The Wildcats are coming off a disappointing loss of their own, as Michigan beat them by 10-9 in what the Daily Northwestern termed “….some of the ugliest Big Ten football ever played.” The team failed to execute a two point conversion attempt late in the game when Fitzgerald opted to go for the win in regulation.

As many readers will recall, Fitzgerald was an All-American linebacker in 1995 when the Wildcats upset Notre Dame by 17-15, but he was in not in a reflective mood earlier this week. “I don’t really have a whole lot of time for nostalgia right now,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of things to fix. We need to coach our guys’ butts off this week.” Brian Kelly expressed similar sentiments regarding the need to address the alarming number of turnovers committed by the Irish last week, and quarterback Everett Golson will be under the microscope once again.

Notre Dame is reasonably healthy on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense has several casualties including linebacker Joe Schmidt and cornerback Cody Riggs. Replacements Nyles Morgan and Devin Butler performed rather tentatively against Arizona State in their first career starts, but that is not surprising. Northwestern has its own issues as senior captain Collin Ellis was forced to retire from the game due to multiple recurring injuries, quarterback Trevor Siemian has been nursing an ankle injury all season, and wide receiver Miles Shuler will sit out this week with a wrist injury.

NOTRE DAME’S OFFENSE vs. NORTHWESTERN’S DEFENSE

The Irish offense was responsible for 66 points last week in Tempe, but unfortunately 35 of them were scored by ASU. The challenge this week is to be downright inhospitable to the Wildcats and restore their own tenuous confidence level. Northwestern’s strength rests on the defensive side of the ball, and they have reached the point in their season where risk-taking has little downside. The Irish had glaring issues with blitzes and defensive line stunts last week, particularly when the tight ends or running backs were responsible for plugging holes in the pocket. Fitzgerald will also look to jump start his anemic offense by creating turnovers, so Kelly and Golson will have to find ways to turn the Wildcats’ aggression against them.

End Dean Lowry leads an active four man front that is supported by star outside linebacker Chi Chi Ariquzo, the team’s leading tackler. Ellis has been replaced in the middle by freshman Anthony Walker, who has done a credible job in his four starts. The best unit for Northwestern is its ball-hawking secondary, where safety Ibraheim Campbell and cornerback Nick VanHoose are well above average. If the Irish are going to target anyone in this group it will probably be sophomore cornerback Matthew Harris.

With Ellis sidelined and the Wildcat defensive front a bit undersized, the running game should be available to Notre Dame if they choose to utilize it. Tarean Folston was replaced in the lineup by Cam McDaniel last week due to poor pass blocking, but his presence on the field this week should indicate that the Irish will run it more, It’s also unlikely that they will encounter another staggering first half deficit that would give Kelly license to throw it on every down.

Instead, fans should expect to see Golson and friends have quick, decisive responses to blitzes and other forms of defensive pressure. The Irish will strive to be less predictable, as it appears ASU Coach Todd Graham did a pretty fair job of scouting them. Since Northwestern does not score a lot of points, Notre Dame will do well to have a strong first quarter and put pressure on a Wildcat offense that does not possess big play capability. Conversely, a low-scoring, ugly game would give the visitors a chance in a game that does not have to be close.

NORTHWESTERN’S OFFENSE vs. NOTRE DAME’S DEFENSE

Quarterback Trevor Siemian has been nursing an ankle injury all season, and is not very mobile to begin with. He was obviously impaired when he stumbled and fell while trying to avoid the rush on the failed two-point conversion attempt last week. Siemian was pulled in the previous game, a 48-7 loss to Iowa, but played every snap against Michigan. He has completed 57% of his passes with five touchdowns and eight interceptions, and the team has been victimized for a whopping 29 sacks.

Wide receivers Kyle Prater and Tony Jones are the short range targets, while Cameron Dickerson takes over for Shuler as the lone deep threat. H-back Tony Vitale is second on the team in receptions after Prater. The Wildcats may choose to target Notre Dame’s Butler with the speedy Dickerson or the 6’5” 235-pound Prater, provided Siemian can deliver the football.

Freshman tailback Justin Jackson has taken over the starting job from senior Treyvon Green and injected life into a moribund ground game. Green started the first seven games and did not score a rushing touchdown, while Jackson has already picked up five. The problem for Fitzgerald has been the offensive line, which has been the Achilles Heel of this team. Tackles Eric Olson and Paul Jorgenson have been particularly vulnerable in pass protection, and Olson was replaced last week by Jack Konopka. Aside from that single change, the entire unit had been intact all season, so injuries cannot be blamed for numerous poor performances.

Northwestern will have difficulty moving the ball for long distances against the Irish, who can help themselves by hanging onto the ball and maintaining field position on special teams. The Wildcats average seven punts per game and should have at least that many on Saturday.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The frequent demand has made it necessary for Northwestern to employ two punters this season. Both Chris Gradone and Hunter Niswander have been inconsistent throughout the year, resulting in a meager 32 yard net average. Place kicker Jack Mitchell has converted eight of ten field goal attempts, but that is deceiving in that none of the successful kicks were beyond 29 yards. In the return game, Jones can be a threat bringing back punts while Green handles the kickoffs with average results.

Notre Dame has not generated much excitement recently in its own return game, and Riggs won’t be returning punts anytime soon with a sore foot even if he does see action at cornerback. Kyle Brindza’s strong leg will give the hosts a field position advantage on punts and kickoffs, while his field goal attempts will now be in the hands of backup quarterback Malik Zaire, who was promoted to holder this week.

SUMMARY

After limping home following two sub-par performances on the road, Northwestern appears to be the perfect elixir for what ails the Irish. The feeble Wildcat offense, uninspiring special teams and a defense that has not been known to create negative plays should pose little threat unless Notre Dame experiences another poor first quarter and fails to take control of the game in the first half. The focus of the Irish offense should be on proper execution, blocking technique and ball security, which have become sloppy as the season has progressed. If they play crisply, whatever defensive strategies Fitzgerald chooses to employ should not matter.

The hosts have been torched to the tune of 42 points per game in the past four outings, but Northwestern’s offense should not achieve half that number. Northwestern will use Jackson to attack Morgan in the middle and challenge the suddenly shaky Irish secondary with their tall receivers. Unless Siemian and his offensive line play their best game of the year and the Wildcats win the turnover battle by +2 or better, that plan won’t be enough to pull off the upset. Fitzgerald undoubtedly knows he has nothing to lose in this contest and has demonstrated the willingness to take chances. Notre Dame must be alert for all manner of trick plays including fake punts, onside kicks, fourth down gambles, and maybe even the old Statue of Liberty. I’ll draw the line at the fumblerooski though.

Here are a few questions that will shed light on the outcome:

Which team will start strong and set the tone early in the contest?

Will the Irish defensive line be able to dominate the beleaguered Wildcat front?

Can Golson get through the afternoon without giving up the football?

Will Notre Dame’s secondary be able to stop Northwestern’s weak passing attack?

Which team will get its running game going?

Will Fitzgerald’s gambles succeed or backfire?

Can either team generate difference-making plays on special teams?

PREDICTION

Notre Dame is undoubtedly still smarting from last week’s debacle and pride should factor into their performance against the Wildcats. A strong start by Golson and high intensity from the defense would go a long way toward removing any suspense before halftime. On paper, this game should be a breather before two tough opponents to finish the regular season, but it may be difficult for the depleted Irish to summon the energy to crush another highly motivated rival. Consequently, the game is more likely to be closer than many expect but still a fairly comfortable victory.

NOTRE DAME 31 NORTHWESTERN 17