2024 Northwestern football is pretty one-sided. New offensive coordinator Zach Lujan is off to a pretty rough start while linebackers coach turned new defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle is off to a great start. The Wildcats have only surrendered 19 points in regulation time, through the first two games. However, they’ve only scored 26 in that same sample size. With David Braun already hooking starting quarterback Mike Wright, after just two games, it’s clear that this offense is a mess.
Jack Lausch did nothing last season to instill confidence, so his ascension doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence.
The good news is that the Cats have some major playmakers on defense, starting with stellar linebacker Xavier Mueller. The All-Big Ten third team from last season is this team’s top NFL Draft prospect. He discussed what he’s working on to get to the next level. “I think man coverage is one of the things, and obviously speed,” Mueller said in exclusive with RG. “The NFL is a huge passing [centric] game, a little bit different than the Big Ten, so linebackers need to be really fast. You see a lot of 4.4 [40 yard dash time] linebackers nowadays, so that was a big thing for me this offseason.”
He went on to say that Roquan Smith, formerly of the Chicago Bears and now with the Baltimore Ravens, was his NFL role model.
Mueller discussed the advantages of keeping the same scheme, and a familiar face, in the system, due to the elevation of McGarigle.
“Coach McGarigle has been a huge part of out scheme the past four years that I’ve been here,” Mueller continued.
“So he fits very well. and he’s helped the defensive coordinators I’ve had in the past making these calls, especially up front in the run game stuff, so it’s awesome to have him in the room, but also to keep the continuity, with having him as a LBs coach.”
Not to mention that you have a head coach, in David Braun, who was elevated from the DC position last season. In other words, the Cats defense is far ahead of the offense at this point, and there are plenty of reasons for that, but the cohesion and familiarity with staff and personnel is a big part of that.
They also have a rising star in edge rusher/defensive end Aidan Hubbard, a guy who was a sack machine, and an overall monster in the win over Maryland last season. He says he looks up to the Bosa brothers and Aidan Hutchinson, as his NFL role models.
The Sports Bank had an exclusive with Hubbard, where we discussed, among other things, the change/modification in the position of “DE” to “Edge” in recent years.
“I feel like it’s kind of vague,” Hubbard said.
“I feel it’s D end, that’s what I say when people ask me what position I play. And then it just comes down to setting the edge in run downs and rushing the edge in pass downs.”
We asked him what he feels he needs to work on individually, in order to get to the next level.
“It comes down to your get-off, if you can get off the block and have that dominant first step, you have a good chance to win the matchup,” Hubbard said. “It comes down to speed really- the get-off is the most important part of the your rush.”
An ESPN national pundit said of 2015 Northwestern football (10-3, 6-2, #23 in the final AP poll): “they won with smoke and mirrors and defense.” This Northwestern football team is going to have to do the same.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.