Ethan Segall from Northwestern’s SB Nation site Inside NU joins us for a Wildcat Q&A.
One of the more underrated Week 1 matchups transpires in a venue which has never served as a setting of an FBS football game.
While Northwestern awaits the construction of a new stadium set to open its doors in 2026, the Wildcats will play their home games at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium — an intimate 15,000-seat field overseeing Lake Michigan that typically hosts soccer and lacrosse events.
The first team traveling to that temporary football venue is reigning MAC champion Miami (OH). The RedHawks return plenty of talent after an 11-win season, but Saturday presents quite a challenge for the holder of the conference crown. Northwestern won four-consecutive games to end last year, including the Las Vegas Bowl, finishing 8-5 under interim head coach David Braun. Braun has now shed the interim label as he looks to lead the Wildcats to future success.
Previewing the 2024 Northwestern season and the Wildcats’ upcoming matchup with Miami (OH) is Ethan Segall (@SegallEthan), the editor-in-chief of Northwestern’s SB Nation site Inside NU. Here is a Q&A collaboration between Hustle Belt and Inside NU revolving around Saturday’s opener at Martin Stadium:
Helwick (Hustle Belt): Northwestern’s 2023 offensive numbers weren’t exactly impressive and it resulted in a coordinator firing. There were shocking close games against teams like Howard of the FCS, but the Wildcats still got the job done most of the time in one-score finishes. What were the key factors to Northwestern’s 8-5 record?
Segall (Inside NU): Northwestern was certainly prone to playing to its level of competition in 2023, but the Wildcats proved they could win in a variety of ways. Some of those one-score wins came in massive days for the offense (37 points against Minnesota, 45 points against Illinois) while other games forced the defense to pick up the slack (such as the 14-7 win over Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl). Regardless of which unit was playing better, turnovers were the single biggest reason for Northwestern’s 2023 success. The Wildcats’ +13 turnover margin was the third-best in the country and allowed them to stay in almost every contest.
Helwick: Northwestern is 3-4 in its last seven games against the MAC, and even some of the better Wildcat teams like the 2018 Big Ten West champion squad were taken by surprise by this conference. What’s it going to take to buck that trend vs. Miami (OH)?
Segall: I certainly don’t think the Wildcats’ struggles against the MAC have been a result of underestimating their opponents. David Braun told the media repeatedly that his team understands the quality of their season-opening foe. So it’s all about discipline. The turnover battle will be massive. In those last seven games against MAC opponents, the ‘Cats are -7 in the turnover department. Also, it is imperative that Northwestern wins in the trenches. Combining those four most recent losses to MAC teams, the Wildcats have averaged just 2.9 yards per carry. If Northwestern can set the tone and be the more physical team, I like the chances of the ‘Cats starting 1-0.
Helwick: Which returning players are set to make the biggest impact this season? Do any newcomers catch your eye as potential stars from day one?
Segall: On the offensive side of the ball, running back Cam Porter and wide receivers A.J. Henning and Bryce Kirtz are going to be the big producers. After losing 2023 receiving leader Cam Johnson, all of those guys need to have major impacts for Northwestern to reach its ceiling. The most intriguing newcomer has to be quarterback Mike Wright. Although the Mississippi State transfer has not officially been named the starter and I have doubts that he has true “star” potential, if he can provide efficiency and avoid mistakes, Northwestern will be feisty. In the past few seasons, when Northwestern’s transfer QBs have played well (Peyton Ramsey, Ben Bryant), the team has been good. When the transfer QBs have struggled (Hunter Johnson, Ryan Hilinski), the team has bottomed out.
Defensively, Xander Mueller is the name to know. He did everything for the Wildcats last season, finishing second on the team with 110 tackles while adding five sacks, three interceptions and a forced fumble to his stat line. He has a chance to be one of the best linebackers in the Big Ten in 2024 if the defensive line does its job and gives him the chance to shoot gaps and wreak havoc.
Helwick: How do you anticipate the atmosphere of the temporary venue of Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium? What are some of the advantages or disadvantages of moving to this complex for the 2024 season?
Segall: I’m pretty psyched for football on the lake. It should be a super unique venue that will definitely have an impact on the game. Later in the season, the lakeshore winds will likely be a major factor and could cause some altered decision-making when it comes to kicking and run-pass splits, but I don’t think that will be a significant influence for this August matchup. What will be a major element, however, is the crowd noise. Northwestern, as the smallest school in the Big Ten, struggled to fill the 47,000-person capacity of the old Ryan Field, making crowds feel emptier and quieter. With it being the season opener and debut of the new venue, Northwestern should have no problem filling the 15,000-capacity lakeside facility, and the home crowd should be rocking.
Helwick: How do you see Saturday’s game playing out and what’s the final score prediction?
Segall: Both of these teams have moderate question marks on offense, so I think we will see a defensive showcase on Saturday. I love the under on this one. My unofficial prediction is that neither team will take a two-possession lead at any point during the game, but for my official prediction, I’ll go 17-14 Northwestern in a score reversal of the 2022 matchup between these squads. At the end of the day, I think Northwestern’s defensive line is the best unit for either team, and the ‘Cats have a little more juice at the skill positions.
For the flip-side of the Q&A, see our responses to Inside NU’s questions here.
Miami (OH) at Northwestern kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 31. It is available to watch on Big Ten Network.