Northwestern will be looking to right the ship Saturday in Week 2 at Ryan Field against a very good Illinois State Redbirds team.
The Wildcats shouldn’t take this matchup lightly since the rushing attack the Redbirds bring to the table is one of the best in the FCS. The Redbirds are the No. 9 FCS team in the country and Saturday will be their first game on this young season. The Redbirds are big game tested as they lost to a North Dakota State team in the FCS national title game two seasons ago so mixing it up against a Big Ten team should be a great test for the program.
Coach Pat Fitzgerald will need a stellar performance from his defense after being run over by Western Michigan this past weekend in their opening game loss. The offense played pretty well as the running game and passing game were on par for what I was expecting last week.
Look for quarterback Clayton Thorson to pick up the pace and throw for 225-plus yards and running back Justin Jackson to have a big game with a rushing game north of 125 yards. As for my prediction in this week’s contest, I have the Wildcats putting a W up on the board in a 31-17 victory.
If the Wildcats start the season 0-2 it will be a long season for Fitzgerald and his squad.
