Pat Fitzgerald says Northwestern will 'have our hands full' with Ohio State

After getting a win in Dublin over Nebraska to open the season, things have gone south for Northwestern. The Wildcats have lost seven in a row since that Week 0 win, and now they’re getting ready to take on Ohio State, which is ranked second in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.

This is a game where Pat Fitzgerald knows he and his Wildcats team are up against a massive challenge when they host Ohio State on Saturday.

“When you pop on the tape and take a deeper dive, it’s a complete team,” Pat Fitzgerald said. “Coach (Ryan) Day and his staff have done a phenomenal job in recruiting.”

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“They’ve got depth everywhere and explosiveness in all three phases. Coming off a really hard-fought game at Penn State, that was impressive to watch.”

Northwestern doesn’t play Ohio State annually. The last time the two teams met was in the 2020 season, during the Big Ten Championship Game. That was a tight game, even though not many people expected it to be. So, it isn’t impossible for this to be a close game too. Still, the last time Northwestern actually beat Ohio State was in 2004.

“We’ll have our hands full,” Pat Fitzgerald said.

Northwestern DB AJ Hampton is confident

Stopping Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud and the Buckeye passing attack isn’t easy to do. Ohio State has one of the most talented wide receiving rooms in the country. Still, Northwestern defensive back AJ Hampton is confident that the Wildcats are up to the task.

“Everybody’s praising these guys, everybody wants these guys to do good. But they haven’t faced us yet,” said Hampton. “They haven’t faced me, they haven’t faced Cam Mitchell. They haven’t faced any of our secondary…I’m not disrespecting them. But, I mean, it starts with us.”