Previewing Michigan vs. Northwestern with a Wildcats insider

By Clayton Sayfie

TheWolverine.com caught up with Louie Vaccher of Wildcat Report ahead of Saturday’s matchup between Northwestern and Michigan Wolverines football. Vaccher broke down the Wildcats and offered a final score prediction. We begin with the projected starting lineup for Northwestern.

Northwestern projected starters on offense

• #8 – Graduate QB Preston Stone (6-1, 215) — The SMU transfer has completed 146 of his 246 pass attempts (59.3 percent) for 1,522 yards and 11 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. He’s rushed 37 times for 5 yards and no touchdowns, taking 12 sacks. Stone started four games and was a team captain on an SMU squad that made the College Football Playoff a season ago, and he was the full-time starter and a third-team All-AAC selection as a redshirt sophomore in 2023. All told, he’s opened 26 college contests. Stone has seen 107 of his 146 completions come on throws within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, and he has a completion rate well below 50 percent on all other passes (37.1).

• #5 – Redshirt sophomore RB Caleb Komolafe (5-11, 210) — Rushed 141 times for 726 yards (5.1 yards per attempt) and 8 touchdowns with 8 catches for 49 yards on the season. Five of his catches, totaling 40 yards, came in last week’s loss to USC. Komolafe is averaging 3.1 yards after contact per rush, and he’s forced 23 missed tackles. He has 15 runs of 10-plus yards and 7 of 15-plus.

• #17 – Junior WR Griffin Wilde (6-2, 200) — The South Dakota State transfer was named a second-team All-American by FCS Football Central last season, recording 71 receptions for 1,147 yards and 12 touchdowns. He leads the Wildcats with 43 grabs for 593 yards and 5 scores this year. He’s seen 32 of his 43 receptions result in first downs. Lining up both on the outside and in the slot, Wilde’s average depth of target is 13.8 yards, and he’s made 7 contested catches on 15 attempts.

• #80 – Sophomore WR Hayden Eligon II (6-4, 210) — Ranks second on the team with 224 receiving yards on 17 catches, and has scored 2 touchdowns this season. Eligon has seen 6 of his catches come on throws of 10-plus air yards.

• #84 – Graduate TE Hunter Welcing (6-3, 250) — Has hauled in 16 catches for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns, and has registered a 51.8 PFF run-blocking grade.

• #83 – Redshirt junior TE Blake Van Buren (6-4, 250) — Has started two of the last three games. Has not made any catches on the season, but his 69.7 PFF run-blocking rating checks in fifth on the team (minimum 100 snaps). He’s been in on 164 offensive snaps this year, 124 of them on run plays.

• #72 – Graduate LT Caleb Tiernan (6-7, 325) — The Livonia, Mich., native has started 39 games at Northwestern. This season, he has a 72.3 overall PFF grade, with 8 pressures and 1 sack given up. His 87.2 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks second among Big Ten tackles with 100-plus such snaps, behind only Indiana’s Carter Smith (93.0).

• #62 – Redshirt freshman LG Ezomo Oratokhai (6-4, 310) — Has started 11 career games, including two while redshirting last season. He owns a 68.6 overall PFF grade with 7 pressures and 1 sack allowed. His 80.7 rating in pass protection ranks seventh among Big Ten guards with 100-plus such snaps.

• #65 – Graduate C Jackson Carsello (6-4, 300) — Has opened 18 career contests. He has a 78.0 overall PFF grade and has given up 10 pressures and 1 sack this year.

• #60 – Graduate RG Evan Beerntsen (6-4, 310) — The South Dakota State transfer was named a second-team All-American in the FCS by the Associated Press, among others, last season. He started 38 games at his previous school and has opened all nine this year. He’s registered a 75.6 overall PFF grade and allowed 3 pressures and no sacks in pass protection.

• #75 – Graduate RT Martes Lewis (6-7, 350) — The Minnesota transfer started 15 games over the past two seasons at his previous stop, before becoming the primary right tackle but rotating with redshirt junior Deuce McGuire with the Wildcats. Lewis has recorded a 58.2 overall PFF rating with 8 pressures and 2 sacks allowed.

Northwestern projected starters on defense

• #1 – Graduate DT Carmine Bastone (6-2, 300) — Has totaled 21 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup and 13 quarterback pressures this season. He’s missed 9 tackles.

• #15 – Redshirt junior DT Brendan Flakes (6-4, 291) — Has generated 15 tackles, including a half-stop for loss, with 1 fumble recovery. He’s added 8 pressures on the quarterback. He’s missed 5 tackles.

• #91 – Graduate DE Aidan Hubbard (6-4, 255) — The two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention selection (2023-24) ranks eighth in Northwestern history with 16.5 career sacks. This season, he’s notched 24 tackles, 6 stops for loss, 3.5 sacks and 22 pressures, checking in second on the team in that category.

• #4 – Redshirt junior DE Anto Saka (6-4, 255) — A legitimate NFL Draft prospect, Saka was the No. 56 player on The Athletic‘s ‘Freaks List’ in 2025. An honorable mention All-Big Ten performer last season, he has posted 9 tackles, 3 sacks and a forced fumble to go along with 20 pressures this year. The Wildcats also rotate in junior Michael Kilbane on the edge, and he leads the team with 28 pressures and has added 2.5 sacks.

• #33 – Redshirt junior LB Braydon Brus (6-1, 230) — Ranks third on the team with 44 tackles, including 1.5 behind the line of scrimmage, and has broken up 3 passes. He’s missed 14 tackles, tied for the second-most on the team.

• #37 – Graduate LB Mac Uihlein (6-1, 230) — The 2024 honorable mention All-Big Ten selection slots second on the defense with 70 tackles and leads the team with 6 tackles for loss. He’s picked off 4 passes, the most by any linebacker in the FBS, and has added 5 pressures as a pass rusher. He’s missed a team-high 19 tackles.

• #9 – Redshirt junior NB Braden Turner (5-11, 195) — Has recorded 32 tackles with 1.5 for loss and 2 forced fumbles this season. He has a 73.0 PFF coverage grade, giving up 18 catches for 180 yards and no touchdowns on 22 targets.

• #2 – Graduate CB Fred Davis II (6-1, 200) — The Clemson (2020-22), UCF (2023) and Jacksonville State (2024) transfer has compiled 28 tackles with 1 for loss, 1 fumble recovery and a team-high 6 pass breakups this season. He has a 66.3 PFF coverage rating and has allowed 22 receptions for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns on 33 targets.

• #13 – Redshirt sophomore CB Josh Fussell (6-0, 195) — Ranks tied atop the team with 6 pass breakups, adding 12 tackles. He’s recorded a 75.6 PFF coverage grade, giving up 13 grabs for 139 yards and a touchdown on 22 targets.

• #6 – Redshirt junior S Robert Fitzgerald (6-0, 210) — Leads the team with 77 tackles, 3.5 of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. He’s added a pass breakup and a fumble recovery. He has a 60.8 PFF coverage rating, allowing 8 catches for 128 yards and a score on 10 targets.

• #18 – Graduate S Garner Wallace (6-4, 220) — Ranks fourth on the team with 34 tackles, also contributing 1 pass breakup. He’s allowed 14 grabs for 206 yards and no touchdowns on 19 targets, generating a 60.0 PFF coverage grade.

Northwestern specialists

• #82 – Graduate K Jack Olsen (5-10, 195) — Has made 11 of his 13 field goal attempts this season, with a long of 41 yards. He’s had 1 kick blocked. His two misses were chip shots from less than 30 yards out. He’s 8-of-8 on kicks of 30-plus yards, including 2-of-2 on 40-plus yard attempts. Olsen’s career long is 47 yards, which came back in 2023.

• #11 – Graduate P Luke Akers (6-2, 200) — The son of six-time Pro Bowl kicker David Akers, Luke is 3-for-3 on field goals this season but has mostly handled punting duties, averaging 45.7 yards per attempt with a 59-yard long. He’s pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 7 times and has 7 kicks of 50-plus yards.

• #6 – Redshirt junior KR Joseph Himon II (5-9, 190) — The running back was an honorable mention All-Big Ten standout as a kick returner in 2024. He’s brought 3 kicks out this season, averaging 26.7 yards per attempt with a 39-yard long.

• #19 – Sophomore PR Drew Wagner (5-10, 185) — Has returned 13 punts for 20 yards with a 5-yard long. Last season, he returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown against Iowa — Northwestern’s first score on a punt return since 2014.

‘Mixed bag’ of results for Preston Stone

The SMU transfer quarterback has had his ups and downs this season. While he’s attempted 25-plus passes in seven of nine games, he’s amassed 165-plus yards through the air only two times, both coming against Group of Five opponents in Western Illinois (245) and Louisiana Monroe (262).

“Stone has been a mixed bag for the Wildcats this season,” Vaccher said. “He’s been instrumental in getting the Wildcats to five wins, but he’s thrown far more interceptions than anyone expected. His 9 picks are the most in the Big Ten and more than he threw in 29 games at SMU. He’s got a live arm that can make all the throws, and he’s been good when he has a clean pocket. But his mechanics seem to falter under pressure, and that’s when he’ll make mistakes.

“Stone got off to a horrendous start as a Wildcat, turning the ball over 5 times in the season-opening loss to Tulane, but he’s been better in the second half of the season. During the Wildcats’ four-game winning streak, he threw just 1 interception. He had a setback at Nebraska, where he threw 2 picks, including a very costly one in the fourth quarter with the game tied, but he played a clean game last week against the Trojans.”

Northwestern’s strength is the ground game

Northwestern ranks 42nd in the FBS with 181.4 rushing yards per game, as well as 30th in yards per carry at 4.9. The offensive line has played well together, and Komolafe has been productive.

“The strength of the offense, by far, is the running game,” Vaccher noted. “Running back Caleb Komolafe has emerged as an effective bell cow for the Wildcats. A downhill runner with power, he has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of their last two games, and scored 3 touchdowns. The offensive line, too, has been able to get some push against even good defenses, like Oregon’s and Penn State’s.”

Northwestern just hasn’t had any explosiveness through the air, though, checking in 117th in the country with only 60 passes of 10-plus yards.

“Their weaknesses are that they lack big-play capability — not unusual for Northwestern — and they only have one legitimate Big Ten-level wide receiver,” Vaccher said. “Griffin Wilde is a transfer from South Dakota State who has more than double the catches, yards and TDs as the second-best receiver.”

Northwestern’s defense is ‘the reason’ Wildcats have five wins

Head coach David Braun, a defensive coach, has a unit that ranks 21st in the country in scoring defense, giving up 21.3 points per game.

“Northwestern’s defense is the backbone of this team and the reason they are sitting here at five wins,” Vaccher said. “They are fundamentally sound and have a couple tackling machines in middle linebacker Mac Uihlein and safety Robert Fitzgerald.

“They play a lot of Cover-4 on the back end to prevent big plays and keep everything in front of them. Their goal is to make you snap the ball 10 or 12 times or more in order to score. They are also effective in the red zone, when the field shrinks.

“The Wildcats are coming off of an uncharacteristically poor outing against USC, where they gave up 38 points and nearly 500 yards. It was the first time since the opener that they gave up 400 yards, so the hope is that their performance was an aberration.

“The Wildcats could improve in putting pressure on the quarterback. They have just 13 sacks on the season, which ranks 16th in the Big Ten.”

The key to victory

Northwestern could win if it shortens the game, Vaccher noted, and plays to its strength, which is the defense.

[Northwestern must] get Komolafe and the ground game going,” Vaccher said of a path to victory. “Northwestern wants to run the ball, control the clock and limit possessions against the Wolverines.

“Defensively, they just need to play their game: focus on stopping the run and prevent Michigan from hitting big plays over the top. But to pull off the upset, I think they’ll have to get some help from Michigan in the form of turnovers.”

Vaccher’s final score prediction

“Northwestern and Michigan are both teams that rely on the running game and defense to win games,” the writer began. “That will likely be both of their game plans. Michigan has better personnel and has both a better rushing offense and rushing defense than the Wildcats. That’s not a recipe for success for the guys in purple.

“I think the defense will keep Northwestern in the game for a while, but the Wolverines will pull away in the second half in a tight, relatively low-scoring affair.”
Prediction: Michigan 24, Northwestern 17