Everything Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said about Penn State before the Lions battle the Wildcats
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald fielded questions solely focused on how his team can rebound from a 1-3 start during his weekly news conference in Evanston. However, the longtime leader of the Wildcats made sure Penn State was mentioned during his chat with reporters.
Fitzgerald is plenty familiar with the Lions. He has coached against James Franklin three times since 2014. And, this year’s team may be the one that impresses him the most.
“Getting ready to go on a road and play an outstanding football team,” Fitzgerald said according to InsideNU.com. “Coach Franklin’s team is really humming; they’re playing really good football on all three phases. There’s talent at every position. They’re playing as many guys as I can ever remember anybody playing. As far as depth, it’s probably the deepest team we’ve seen. Rotating seven-plus linemen, two dynamic rookie running backs that are awesome to watch.
“I think I recruited Sean [Clifford] back in the ‘80s. He’s been there forever, man. I remember when he was at St. X; he’s had an unbelievable career, and just really impressed by him. All their receivers can take it to distance after making a missed tackle. They’re spreading the ball out to a number of receivers. Probably the best tight end group; all three guys are really threats, not only in the passing game, but really physical. It’s gonna be a hard challenge.”
What else did Fitzgerald say about Penn State?
It isn’t just Mike Yurcich’s offense that has Fitzgerald’s attention. Manny Diaz’s Penn State defense received strong praise, as well.
“What jumps out to me is just how they’re playing very physical on defense across the board,” Fitzgerald said.
“The front seven, you know, has really been outstanding against the run. I think they lead the country in pass breakups, and to watch the way they get into their subpackages and do some really challenging things on your schematically, and then you couple that with with the talent, it’s going to be a tough challenge.”
Penn State is a whopping 26.5-point favorite as of Thursday. That number may grow as kickoff approaches. Northwestern will have its hands full. Fitzgerald made that much clear already this week.
“Excited for the opportunity,” he said. “Great stadium in Beaver Stadium in front of one of the best fan bases in the country.
“I mean, year in year out, you tip your hat to the Nittany Lion fan base. They’re absolutely outstanding. So a lot of work for us to do. But I’m excited to get back into Big Ten Play.”
