After winning the Big Ten West division last season but losing most of its starters, Northwestern football struggled out of the gate in 2021, falling to Michigan State (38-21), Duke (30-23) and Nebraska (56-7), while beating Indiana State (24-6), Ohio (35-6) and Rutgers (21-7) to start off 3-3.
The team's schedule doesn't get any easier, at least not right away, with an Oct. 23 trophy matchup against No. 6-ranked Michigan in Ann Arbor coming up.
"This is by far probably the best team we’ve played all year, to this point," Fitzgerald opined. "It’s not even close, in my opinion, watching everybody on tape that I’ve seen that we’ve prepared for, so it’s going to be a huge challenge."
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Fitzgerald praised Michigan during his Monday press conference, going in depth on how much respect he has for the program. While he's come close a few more times, Fitzgerald has beaten Michigan just once as a coach in nine tries, in 2008, and the Wildcats have lost six straight against the Wolverines.
"I’m more focused on finding a way to get a first down and get a stop and execute the kick game," Fitzgerald deflected when asked about the series history. "The big-picture stuff is great for you all to talk about, but we just need to go out and play consistent football to give ourselves an opportunity to compete. For the most part [in a win over Rutgers last week], we probably played our most collective game in all three phases, and we’ve got to build upon that spark.
"We’ve got great respect for Michigan — their talent, their coaching — and it’ll be a great environment up there on FOX, kicking off at noon local [time]. We’ve just got to put a great week of practice together and get our minds right, and play cleaner than we have on the road this year. We have not played very well on the road."
With a 6-0 open to the year, the Maize and Blue have put together their second-best start during Harbaugh's tenure, with a 9-0 beginning in 2016 still residing on top in that category. Fitzgerald has taken notice of the way the Wolverines are playing, and knows that competing against any Harbaugh-coached team is a challenge.
"I’ve got great respect for Jim and his family. I’ve been close with [Baltimore Ravens head man and Jim's brother] John [Harbaugh] for a number of years, and known Jim for a number of years also," the coach noted. "I’ve got great respect for the programs that he’s run and the success that he’s had.
"They just put a lot of pressure on you schematically, but I think what they pride themselves in, more than anything, is how physical they’re playing in all three phases — and it just jumps off the tape when you watch it.
"So the 2021 team — that’s what you see, and you do your preparation and you’re reading about the DNA, and it just seems like they’re having a lot of fun, playing for each other and with great connectivity. It just shows when you pop the tape on.
"Quarterback play has been outstanding. The big-play home runs have been outstanding. They grind you out. And then you pop on the defensive tape, and their front seven is violent; they’re really violent. They’re really, really physical across each position, and then the back end is as fast and physical as we’ve seen.
"Complete team — no doubt about that — and that’s why they’re ranked in the top 10, and we’re going to have our hands full. We’ll hopefully put together a great week of prep, play our best game of the year and give ourselves a chance to compete up there."
Northwestern has especially struggled against the run this season, yielding 206.2 yards per game, a mark that ranks 117th out of 130 teams in the country. However, the Wildcats did show improvement last week — albeit against Rutgers — giving up just 63 yards on 34 carries.
Fitzgerald's hope is that his team has improved, saying that last week was the defensive line's best game, and he'll find out quickly if that's the case, with the Wolverines touting one of the nation's top rushing attacks. Michigan is seventh in the sport, registering 246.5 yards per game on the ground, and has a pair of running backs — redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins and second-year freshman Blake Corum — who have each accumulated more than 400 rushing yards.
"It’s going to be really challenging against Michigan," Fitzgerald said. "They do a lot of different formation variations. They really make you think and have to operate and execute and communicate pre-snap.
"And then obviously, the group up front that they have, including their tight ends and the two-headed monster that they have in the backfield, is as dynamic of a running group as anybody you’ll see. And then when you load the box, their guys on the outside can score. It’s going to be a huge challenge for our defense — no doubt — but it’s also a huge opportunity."
The Wolverines and Wildcats will square off in Ann Arbor at noon ET Saturday, with the game broadcast on FOX and the winner going home with the George Jewett Trophy.
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