With Northwestern headed down the home stretch in Kenosha, we spoke with head coach Pat Fitzgerald and defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz on various issues to get a sense of where the team stands 16 days away from the season opener against Stanford. Here's some of what they had to say:
- I asked both Hankwitz and Fitzgerald whether they thought this was the most talented defense they've had at Northwestern. Neither answered with an unequivocal yes — both mentioned the 2012 team, and Fitzgerald also pointed towards the 2009 team — but Fitzgerald said that this is the best group he's had "from a competitive depth standpoint.