Northwestern football is just a matter of hours away, and this season’s campaign pits Pat Fitzgerald and company against a Nevada Wolf Pack program that hasn’t seen the national spotlight since Colin Kaepernick led the charge in a 13-1 2010 season. In 2016, the team finished 5-7 and sported one of the worst defenses in the nation, sitting at 124th in defensive S&P+ rankings (per Football Outsiders).
Jay Norvell has taken over. The former offensive coordinator and wide receiver guru, who held gigs at Arizona State, Texas and Oklahoma, will get his first test as a head coach against a stalwart Northwestern secondary which must counter Norvell’s first-year Air Raid offense.