Northwestern’s defense handled the Purdue quarterbacking tag team of Brandon Kirsch and Curtis Painter last week but faces a much more daunting challenge Saturday against Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton, who averages 322.2 yards of total offense.
“Not many combine the pass and rush ability he possesses,” Northwestern coach Randy Walker said. “He’s going to take some shots. We have to contain him. We don’t want him taking off and making plays with his feet. We have to capture him.
“They’ll make a play or two, and we have to respond. We use that word a lot. If we respond when it’s on the line and make a play or two when it’s on the line, we’ll be OK.” . . .
Middle linebacker Tim McGarigle is one of 10 finalists for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation’s top linebacker. McGarigle is sixth in the nation and second in the Big Ten with 13.2 tackles per game. Iowa’s Chad Greenway, also a Butkus finalist, leads the conference with 13.3.
