Nitt Pickers Points--Northwestern

Here's the rundown of important points leading to the Northwestern game.  All of these are vital to the Nits securing win #6 for the team.

1)  Will attaining win #400 for JoePa mean anything to the Lions?  Will it spur them to a good game?  Or will it prove to be a monkey on their backs?

2)  Can the Lions come out excited like last weekend?  I don't think I've seen them as pumped up and loose as I saw them last Saturday night during pre-game.  They'll need that same fire to continue improving.

3)  Can the O-line continue its progress?  If they can and are able to get Royster going, then the offense becomes a much more dangerous, more balanced group.  Todd Blackledge said it best last week:  "A good running game is a quarterback's best friend, especially a young quarterback." 

4)  Can Devon Still and the defensive line get pressure on and contain NW's cagey QB (Dan Persa)?  Still made some nice plays last week and seems to be showing some improvement.  Can he and the D-line continue to get better?

5)  Will this be the week we see K.Fortt in his new role as stand-up DE? 

6)  Can the defense continue to tackle better?  I think starting Chaz Powell over Stephon Morris was a great move.  Morris is undersized and seems to avoid contact whenever possible.  Powell is a more natural DB with better size and probably better speed.  Keep the best athletes on the field--and while we're at it...let's see more Hodges and less of some of the older, slower LB's. 

There's no doubt that this week will be a test.  Pat Fitzgerald is a good coach and someone who can inspire players.  He does well with limited talent, and his tenacity carries over to this team.  Just look at how well they played us last year for the first half--and we were a much bettter team then.  If Penn State shows up again this week--like they did last week--it should be a fun game to watch!