Wildcat Insider

Collegiately Speaking is back! The college football season is underway, and both Dave Eanet and Dan Persa reflect on the tough summer Northwestern faced and the new era for the team with Interim Heach Coach David Braun taking over for long-time Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald. Then Dave’s long-time partner on Northwestern Radio Ted Albrecht joins Dave and Dan to give his thoughts on the season-opening 24-7 loss to Rutgers and adjustments Northwestern needs to make. Next ESPN’s Senior College Football Writer Adam Rittenberg, joins Dave and Dan to talk about his busy college football weekend and the top storylines from the Big Ten and College Football from Week 1. Adam then talks about what candidates Northwestern could look at for their next Head Coach. Later on, Dave and Dan talk about all the changes that have happened in college football from NIL to the transfer portal to conference realignment. They wrap the show with ‘Super Joe’ Romano’s pick of the week.

The 2022 football season has just two games remaining. Dave Eanet and Dan Persa bring in former Northwestern quarterback Steve Schnur to recap this year and look ahead to 2023. Schnur, who was the team’s quarterback the last time the Wildcats played in the Rose Bowl, shared his thoughts on what has gone wrong since the thrilling win over Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland. Dave and Dan also try to find who might represent the Big Ten West’s division in the conference title game on Saturday, December 3. They wrap the show with producer ‘Super Joe’ Romano’s pick of the week.

There weren’t a lot of people who gave Northwestern a chance last week when they hosted Ohio State. In fact, the experts in Las Vegas favored the Buckeyes by nearly 40 points. The weather played a factor, sure, but both teams had to play in the blustery conditions. Northwestern scored the first touchdown of the game and actually held the lead after the first quarter. Running back Andrew Clair, a captain for the Wildcats, joined Dave Eanet and Dan Persa to talk about how the Ohio State game lifted the spirits in the locker room, despite it being a 21-7 loss.

The guys also chatted with Adam Rittenberg, senior writer at ESPN, about his column: Five steps to rebuild five struggling college football programs. They wrapped the show by previewing Saturday’s game against Minnesota, and producer ‘Super Joe’ Romano gave his pick of the week.

The first edition of this season’s College Football Playoff Rankings were released on Tuesday evening. Four Big Ten teams earned a spot in the initial top 25, and it just so happens the team with the highest ranking makes a visit to Evanston this weekend. Northwestern hosts the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday. Wildcats defensive back A.J. Hampton is looking forward to the challenge against OSU, and their Heisman hopeful quarterback: C.J. Stroud. Hampton joined Dave Eanet and Dan Persa to talk about what he and his teammates are focusing on as they prepare for their biggest challenge of the season. Ohio State’s play-by-play announcer, Paul Keels, also joined the show to share insight on the Buckeyes, who have the most efficient offense in college football, according to FootballOutsiders.Com.

Northwestern and Iowa first met on the football field back in 1897, a 12-6 win for the Hawkeyes. Iowa dominated during the 70’s and 80’s, but Northwestern has held their own over the last 30 years. In fact, the Wildcats have won 10-of-the-last-17 games, including four-of-the-last-six. Dave Eanet and Dan Persa invited Jacob Schmidt, Director of Football Operations for Northwestern football, onto the show to talk about the rivalry. Schmidt and Persa were teammates from 2008 through the 2011 season. They shared their memories of the games against Iowa, and talk about what the current Wildcats need to do in order to come away with a win while traveling to a hostile environment.

The bye week can be a polarizing part of a team’s schedule. Northwestern has struggled since their first game of the year, so getting a week to refocus, and nurse nagging injuries was likely welcomed with open arms. Wildcats wide receiver Donny Navarro III, who played his high school ball at Neuqua Valley in Naperville, joins Dave Eanet and Dan Persa to talk about the team’s mindset heading into Saturday’s matchup with Maryland. They also ask Donny about his pervious collegiate stops: Valparaiso, and Illinois. The guys wrap the show with a look around the Big Ten schedule, and get producer ‘Super Joe’ Romano’s pick of the week.

There could not be a better weekend for Northwestern to hold its Homecoming festivities. As the football team looks to snap a losing-streak, division rival Wisconsin makes the journey south to Evanston. The Badgers have been in the news for another reason, though. They decided to part ways with head coach Paul Chryst. Mike Lucas, radio analyst for Wisconsin football, joined Dave Eanet and Dan Persa to share some insight on why the move was made, and how the team has reacted. Later on, Dave and Dan discuss the keys to beating the Badgers, and producer ‘Super Joe’ Romano shares his pick of the week.

Former Wildcats Rashawn Slater and Greg Newsome were selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. It was the first time since 2005 that an NFL team had selected a player from Northwestern in the first round, when the San Diego Chargers took Luis Castillo. The wait for another may not be quite as long. It’s early, but most mock drafts have Northwestern left tackle Peter Skoronski projected as one of the top offensive lineman available next April. Skoronski joined Dave Eanet to talk about his career, growing up rooting for the “wrong” team, as well as the renderings of the proposed design for the new Ryan Field. Dave also previewed this weekend’s game at Penn State with the voice of the Nittany Lions, Steve Jones.

Northwestern burst on the college football scene with their upset victory over Nebraska in Dublin during “Week Zero”. The Wildcats have struggled to ride that momentum, though, losing to Duke and Southern Illinois in back-to-back weeks in Evanston. Northwestern has one more non-conference game before getting into the Big Ten slate. They host Miami of Ohio this Saturday night. Dave Eanet and Dan Persa bring in Louie Vaccher, the publisher and managing editor the Northwestern Rivals site: WildcatReport. They discuss what has gone wrong for Northwestern since their return from overseas, and what can be corrected before returning to conference games next week. Later on, Iowa’s play-by-play announcer, Gary Dolphin, joins the show to discuss Iowa’s win over Nevada which ended well after midnight, despite kicking off at 6:30pm local time. Gary also shares his thoughts on the Hawkeyes’ struggles on the offensive side of the ball.

Dave Eanet and Dan Persa recap Northwestern’s tough 31-28 loss to Duke with WGN Radio sideline reporter Lauren Withrow. Lauren describes the body language of the players after fighting back from down 21 points early to having a chance to force overtime in the final minute of the game. Later on, Dave and Dan are joined by Adam Rittenberg, who covers college football for ESPN. They discuss some of the early storylines in the Big Ten, including Northwestern’s up and down start, the coaching search in Lincoln after Nebraska fired Scott Frost, and how the teams in the West division are stacking up. They wrap the show by looking ahead to Northwestern’s game against Southern Illinois on Saturday, and get producer ‘Super Joe’ Romano’s pick of the week.