America was somehow finally introduced to Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz during the Wildcats’ 17-7 victory over Wisconsin. There will surely soon be a flurry of articles highlighting the veteran coach who’s been in the business for over 50 years and won a national championship with Colorado well before any current Wildcat player was born.
Hankwitz is coaching his 13th season in Evanston, and his defense has been a hallmark of most Pat Fitzgerald teams. Since 2015, the unit has ranked an average of 24th in the country, according to SP+, which measures efficiency. With a stellar performance against a Badger team that put up consecutive 45+-point outings before facing NU, it got us thinking about where it ranks among the many high-level outings of Wildcat defenses in the past decade-plus.