Northwestern University Athletics
Football Team Gets Ready for Duke
9/13/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 13, 1999
NORTHWESTERN FOOTBALL (1-1) at Duke (0-1)
DATE/TIME: Sept. 18, 1999/11:00 a.m.
SITE: Wallace Wade Stadium (cap. 33,941)
TELEVISION: Jefferson Pilot Production, not shown locally
RADIO: WGN (720 AM)
The Northwestern Wildcats travel to Durham, N.C., to take on the Duke Blue Devils. The game marks the final nonconference game of 1999 for the ?Cats and the second contest for Duke. Northwestern got back on the winning track (and provided Head coach Randy Walker with his first victory at NU) with a 17-7 win over TCU last Saturday at Ryan Field. Duke opened up its 1999 campaign with a 27-9 setback at East Carolina. Today?s game marks the 10th meeting between the two teams.
THE DUKE SERIES
Series Record: 7-2, Duke leads
First Meeting: 1985, Duke won 40-17
Last DU win at DU: 1989, 41-31
Last NU win at DU: 1996, 38-13
Current Series Streak: Duke, one game
NU?s Largest Victory Margin: 25 points, 38-13 in 1996
DU?s Largest Victory Margin: 34 points, 44-10 in 1998
HEAD COACH RANDY WALKER
Randy Walker took over the reins of the Northwestern football program on January 20, 1999 with an impressive coaching resume. The 44-year-old Walker, who had coached Miami University for nine seasons, departed Oxford as the winningest head coach in school history. His mark at Miami of 59-35-5 (.621) is even more impressive when you consider the coaching greats which Miami had produced: Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler... and the list goes on. Walker graduated from Miami in 1976 with a B.A. in social studies education and earned a master?s degree in educational administration from his alma mater in 1981. He starred for MU as a fullback, leading them to three-straight Tangerine Bowl victories. Upon graduation, Walker was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, but returned to Miami to help as a graduate assistant and the next year became a full-time assistant in charge of running backs under Dick Crum. When Coach Crum departed for North Carolina, Walker joined him and spent the next 10 seasons as a Tar Heel. He coached various positions, ending up as the offensive coordinator. From there, he spent two seasons as Northwestern?s running backs coach (1988-89) and, in 1990, took over as the head coach at Miami.
CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Following the TCU game, 17 players earned Championship Performance recognition from the NU coaching staff. They were Damien Anderson, Kevin Bentley, Harold Blackmon, Leon Brockmeier, Aaron Burrell, John Cerasani, Shegun Cummings-John, Javiar Collins, Jeff Dyra, Napoleon Harris, Rob Johnson, Michael Jones, Dwayne Missouri, Mark Perry, Sam Simmons, Salem Simon and Jay Tant. Each player earned an N-Cat decal that will be placed on his helmet. The offensive player of the game was Damien Anderson, the defensive player of the game was Kevin Bentley and the special teams player of the game was Sam Simmons. The defensive Big Playmaker was Harold Blackmon, while the offensive Big Playmaker was Sam Simmons. The offensive scout of the week was Zak Kustok and the defensive scout of the week was Matt Anderson. These two players also receive N?Cat helmet decals.
NOTES FROM THE TCU GAME
? Damien Anderson rushed 29 times for 98 yards, more than TCU had allowed in its last three games combined: Arizona, 14 yds, USC, -23 yds and UNLV, 67 yds. Anderson is average 114 yards per game in 1999.
? Sam Simmons? 87-yard punt return was the second longest in NU history. Otto Graham returned one 93 yards against Kansas State in 1941.
? Simmons? punt return for a TD was the first by a Wildcat since Brian Musso did it against Duke in 1996.
? Simmons (71 yards) and Anderson (67) had the longest receptions of their careers. Simmons? 71-yard reception, which led to an Anderson rushing TD, was the longest since D?Wayne Bates had an 81-yard reception last year.
? Jay Tant got more involved in the offensive in game two. Against Miami, he caught one pass for nine yards, versus TCU he hauled in four for 49 yards.
? Nick Kreinbrink steadied himself in game two, completing 11-of-22 for 220 yards. The 71-yard connection to Simmons was the longest of his career.
? Kevin Bentley had 14 tackles, nine unassisted, surpassing the career best (10) he set last week versus Miami. Bentley currently is tied for the lead in the Big Ten in tackles with 24. ? Dwayne Missouri had one of the four Wildcat sacks, giving him three for the season. That total matches his sack mark of 1998.
? Harold Blackmon had one PBU and now has 13 in his career, one shy of the ninth spot on NU?s all-time list held by Chris Martin (1992-95) and Willie Lindsey (1989-92).
TCU GAME RECAP
An 87-yard punt return and two receptions for more than 60 yards powered Northwestern to a 17-7 win over Texas Christian Saturday at Ryan Field. The Wildcats evened their season record at 1-1 and presented first-year head coach Randy Walker with his first win at NU and the 60th of his career. The Wildcats took the lead for good on their first possession of the second half, scoring two plays after sophomore wide receiver Sam Simmons broke free for a 71-yard completion to the TCU one-yard line. Two plays later, Damien Anderson powered in to give NU a lead it would not relinquish. Simmons made two catches on the day for 84 yards, complementing his 87-yard punt return for a TD that evened the score at 7-7 near the end of the first quarter. It was Northwestern?s first punt return for a touchdown in three years, and its second-longest ever, behind only a 93-yard return by Otto Graham vs. Kansas State in 1941. Anderson, a junior, added nearly 200 yards of offense with 110 yards on 29 carries and a 67-yard sideline completion that set up an NU field goal in the fourth quarter. Junior quarterback Nick Kreinbrink nearly doubled his offensive output from a week ago, spreading out the Horned Frog defense for double-digit-yard completions to four different receivers. Defensively, Northwestern allowed TCU to march 80 yards for a touchdown on the first drive of the game, but stiffened after that. Eight of the next nine Horned Frog possessions ended in punts, the other resulted in a missed field goal. NU protected its lead by stifling the Horned Frogs on four plays in Wildcat territory late in the third quarter, and again when sophomore linebacker Kevin Bentley blitzed the TCU quarterback and recovered an ensuing fumble after TCU had first and goal on the NU 6-yard line early in the fourth. Bentley led the Wildcats with 10 tackles, including a third-quarter sack for a 10-yard loss that killed another promising TCU drive. STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
TCU?s first drive last Saturday went 80-yards in 10 plays ( 8.0 average) and ended with a touchdown. After that, Northwestern held the Horned Frogs to just 68 yards on 26 plays (2.6 average) for the rest of the half and 238 yards on 66 plays (3.6 average) for the rest of the day.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Six true freshmen have seen playing time in each of the first two games this season. Running back Louis Ayeni has eight rushes for 24 yards and two kickoff returns for 27 yards, wide receiver Jon Schweighardt tallied two receptions for 16 yards, and linebacker Vince Cartaya recorded two tackles. In addition, linebackers Pat Durr and Regis Eller as well as center Austin King also have played versus Miami and TCU.
CHICAGO CONNECTION
Northwestern?s two-deep is loaded with players from the Chicagoland area. On offense: Tight end John Cerasani (Schaumburg/Schaumburg), wide receiver Teddy Johnson (Elgin/Larkin), wide receiver Jon Schweighardt (Wheaton/Wheaton-Warrenville), fullback Mike Sherry (Griffith, Ind./Griffith), wide receiver Derrick Thompson (Harvey/Thornton Township) and offensive lineman Jon Walters (Naperville/Central). On defense: D-Back Harold Blackmon (Chicago/Leo), linebacker Pat Durr (St. Charles/St. Charles), defensive tackle Jeff Dyra (Chicago/St. Patrick), and defensive end Pete Konopka (Marengo/Marion). On special teams: Long snapper Jack Harnedy (Chicago/Mt. Carmel) and punter J.J. Standring (Chicago/St. Rita).
TOUGH SCHEDULE
The Wildcats, according to Sports Illustrated, have the 15th toughest schedule in Division I-A. They play three teams currently ranked in the top 15 (Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin), four which won bowl games last season (Michigan, Purdue, TCU and Wisconsin), and Miami which went 10-1 in 1998.
BIG'UNS
For the sixth-straight year, Northwestern boasts a roster with several players over 300 pounds. Offensive linemen and their weight are as follows: Lance Clelland (302), Joe Collins (305), Adam Fay (300) and Brian Hemmerle (300). Left tackle Javiar Collins (300) is the lone defensive player at 300 pounds or higher.
SAM SIMMONS
Last year as a true freshman, Sam Simmons made the biggest impact of the 1998 recruiting class. Simmons led the Big Ten and ranked eighth in the nation in kickoff returns (22 for 607 yards, 27.6 ypr). In addition, Simmons made a remarkable 46-yard TD grab at Wisconsin, showed great moves in a 20-yard TD run at Penn State and had a 67-yard kick return at Rice. This season, he will stay put at the wide receiver position, but will add punt returns to his kickoff return duties. In two games this season, Simmons has returned four punts for an average of 27.8 ypr (including an 87-yard score), five kickoffs for an average of 26.2 ypr, five receptions for a 28.6 ypc average (including a 71-yard reception to the one-yard line) and six rushes, averaging 8.0 yards per carry. Simmons was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his 87-yard punt return score in the TCU contest.
BEST CONDITIONED ATHLETES
Strength and conditioning are two topics that Coach Walker preaches the most. His top five best conditioned players are linebacker Kevin Bentley, defensive tackle Jeff Dyra, tight end Jay Tant and linebackers Salem Simon and Conrad Emmerich. The results were based on bench, squat, clean, 40-yard dash, pro shuttle, 300-yard shuttle and vertical leap.
TELEVISED GAMES IN 1999
Since 1995, 45 of NU's 50 contests have been televised. In 1998, all 12 of NU?s games were shown on television. Thus far this season, the TCU (ESPN Regional), Duke (Jefferson Pilot) and Iowa (ESPN Regional) games have been selected for broadcast. Other games may be selected for broadcast 10 to 12 days prior to the contest. Since NU football was first televised on October 27, 1951 ? when the 'Cats entertained Wisconsin in Evanston ? the Wildcats have been featured on 95 occasions.
OUT FOR THE SEASON
? Ty Garner, a senior offensive lineman, suffered a torn ACL & MCL last year in practice. He took a medical noncounter and even though he has one year of eligibility remaining, his injuries preclude him from returning to football.
? Chris Jones, a sophomore linebacker, tore his ACL in the Miami game. He will have surgery sometime in the near future.
? Scott Musso, a fifth-year senior defensive back, suffered a career-ending injury when he tore his achilles last year. He took a medical noncounter.
? David Penake, a junior punter, had surgery last week to repair a torn ACL, which he injured before coming to Northwestern.
THE RANDY WALKER SHOW
Look for The Randy Walker Show Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Chicago. The show will be repeated at 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15 and at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17. Dave Eanet, the voice of Wildcat Football on WGN Radio, serves as the host. The show will feature an ?Ameritech Ask the Coach? segment. Fans can send in their questions to Coach Walker at nusports.com and if their question is read on the show, they?ll receive a Gift Pack, courtesy of Ameritech.
DID YOU KNOW?
Head coach Randy Walker?s all-time coaching mark of 60-36-5 (.619) is the 18th best among active coaches in Division I?
LIVE CHAT SESSION
Head coach Randy Walker will take part in a live chat session on Wednesdays from 7 to 7:15 p.m. during the football season. Fans can log on at nusports.com or ESPN.com to ask their questions. The feature begins this Wed., Sept. 15.
HARRY CARAY LUNCHEONS
Coach Walker, selected players and Wildcat fans meet at Harry Caray?s Restaurant the Friday before home football games. The festivities begin with a reception at 11:30 a.m. and the luncheon starts at noon. Harry Caray?s is located at 33 West Kinzie in downtown Chicago. Tickets are $25 apiece.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats stay on the road following the Duke contest, when they travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Game time for the Sept. 25 contest is 11:00 a.m. and will be shown nationally on ESPN2.
