Northwestern University Athletics
Spring Football Update -- April 25
4/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 25, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Prior to playing Saturday's Spring Game Presented by Yellow Book USA, Northwestern went through its final practice session on a cool, breezy afternoon on its outdoor fields.
The Wildcats will hold their final scrimmage at 1 p.m. Saturday on Ryan Field, weather permitting.
Following practice, we talked to three of 2002's team leaders:
Place-kicker/Punter David Wasielewski
Q: Can you give us an update on the progress of the kicking game during the spring?
Wasielewski: "It's been pretty even between myself and Brian (Huffman). We're going about neck-and-neck each way. The final decision will come down to the coaches and who they feel more comfortable with."
Q: Do you have a preference -- punting or place-kicking?
Wasielewski: "I would like to do both. I feel as though I can handle them both, and I think I can perform at the level which we need."
Linebacker Pat Durr
Q: Can you summarize the progress made by the defense this spring?
Durr: "It's been pretty good. We're pretty happy with what we're doing right now. We're pretty young, that's the thing. That's why this spring has been so important for our defense -- for everyone. Not just seniors trying to learn the defense, but everyone learning together, everyone helping out one another. Because it's a team game. It's a team defense and it's a team offense. So we're doing pretty good. We're coming along. We're making baby steps. You have to crawl before you walk, so that's the most important thing for us right now."
Q: What's your analysis of the linebackers?
Durr: "Not bad. I'd just say 'Ok,' right now. Because we could be much, much better. And Coach (Pat Fitzgerald) expects us to be great. I hope he expects us to be great, and I like that pressure. Not bad right now. We're pretty young there, too. Really, the guys who've had the most playing time are, if you look at it from last year, are Pohlman and Pickens and me, and Pohlman's playing baseball right now. So it's really John and I out there right now. But like I said, we have to bring everyone along together because everyone's going to get a chance to play next year and we're going to need every single one of them."
Q: The defense didn't play as well as it wanted to in last week's scrimmage. Is there any extra motivation for you guys this Saturday?
Durr: "Of course. We need to come out and redeem ourselves. We came out in the first two scrimmages and we did pretty well against the offense. I wouldn't say great, because we can always use improvement. They kind of stuck it to us last week and that really hurt us. Especially in the ground game, we gave up seven big explosion plays of 10 yards or more. We really need to come back and prove to ourselves, to the rest of the team, and to the fans that the defense is going to do it this year. The offense is going to put up points, that's just the type of style of offense we have and the great players we have. But if we want to go anywhere, if we want to win the Big Ten again, it's going to have to be on the defense's shoulders. So, we need to come out fired up, play hard, and fly around."
Offensive lineman Jeff Roehl
Q: You've been practicing against our defense for three years now. Are we going to see an improvement on that side of the ball this fall? Who are some of the players you are impressed with?
Roehl: "The defense has been working extraordinarily hard this spring under Coach Colby and I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of improvement this fall. They have some new looks they're going to be giving to the opposing offenses and I'm sure they don't want to reveal everything to us right now and put everything in just yet. They're going to have to stop different teams in the fall, but I look for them to be much improved. Pat Durr is probably one of the best linebackers I've ever played against and that includes the guys who are going to the pros this year. Colby Clark is a really good defensive lineman. Those are probably the two on the defense that I think are the most talented."
Q: How has this spring season gone for the offensive line compared to previous springs and what is the outlook for your unit this fall?
Roehl: "I feel that it's good that we have a little continuity right now. The past week or so we've finally found a starting five that we've settled into. Zach Strief, myself, Austin King, Carl Matejka and Derek Martinez. I believe that five can take us to do great things in the fall. Half the battle with the offensive line is getting everybody on the same page and making sure everybody's working together. The first step to that is continuity and I feel like we have some of that. I feel like we can make some big steps toward becoming a dominant offensive line."
