Northwestern University Athletics
Spring Football Update -- April 8
4/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 8, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After four spring practice sessions, athletic media services student assistant Randy Scott sat down with Northwestern Head Coach Randy Walker and got his thoughts on the first few days. The Wildcats will continue the practice sessions for the next two-plus weeks before wrapping up their spring with the annual Purple-White game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 27. Practices are scheduled for Tuesday (4 p.m.), Thursday (4 p.m.) and Saturday (TBA) this week.
Q: You've conducted your first four practices inside so far due to the weather. How important is it to get outside?
Walker: "We'd like to be outside. It (being inside) restricts us to some degree. But by the same token, we're used to going in here and about every year, about half of spring ball is inside. It's not our preference, it's not what we want, but it's just what we have to deal with. And hopefully, from what I see in the weather report, it's going to turn around. The end of the week is supposed to be better and hopefully we can get outside."
Q: "How is Tony Stauss doing at quarterback? And what about Matt Danielson and Brett Basanez?
Walker: "He's done a great job. I told him two years ago, when we recruited him, that the key for him was to not come in and put a lot of pressure on himself, because I really believed Zak Kustok was going to be a great player. It turns out, I was right. He had a chance to sit in the wings, if you will, be an apprentice and to get better. In a lot of ways, he learned from a very good quarterback ahead of him. And we can't rule out Matt and Brett. They're working extremely hard. Now, we're not as sharp as you think, because, by and large, we've made significant changes in our passing game. So, we don't look as crisp or as sharp. And let's face it, you get a certain rhythm with the one quarterback, and we're not there yet. But, we're going to get a handle on this passing game, I think it's going to really help us and make us a better football team. And it's just a matter of time in practice, in development."
Q: How about the running back position? How do you rate Jeff Backes' progress in comparison to the other returnees?
Walker: "A lot depends on how well Jeff matures in the system, and it looks to me like he's picking it up pretty well. He had a great offseason. He ran a 4.35 on pro-timing day. We can coach the running game, but I don't know if you can coach 4.35. So he's legit fast and he's got some natural instinct. The key is just getting him to come along in the system and grow. And as we go through spring, we'll learn more and more about him. It's too soon to tell. The one thing I know for sure is I know Kevin Lawrence will come back and make an impact. Kevin Lawrence was a bright spot last year -- I thought he played well. I think we saw some positive things out of Torri Stuckey after the injuries hit and we had a lot of guys out. He ended up stepping up. Torri had a great game against Illinois. So we know he can be a quality player. We have a competitive situation at running back. And I think Backes will be in the hunt, Jason Wright and Louis Ayeni. We have a bunch of guys right now vying for some playing time."
Q: How is the defense responding to new coordinator Greg Colby?
Walker: "We're still a little tentative. I said that to the defense on Monday as I visited with some of the position groups. I know there's a lot in their heads, and it hasn't settled in yet. But we have smart kids and I know they're going to get it. And hopefully, it starts sinking in soon. I think it will. I'm real excited about the scheme we're playing and I think our kids feel good about it. It's just a matter of getting a grasp on it and going from there."
Q: You said you were looking at Pat Durr to be one of the defensive leaders on the field for this team, does it look like he's doing that so far?
Walker: "Yeah, Pat is going to be a leader for us. I also think Raheem Covington will be a guy who can lead for us. I think those two seniors will step up. But I think we'll have some other guys too. I don't think leadership is solely placed on seniors. I think other guys can lead. I'm sure other guys will as well. It's good to see some of those old hands, some of those guys who have been around the block a time or two step up and get it done for us."
Q: You had two new recruits (Clifton Dawson and Alexander Webb) enroll in school for the spring quarter. They are now participating in spring practice. How have they done?
Walker: Well, first of all, they have to do a great job on the back end. Going through clearinghouse, making sure you're eligible to play, all the things that go along with that. That's always a tedious process, and it's especially demanding during the season, during the year. So they had to really accelerate all those things. Clifton especially, being a foreign student (Canada), getting a student visa and all that. So, they both expressed an interest in doing that in recruiting. And the whole key is, 'Can you pull it off?' Because there's a bunch of hoops to jump through. Fortunately they pulled it off, and our admissions people and housing and all the people that have to make things work here helped us out and we were able to get them enrolled for the last quarter. They've done a good job. One thing I sensed in our kids and I see it all the time is that they're a very warm and receptive group. They really do a good job making freshmen and newcomers welcome and part of it. So I think it's going along real well."
NEXT UPDATE: Tuesday, April 9
