Northwestern University Athletics
NU Brings Toughness to Defensive Trenches
4/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 15, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill - To be a successful defensive lineman in the Big Ten, one must possess a certain type of toughness. This durability means that nobody -- even mammoth offensive linemen tipping the scales at 330+ pounds -- can divert you from where you need to go on the field.
NU's defensive line began displaying that toughness in 2003, helping a defense hold eight of its 13 opponents to less than 150 yards rushing. Senior defensive tackle Colby Clark (Austin, Texas/Westlake) is the veteran of that unit, leading all NU players with 35 career starts. NUsports.com sat down with Clark and first-year coach Eric Washington to talk about toughness, discipline and what NU's defensive line needs to accomplish for the unit to keep going where it needs to go.
Defensive Tackle Colby Clark
NUsports.com: Having the most starts out of any current NU player, how have you matured through your four years here?
CC: My mental approach to the game has really developed over the last four years. As a younger player, I would watch game film, but I wouldn't study it. Now I can take game film and really pick out certain things that would help key me in to not only tendencies displayed by my opponent, but myself also. Studying game film has really helped me become a smarter, more thinking defensive player.
NU: What is your favorite thing about playing on NU's defensive line?
CC: I love the toughness of it all. I play a position that probably requires the maximum amount of durability and an unyielding determination to wear your opponent down. To be a defensive lineman you can't be soft; sometimes you have to be plain mean. I play a position where you go into every play knowing that there is going to be some kind of violent contact of some sort. I love it.
NU: Northwestern displayed dominance on the defensive side of the ball during the 1995 and '96 seasons. What do you think the defense of '04 needs to accomplish to return to the days when the 'Cats led the Big Ten in almost every defensive category?
CC: We have to get our entire defense clicking on the same page at the same time. The majority of the time we are focused on our jobs, but there will be that one individual play when a guy isn't doing what he's supposed to. That will get you beat. Trust is probably the most important thing. Players need to trust in what the coaches and the seniors say. When complete trust is displayed between all of us, then the sky is the limit for this defense.
Defensive Line Coach Eric Washington
NUsports.com: What unique coaching style do you bring to your players and to NU's defense?
Eric Washington: I believe I bring a strong emphasis on discipline. As a Naval Officer, I learned that becoming a successful person requires a great amount of discipline. The same can be applied to the field. If a player isn't showing discipline in all aspects of his game, he can get his team beat.
NU: You played college football at Grambling State University for the legendary coach Eddie Robinson. What sort of things have you learned from him that you can apply to coaching here at NU?
EW: The one thing that coach Robinson taught us was to have great concentration, or focus. He told us that if you're in the classroom, there is no room to be focusing on football, and vice versa when you're out on the field. One must completely focus on the job at hand to effectively accomplish what one wants to. He also believed that practice repetitions were key, but quality repetitions were more important. To get the most out of practice, he believed that you must do something over and over, but also be doing it right at the same time.
NU: With All-Big Ten candidate Loren Howard recovering from off-season ankle surgery, how do you plan to put certain guys in your unit in a position where they can step up and make positive contributions?
EW: The one thing that makes this defensive line effective is its ability to be flexible. Almost all of our guys can play either on the interior or the outside of the line. Colby Clark has done a nice job playing on the outside and getting some quality looks. Even big guys like Barry Cofield are stepping up and playing end in some situations. This versatility helps us become a more complete unit.
Practice 10 Notes
With partly cloudy skies and temperatures climbing into the lower 70's, the 'Cats experienced near-perfect practice conditions for Thursday's session ... Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kim Thompson (Inkster, Mich./Detroit Country Day) continued to display his steadily improving receiving skills with a leaping 30-yard pass reception, just over the outstretched hands of the defender ... In live inside run drills, the defense dominated, surrendering only three yards total on the ground ... Near the conclusion of practice, redshirt freshman running back Nathan Shanks (Taylorville, Ill./Taylorville) provided the offensive play-of-the-day as he grinded out a 20-yard running play, sending up a roar from the offensive sideline. After outrunning numerous defenders, Shanks finished his run by lowering his shoulder and running over the final defender who tried to take him down ... NU will return to the action on Saturday, with a scrimmage scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. at Ryan Field (weather permitting).
