Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Wrap Up Spring Season
4/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 23, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Randy Walker and the Wildcats completed the 15-practice spring season with a 17-period session in front of a capacity crowd at Trienens Hall on Saturday. NU suited up in uniforms and conducted practice as usual before talking with fans and signing autographs after practice. NUsports.com chatted with Coach Walker about his thoughts on the spring.
NUsports.com: How do you feel the spring season went?
Walker: The spring is not outcome based at this point. It is about the process of getting better, growing as a football team. We had a very physical spring, and our scrimmages have been quite long. We needed to play a lot and do a lot of things full-out. We had more reps this spring than previous years. I have been pleased with the growth, and pleased with a lot of things I see. I also know there is a lot of work that needs to be done between now and August.
NUsports.com: Why did you feel it was more beneficial to have a regular practice today rather than a scrimmage?
Walker: We wanted to get a quality practice in. We are down to one tailback and four linebackers, so we wanted to try to get the best that we could out of this deal. We wanted to just get them one day better. We didn't want to put on some kind of show. We had a lot of guys that could have had a positive today, and we did a lot of competitive things today that revealed a lot of good things.
NUsports.com: Were there any surprises this spring?
Walker: I come in expecting that we have talented players, so when a guy performs to his level of excellence, I am not surprised. I didn't recruit them to be average. There is a lot of time between now and September.
NUsports.com: If you had everyone healthy, would you like to have a balanced offense?
Walker: I am always a believer in a balanced offense. I start with rushing the football and I believe in that style of play. We ran the ball a lot. We had 120 live scrimmage plays last Saturday. We were down to one tailback and we are not going to run him to death. I think we have the capabilities -- when we get out guys back -- I believe our line is going to come around.
NUsports.com: What is the running back situation looking like right now?
Walker: Brandon Roberson helped his case this spring. I thought he was good, but he had a better spring than I thought he would have. He is not a finished product, but he was productive. He was very good in the passing game, that's usually the last thing to come around in a running back. He has put himself in a position to beat right now. He has done a good job. I think Terrell will get back and be competitive and the other guys will too. This job is too big for any two people. I believe we will have two backs, and it will be a good, competitive situation.
