Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Open Preseason Practice
8/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 6, 2007
to watch Coach Fitzgerald's comments to the media.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Football season is back!
Monday marked the official start to the 2007 college football season for Northwestern as the Wildcats began their quest for a Big Ten Championship with the first day of practice on a hot and humid day on the Evanston campus.
Practice began with goal line drills propelling the running backs into the end zone on handoffs from different formations. Following the drill, the `Cats began stretching before breaking out into position units and running drills.
Head coach Pat Fitzgerald is optimistic about the upcoming year and expects the season to run a lot smoother than last year without having to deal with the transition to head coach.
"The players know exactly what to expect now with our coaches and it's time to play football. I'm excited to get going."
Quarterback C.J. Bachér is starting the year healthy and looked very sharp in his first practice. During seven-on-seven drills, Bacher led his offense to multiple scores with crisp passes that were right on target to his wide receivers, tight ends and running backs.
"The game is always slowing down. Each game to me gets slower and slower," Bachér said. "The more experience I get, the better I play. From here, we're going to take it one game at a time, focus on Northeastern and start off on the right foot."
Junior running back Tyrell Sutton arrived in tremendous shape and with improved leadership qualities. Sutton was noticeably vocal during drills and led his unit at every station. Sutton believes the new season has brought change that will lead to a winning mentality.
"Coach Fitzgerald has become more of a player's coach now -- more of a head coach," Sutton said. "Instead of constantly trying to spread his message to the media, he can just focus on coaching now. It's a new era. Everything is new. Everything is on the upswing."
As practice ended, the `Cats broke the final huddle with the chant of "Big Ten Champs."
