Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Spar in Annual Camp Kenosha Intra-Squad Scrimmage
8/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 16, 2008
Post Scrimmage Reaction
Scrimmage Highlights
Big Ten Network Kenosha Special Videos
Fitzgerald Interview
Practice Video
KENOSHA, Wis. -- Northwestern conducted its annual intra-squad scrimmage Saturday under sunny skies in front of a large contingent of Wildcat faithful at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. All three units -- offense, defense, and special teams -- put forth impressive efforts, displaying flashes of what Northwestern fans can expect from the squad once the season opens against Syracuse on Aug. 30.
"I was encouraged today by a lot of the opportunities to teach and coach," head coach Pat Fitzgerald said after the game. "I'm proud to say I think we are further along at this point than we were the previous two years, but it will be critical to take what we saw here today and learn from it when we hit the field again Monday."
Once all of the fans had their fill of pre-game sausages and bratwursts, Saturday's contest featured close to 90 plays from scrimmage and saw the purple-and-white use a long list of personnel as the offense and defense battled one another.
Early on it appeared the offense would have the upper hand as senior quarterback C.J. Bachér hit on two big scoring plays in the game's first three possessions. Bachér connected with senior wide receiver Eric Peterman for a 47-yard touchdown to open the scoring before finding freshman wide-out Jeremy Ebert on a 56-yard catch-and-run down the middle of the field just minutes later.
Bachér finished his afternoon having completed 10-of-17 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. In all, Northwestern quarterbacks completed passes to 11 different receivers. Senior Ross Lane led the way with four catches for 53 yards including a 17-yard touchdown grab from Bachér.
Defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz then saw his unit assert itself as it forced the offense into three-and-outs on three of the following four possessions. Sophomore defensive end Corbin Bryant headed the charge for the defense, registering a sack and two tackles during that stretch. Bryant's teammate on the defensive line, redshirt freshman Vince Browne, also proved to be a nuisance to the offense by tallying three tackles as well as a sack on a crucial third-down play.
The linebacker corps received a big boost from sophomore Quentin Davie, who led all defensive players with five solo tackles on the day.
Fans in attendance were treated to a great all-around performance by redshirt freshmen running back Jacob Schmidt, who totaled a team-leading 58 rushing yards and 33 yards through the air in addition to his duties on special teams. Schmidt got the crowd on its feet with a 51-yard touchdown scamper after taking the handoff on a second-and-two play and turning the corner on the right side of the offensive line.
Following an off-day on Sunday, Northwestern will conclude the 2008 edition of Camp Kenosha with a double-session practice Monday before returning to Evanston Tuesday morning.
NORTHWESTERN PRESEASON SCRIMMAGE STATISTICS
Rushing
Schmidt 3-58, 1 TD; Simmons 10-32; Conteh 6-22; Sutton 3-13; Scott 1-7; Kafka 4-(2); Mauro 1-(2); Persa 1-(6); Bachér 1-(9); Matthews 1-(11).
Passing
Bachér 10-17-0, 192 yds., 3 TD's; Kafka 7-13-0, 64 yds., Persa 4-8-0, 26 yds.; Mauro 1-4-1, 5 yds.; Scott 2-3-0, 12 yds.
Receiving
Lane 4-53, 1 TD; Schmidt 4-33; Markshausen 3-41; Stewart 3-17; Peterman 2-50, 1 TD; Ebert 2-60, 1 TD; Bayless 2-20; Sutton 1-17; Ward 1-8; Ison 1-4; Simmons 1-(2).
Tackles (S-A=Total)
Davie (5-0=5), Dinard (2-3=5), Bryant (2-2=4, 1 sack), Browne (3-0=3, 1 sack), Bolden (3-0=3), Arrington (2-1=3), Mabin (2-1=3), Pinckney (2-1=3), Weina (2-1=3), Dockery (1-2=3), Johnson (0-3=3), Phillips (2-0=2), Cisek (2-0=2), Arnold (1-1=2), Mims (1-1=2), Harper (1-1=2), Nwabuisi (0-2=2), N. Williams (0-2=2), Gill (1-0=1, 1 sack), Thomas (1-0=1), Arnfelt (1-0=1), Kurzawski (1-0=1), Luxenburg (1-0=1), Kwateng (1-0=1), DiNardo (1-0=1), Smith (1-0=1), TEAM (1-0=1, 1 sack), Peters (0-1=1).
