Northwestern University Athletics
ON THE RECORD...With The Running Back Committee
10/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 12, 2009
Stephen Simmons was sick in bed and Scott Concannon was recovering from a concussion. But Jacob Schmidt and Jeravin Matthews and Arby Fields, the rest of the committee the Cats employ at running back, recently gathered to discuss their craft, their unusual circumstance and much else with NUsports.com Special Contributor Skip Myslenski. . .
ON THE RECORD...With The Running Back Committee
Jacob: We're all striving for a common goal. As long as we're out there helping the team, it doesn't matter who's on the field.
Arby: The other thing is, coming from California, I went to a lot of USC practices and we all know they have five or six running backs who touch the ball. Some of those guys I know on a personal level. We're all friends here (at Northwestern). We don't wish for anybody to do badly. When one person is in the game, we all want each other to do well. We don't wish for somebody to do badly so I can get the opportunity. That's how it is at different places.
| Also in this issue of "The Den" |
In this room, we all help each other. Jacob helps me a lot, Steph, Jeravin, they've been nothing but helpful to me. I've got buddies at other places, they're on their own. It's like, "I don't want this freshman to come in and take away from my playing time or my touches." It's not like that here and I'm very grateful for that.
Jeravin: I think we all bring something special to the table. Every guy has his own unique running style. Every guy's different. Our personalities are different. I think that helps brings us together in the room.
Jacob: Jeravin brings the speed, Arby brings the quicks and I bring the power. When Steph's in there, he has quickness too. And Scottie, phew, we all know what he can do. Shake and bake.
Jeravin: We have our pyramid of values.
If you're talking about egos, you just kind of check your ego at the door. It's not about you. It's about the team. If the coaches put Jacob in the game for a certain reason, he's probably better at that. That's what he brings to the table. That's what we have to realize and I think we all do a really good job of checking our egos at the door and working together.
Jacob: I think that applies to the whole team, too. When guys are recruited here, and when they come here, you check your ego at the door.
Nobody cares what you did in high school. Nobody cares what watch list you're on. Nobody cares what All-American list you're on. It's who does it on the field and who produces and who's a good teammate.
Arby: When you're in the game, of course you have a type of swagger. You want to do well. You don't go in there lackadaisical, by any means. We're all men and have egos.
We don't have egos against each other. We have egos when we have the ball in our hands. We want the ball in our hands, we want to go make plays. That's how we look at it.
Jacob: I took it with a little chip on the shoulder. Within our room, we knew we had the talent and the guys to get the job done. Yeah, outside guys, everyone looking in, the media, we were a question mark. We took that as a challenge. We had to step up and produce and I think we have.
Arby: I'm watching at home on TV and it's, shoot, both Tyrell (Sutton) and Omar (Conteh) are leaving, who's going to carry the ball? I came in here, once we went through camp, went through Kenosha, I'm thinking, "People don't know we have five guys who can legitimately carry the ball."
Jeravin: As the season's gone along, I think that question mark is starting to disappear a little bit. We're putting a lot of that stuff to rest. Like Jacob said, we came in with a little chip on our shoulder. We had something to prove. But Coach Mac (running backs coach Matt MacPherson) says it before the games. "You won't have to look to find us." We're right there. We're all ready to make plays.
I picked up stuff from Tyrell not necessarily from him telling me face-to-face. But watching him and the way he plays and the passion he plays with, that's the biggest thing I learned from him. Just watching him run with that never-go-down, never-give-up attitude.
Jacob: And how he approached each game. He was one of the hardest runners we've had. He was prepared. He had football intelligence. And game day, that was his day. That was something we've all taken and stepped up and tried to meet.
I think we would each say ourselves. I'm one of the most competitive people that I know. But I know that everybody in our room has that same aspect.
Jeravin: We're all friends. We're all there to look out for each other. But when one of us is out there and the rest of us see that he makes a play, it just makes you want to go out there and make a play too. It's like, "Jacob's going hard." That makes me want to go harder. Then when I go harder, that makes Arby want to go harder.
Arby: We all compete. I think competing is fun. I like when we go out there, the defense is talking trash to us, saying we can't get a first down, stuff like that, there's not one running back, I don't think there's one player on our team who doesn't enjoy that.
Like Jeravin said, we compete against other. Jacob runs somebody over during goal line and gets in the end zone, we're all on his hat and happy. But then we want to do it too.
Jacob: I was so jacked and I didn't even run into the end zone. I fell into the end zone, got up, jumped around, just enjoyed it. It's why you're out there. You're out there to put points on the board and when you get in there, yeah, act like you've been there. But you've got to have fun, you've got to enjoy it.
There's nothing like the first time, I'll tell you that. You try to soak it all in.
Arby: My first time, I didn't know what to do. My first time, I just handed the ball to the referee and tried to get back to the sideline. It all happened so fast.
Jeravin: I'm still searching for the end zone.
Jacob: You'll get it. You'll get it.
Jeravin: When I get it, we'll see what I do.
Jacob: You don't even think about it. Your body takes over and you do what you do.
Arby: When you have the ball in your hands, you don't think too much at all. You practice all week, you prepare. But like Coach Mac says, we're in this room for a reason. We're running backs. We know what to do with the ball in our hands.
A lot of it is just instinct and we all have great instincts.
You do all the work during the week and, on Saturday, it's second nature. You just know what to do.
Jeravin: Once you're in the open field, it's all just freestyle.
Jacob: Barry Sanders.
Arby: I was Emmitt Smith.
Jeravin: I'm a Steelers' fan, so Jerome Bettis. Not as big. A little faster.
Jacob: Why Barry Sanders? He was the man. You couldn't get that guy down. The play was never over with the ball in his hands. He was so fun to watch. He made it exciting.
Heck, no. But I always dreamed to be as shifty as him.
Arby: I was a diehard Cowboys fan. My family's from Texas. So I grew up watching him. He definitely wasn't the biggest guy, but he approached the game with a tenacious attitude.
I used to watch him, then go out in the front yard with my dad and try to resemble him and do the things he did on TV.
Jeravin: I was born in Pittsburgh, I was born a Steelers' fan, I grew up watching The Bus. I liked how hard he ran, his toughness. I bought The Bus tee shirt and everything.
Arby: Pray. That's what I do before a game. I thank God for the opportunity to play football and for bringing me here. Like Coach (Pat Fitzgerald) says, there's a million-and-one people who want to be in our position, to have the opportunities that we have. So I pray for strength, pray for no injuries and pray for a win.
I like to listen to "Put Me In The Game" by Lil Wayne.
Jeravin: Usually on Thursday night, I like to check with my family, just make sure everyone's all right. It's always nice to know you have people behind you and I never missed a time when I called my mom. I make sure I talk to her. And I actually have a Godson now, so I make sure I call my cousin and make sure he's OK and is actually going to be in front of the TV with my cousin watching the game.
"Batter Up" by Nelly.
Jacob: For me, it's all about my food. Pre-game meal, I'll eat the same thing. One chicken. Two fish. Three pieces of the steak. Some rice and green beans. And a cheescake. This is Friday night. Then the snack, I always get two cookies and a banana.
Saturday, it's music. I listen to the same songs coming to the stadium. A little Eminem. A little Fiddy. 50 Cent. I said it like my brothers here. A little Young Jeezy.
I don't forget.
Arby: It's like putting on your socks, putting on your helmet.
Jacob: Forty-Six Dash. It's downhill. It's power. It's third-and-one. You need that yard. Put your head down and get it. That's my play.
Arby: I like 48 Truck. It's an outside zone play. You read the tight end's block and after that, it usually hits outside and you just run forever.
Jeravin: The whole Husky package.
Jacob: Just call it "The Jeravin."
Jeravin: It's got a lot of plays when you're in motion and get outside a lot. That used to be my trademark in high school. Get to the edge and run.
I play video games against Scottie. Scottie and I are the two big gamers in the room.
They can get pretty out of control. Sometimes we'll be on the same team. But when we're on opposite teams, it can get pretty heated.
Arby: Steph and I go at it about anything and everything. Maybe one day it'll be about jokes, mom jokes, or who's taller. We always go back and forth like that.
Nah. Nah. They're locker room jokes.
Jeravin: I like to mess with Arby a lot. I call him slow all the time.
Arby: It always seems everyone's coming at me. Scottie, he'll quiz me on a play or something. If I don't get the exact right answer, he'll tell me I'm stupid or something.
Jacob: You're a freshman.
Arby: I guess it used to be Jeravin and now, Jeravin and I room with each other when we travel and Jeravin, well, I don't have a problem with it. We're all friends, so it's ok.
Jeravin: When push came to shove, when Peters came into our room with that pillow.
Arby: Right, right. Tell him that story.
Jeravin: One night Brian Peters, safety, just charged our room with a pillow.
We had connecting rooms. Arby and I are sitting in there and he comes in and starts beating on me. Then Arby comes and starts beating on him and I got a pillow and (Peters) just got whooped.
Arby: Yeah. We all look out for each other.
