The Slate of Candidates

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football

Aug. 17, 2009

By SKIP MYSLENSKI, NUsports.com Special Contributor

EVANSTON, Ill. -- "Who are those guys?" That line was memorably uttered by Paul Newman in the 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.

"On offense, none of you guys know any of our guys' names." This was a line recently dropped by `Cat coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Newman, as the outlaw Cassidy, was wondering about the identity of the various lawmen on his tail.

Fitzgerald, as a pragmatist, was referring to the relative anonymity of his team's receivers and running backs, who are new to center stage after lingering in the shadows of guys like Tyrell Sutton and Rasheed Ward, Ross Lane and Eric Peterman.

Newman and his sidekick, Robert Redford, were eventually brought down.

The result of the nascent campaign, which is traditionally referred to as preseason practice, is far from known. So, as the stumping begins at the `Cats' camp in Kenosha, we offer you (in alphabetical order) the slate of candidates.

(After all, you can't tell your players without a program.)

RUNNING BACKS

• No. 20 Scott Concannon
Sophomore from Columbia, Mo.
Listed at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds
Has yet to carry the ball in a game . . . Fellow running back Stephen Simmons calls him "The quickest guy I've ever seen in my life." . . . Concannon himself says, "I'm the only one in the room with red hair."

• No. 23 Alex Daniel
Redshirt freshman from Roswell, Ga.
Listed at 6-foot, 195 pounds
"Alex is just one of those people who spaces out," Simmons says of him with a smile. "He'll be looking up in the sky and you can tell he's thinking about something weird."

• No. 19 Arby Fields
Freshman from Alta Loma, Calif.
Listed at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds
On the field, resembles Sutton. "He's small, a little bit taller than me, and just big. He has deceiving size" is Simmons' take . . . Fields also plans to play centerfield come next spring.

• No. 3 Jeravin Matthews
Sophomore from Canonsburg, Pa.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds
One of two true freshman to play last season . . . Began as a wide receiver, but switched to running back before the Michigan game . . . "Jeravin can just run all day, continuously. He just doesn't get tired for some reason," says Simmons . . . "Maybe the fastest player in our program. He can really run," adds Fitzgerald . . . Reports Matthews himself: "I used to have a Mohawk, but I cut it."

• No. 39 Jacob Schmidt
Sophomore from Rhinelander, Wis.
Listed at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds
A walk-on. . . "Jacob is just funny. He's just Jacob. He's the genius out of all of us. And he's a Hodag," says Simmons. . . A Hodag, in case you're wondering, is a mythical creature found only in the Rhinelander area of Northern Wisconsin. According to the site Hodagsightings.com, it "Has the head of a bull, the back of a dinosaur and the leering features of a giant man. Its legs are short, its claws are long and its tail is spear shaped.". . . Oh. Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame center who anchored the Steelers' lines back in the '70s, was also a Hodag.

• No. 25 Stephen Simmons
Junior from St. Louis, Mo.
Listed at 5-foot-8, 180 pounds
Played 10 games last season and started four in place of Sutton and Omar Conteh, who were injured. . . Finished with 178 yards on 62 carries and a pair of touchdowns. . . A big fan of SpongeBob SquarePants. "SpongeBob was always my guy," he explains. "I've got a SpongeBob jacket. I've got three book bags. I've got house shoes. I've got two blankets. I've got two stuffed animals.". . . Also, he never sleeps alone. "Since I was younger," he says further, "I've been sleeping with something. It went moose, pillow, a small red bear, then my SpongeBobs, then my Cookie Monster. Now I've got this new thing called Coco, which is a brown bear that's real soft. I've always had to sleep with something. That's just the way it is.". . . Still, Fitzgerald refers to Simmons as "The elder statesman of the group."

• No. 29 Mike Trumpy
Freshman from Wheaton, Ill.
Listed at 6-foot, 195 pounds
Possesses great football genes; nephew of former Cincinnati Bengal star tight end and NFL broadcaster Bob Trumpy. . . Outstanding prep track athlete. . . Simmons says, "Mike has been slowed with an injury early in camp but he came in with great credentials."

WIDE RECEIVERS

• No. 86 Brendan Barber
Redshirt freshman from Erie, Pa.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds
A walk-on. . . Attended same high school as Colts' All Pro safety Bob Sanders. . . "We call him 'DSL,' like the connector. He's getting his speed," fellow receiver Sidney Stewart says of him. "He's getting faster, so he's 'DSL.'"

• No. 88 Martin Bayless
Redshirt freshman from Fresno, Texas
Listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds
Father Martin played 13 seasons as a safety in the NFL. . . Cousin of Michigan All American and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson. . . Nicknamed Baby Back. "Nicknames, you don't understand. At meetings someone will just say it and it'll stick. So it's just 'Baby Back Bayless,'" explains Stewart. . . Says Bayless himself, "The group of guys I'm competing against are a bunch of perfectionists."

• No. 12 Andrew Brewer
Senior from Tulsa, Okla.
Listed at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds
One of numerous former quarterbacks on the slate. . . Received bachelor's degree in June and enrolled in grad school (communications studies). . . Had 18 catches last season, but has yet to make one for a touchdown. . . Deep into religion and plans to get involved in the ministry after college. . . "We've got a lot of hungry guys out to prove themselves," he says.

• No. 6 Charles Brown
Sophomore from Chicago, Ill.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds
Caught two passes last season, but used primarily on special teams. . . First graduate of Robeson High School to attend Northwestern on athletic scholarship.

• No. 2 Lee Coleman
Junior from Gainesville, Ga.
Listed at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds
Another former quarterback, he has battled injuries through much of his career. . . "Sometimes we call him by his government name, which is Randy. He doesn't like that. He likes Lee better," says Stewart, and then he laughs out loud before adding: "We also call him 'Lee Slowman.'"

• No. 11 Jeremy Ebert
Sophomore from Hilliard, Ohio
Listed at 6-foot, 180 pounds
The other Cat who played last season as a true freshman and another receiver who was a high school quarterback. . . Had 15 receptions for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns. . . Thinking of the competition he faces, he says, "It's going to be fun.". . . Thinking of Ebert, Stewart says, "He looks like Paul Walker, the actor from 'Fast & Furious.'"

• No. 8 Demetrius Fields
Redshirt freshman from Dallas, Texas
Listed at 6-foot, 205 pounds
"He looks like Michael Irvin and he plays like him too," says Stewart. "As a receivers' group, we watched a special on Michael Irvin. Ever since then we've just called him Michael Irvin.". . . Says Fields himself, "The competition has a good time playing the game."

• No. 15 Carl Fisher
Junior from Bolingbrook, Ill.
Listed at 6-foot, 195 pounds
Nicknamed "The Lock Box." "Whatever coach says in our meetings, it doesn't matter what he says, he always remembers it. It could be from two years ago and he'll pull it out," explains Stewart. "So we call him 'The Lock Box.' Everybody calls him 'The Lock Box.'"

• No. 81 Kevin Frymire
Senior from Burr Ridge, Ill.
Listed at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds
Career low-lighted by a litany of injuries. . . Proud to declare himself a Sox fan. . . Got bachelor's degree in June and working on his master's in sports administration.

• No. 49 Mark Ison
Junior from Powell, Ohio
Listed at 6-foot, 195 pounds
A walk-on who has yet to see any game action. . . In 2006, won the Honda Math Medal Award and was among those listed in the Who's Who Among American High School Students. . . He, more interestingly, played some offensive tackle in high school, which makes him unique on this slate of candidates.

• No. 85 Zeke Markshausen
Senior from Capron, Ill.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds
Another walk-on and another who received his bachelor's in June and is working on his master's (of engineering in design and innovation). . . Fellow receivers call him "ZM." Explains Stewart, "People think it stands for Zeke Markshausen, but it really stands for 'Zeke the Machine.' He's in the best condition."

• No. 84 Drew Moulton
Freshman from Freeland, Mich.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds
"He's a new guy. We don't have a name for him yet," says Stewart. . . "It's a lot of fun out there in practice," says Moulton, proving just how new he is.

• No. 83 Kevin Mitchell Senior from Skokie, Ill.
Listed at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds
Another former quarterback and another who received his bachelor's in June and is working on his master's (in sports administration). . . Grew up 10 minutes from Ryan Field and has been a Cat fan all his life. . . Father is in UW-Green Bay's Basketball Hall of Fame. . . Has a nickname that neither he nor any of his teammates will reveal. "Let's keep that in the locker room," says Stewart with a laugh.

• No. 5 Sidney Stewart
Junior from Farmington Hills, Mich.
Listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds
Caught 17 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown last season. . . Once memorized chapters of the Bible. . . When asked his favorite TV show on a questionnaire, he wrote, "I don't really watch TV. It keeps you from experiencing what is really going on in the world.". . . Commonly called "Sid," but reports, "Another nickname I just got from a song, I don't even know what song it is, but it's 'Coldbowlofstew.' Just one word. 'Coldbowlofstew.'". . . Also says, "I feel faster with this bald head I've got going on."

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