Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern's Tuesday Practice Report
8/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 17, 2010
KENOSHA, Wis. -- On the heels of a grueling double session on Monday, Northwestern came back strong in its only practice of the day Tuesday at Camp Kenosha. The Wildcats spent much of their two and a half hours on the practice field running 11-on-11 situational scrimmages at their patented "chud" tempo, just a half-step down from full-speed.
Here is a brief practice report from Tuesday morning and early afternoon:
WEATHER
Kenosha continued to offer ideal practice conditions to the 'Cats, with a layer of cloud cover allowing temperatures to top out at no more than 75 degrees. More of the same is predicted for Northwestern's two-a-day on Wednesday.
PRACTICE
• Following its usual early periods of individual skill drills, Northwestern ratcheted up the intensity with its pass protection drill that pits the linebacker corps against running backs and superbacks honing their ability to pick up the blitz. At the outset of the drill, Pat Fitzgerald decreed that the "loser" of each rep would do five pushups and that the unit that won the most total reps would be free from an additional set of pushups.
One of the most impressive reps on either side was the "hat trick" that came courtesy of freshman tailback Tim Hanrahan, who managed to get in three effective chop blocks against his defender on the same rep.
Hanrahan's victory was representative of a solid day for the offense, which came away with the most overall wins in the drill.
• As has been a trend throughout camp, Northwestern's wide receivers continued to shine in team drills. On Tuesday, it was junior Charles Brown who stood out, beginning with one-on-one drills against the cornerbacks where Brown made running touchdown catches in the back of the end zone on consecutive reps. In 11-on-11, Brown hauled in the offense's catch of the day when he elevated across the middle to snag a high pass before hitting the ground hard on the way down.
• Perhaps topping Brown's athletic grab was the interception made by junior Mike Bolden during the situational scrimmage. Guarding his man closely across the middle, Bolden reached in to break up a pass that deflected quickly off the nearby Stone Pinckney and took another tip before settling into Bolden's arms, who was laying in the right spot on the ground.
• Northwestern director of athletics Jim Phillips was on hand Tuesday in Kenosha along with several members of the University administration to watch the Wildcats in action.
QUOTABLE
"I always get in trouble for just bull-rushing because I just want to hit them right in the mouth. But we definitely get to try out our moves too. It's really a drill that gets us better at pass rushing."
-- Senior linebacker Quentin Davie on the linebackers' blitz drill against the running backs and superbacks
NEXT UP
Finished with practice for Tuesday, Northwestern returns to two-a-days on Wednesday. The Big Ten Network will be on site in Kenosha at 8:50 a.m. Wednesday to film segments for its Northwestern special during its annual tour of all 11 Big Ten training camps. NU's second practice of the day will run from 6-8 p.m.
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