Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: Northwestern vs. Notre Dame Preview
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Skip Myslenski offers some final notes and quotes from the week that was in advance of Northwestern's trip to historic Notre Dame Stadium Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, NBC).
QUICKLY NOTED:
• There has been talk this season of Northwestern's veterans, particularly on the offensive line, perhaps worrying too much about attempting to play a perfect game. When (inevitable) mistakes occur, there has been concern that the 'Cats have dwelled on those moments rather than shaking them off in time to make the next play.
Interestingly enough, in this conversation, fifth-year senior Brandon Vitabile referenced true freshman running back Justin Jackson and true freshman superback Garrett Dickerson.
"A lot of coaches say Justin and Garrett are going out there and playing really well, and maybe that's because they maybe don't know what they're doing," he said here. "When you're young, you don't know when you're messing up and you're just going out there and cutting it loose."
• In a quest to de-clutter the minds of their personnel, the 'Cats say they have simplified parts of their offense. "But have we changed that much? I don't know that we've changed that much," offensive coordinator Mick McCall said this week.
• Later McCall added, "We need to get the ball out of (Trevor Siemian's) hands. If we've done anything different, we've probably taken some of our offense and gotten the ball out of his hands quicker. I don't think anything necessarily changed other than maybe we've done a little bit more of that and emphasized that."
Which is just what happened during the 'Cats two fourth-quarter scoring drives last Saturday against Michigan. "Sure. Sure," said McCall. "But even earlier in the game we were trying to emphasize, 'Get the ball out of your hands. Get the ball out of your hands.' We just kind of got on a rhythm and our guys started executing. Our guys were blocking people, our guys were executing. Anytime you're executing and getting first downs, those guys get tired on the other side of the football. If they can play three-and-out, three-and-out all day long, shoot, that's easy. It's when you get first down, first down and now you've got to play five plays in a row, six plays in a row on defense, that's hard. That's what we need to do."
• Up this Saturday for the 'Cats is a visit to No. 15 Notre Dame, whom they'll be facing for the first time since their memorable clash in 1995. In their three meetings before that one, the Irish had won them all by a combined score of 111-34. But here, with Gary Barnett as their coach and with a junior middle linebacker named Pat Fitzgerald, they upset the Irish by two and were on their way to a Big Ten championship and their first Rose Bowl (or any bowl) appearance since 1949.
But, when asked on Monday if Saturday's game will stir memories, Fitzgerald said, "I really don't have a whole lot of time for nostalgia right now. We've got a lot of things to fix." And then, when asked on Wednesday if he'll use the 1995 outcome to motivate his underdog 'Cats, he said, "It was 20 years ago. When you think about it, our freshmen weren't even born. Maybe even our sophomores. I think it's great for our fans. I hope they really enjoy it. I hope my teammates and those that were part of that experience, coach Barnett and the staff, enjoy reminiscing. But, nah."
• 'Cats corners Matthew Harris and Nick VanHoose were discussed this week since they'll be severely tested Saturday by Irish quarterback Everett Golson, who's a dual threat. "I think Matt, for a younger player, a sophomore, is a really special player," Fitzgerald said of them. "He reminds me a lot of (current Bear Sherrick) McManis. A lot of pride in the way he plays. He does it every rep.
"I wish we had more depth, then we could get him more involved in the kicking game. But we've gone into some games this year with three corners. That's a pretty scary proposition. So we've been very fortunate that Nick and Matthew have stayed healthy. And outside of Iowa, with Nick, I think he's played really well. And you've got to credit their guys at Iowa. They were on fire. They were just on fire."
• When asked about Golson, Fitzgerald said, "We've seen a lot of dynamic quarterbacks, but I don't know that we've seen a guy who's the complete package like him. We don't study him every year like we do our Big Ten brothers. But just studying their video from this year, he's got a great grasp of their offense. He's a true dual threat. He can run very well. They don't ask him to do a lot of that, but when he's part of the run package he's dangerous. He's got great escapability. When things break down, he keeps plays alive with his legs, keeps his eyes downfield and he has an arm that came make all the throws. He's a complete player. He's a Heisman Trophy candidate for a reason."
AND FINALLY: Chicago-native Fitzgerald, smiling, when asked if he grew up a Notre Dame fan: "Well, yeah. I was Catholic from the South Side. Didn't have a choice."
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