Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: Friday Notes - Nebraska
10/23/2015 3:22:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
QUITE A COMEBACK: His off-season would be mottled by back surgery and operations on both of his ankles and a pernicious staph infection in his pelvis that threatened his life. He would, in the wake of all that, lose 25 pounds and his considerable strength and valuable training time, and he would not appear this season until he made an emotional return Oct. 3 against Minnesota. But just two weeks later, in the 'Cats loss last Saturday to Iowa, right guard Matt Frazier was such a force that his coaches later named his team's Offensive Player-of-the-Game. "It wasn't a surprise," he said on Wednesday when asked if the award was just that.
"I remember thinking during the game that I was playing well. I had a few mistakes that stuck out to me that I'm trying to get better on this week. But I did know I was playing pretty well. I was feeling it, I was in the zone. So I wouldn't say it was a surprise to me. But being the Offensive Player of the Week when you score only 10 points doesn't really feel all that great."
AND HE'S STILL NOT WHOLE: There is being-in-shape and there is game-shape, and they are two different things. So while Frazier regained his weight and his strength before facing the Gophers, the second is coming only as he gets more (if you will) on-the-job training. "Everything I got worked on, getting those back into shape and getting the muscles used to that shock that comes with football, that was the toughest thing for me," he says when asked about that. "Both my ankles and my hip, it took awhile to get back. It's still kind of coming back. It's not there completely. But it's getting a lot better. Over the last couple of weeks, that was the biggest adjustment getting into game shape."
Can he quantify how far back he is?
"I don't know. Compared to where I was last year (when he started every game), I'm not really sure. I feel like I'm not there yet when I was at my best form last year. I'm not quite there. I'm a lot closer than I thought I was going to be at this point. But I'm not quite there yet. It's just playing with the pad level I had last year, playing with the knee bend and the power I had last year. I'm straining to get my butt down and play with good pad level. It's not quite where it was last year."
ANOTHER TEST: Frazier, on his second Saturday back, faced Michigan, which leads the Big Ten in rushing defense. Then, last Saturday, he faced the Hawkeyes, whose rushing defense is number two in the conference. Now, this Saturday, he must face Nebraska, whose third-ranked rushing defense surrenders an average of just 91 ypg. "It's their D line. Their D line's pretty good, especially on the inside," he says when asked its strength.
"I'm going to be going against number seven (defensive tackle Maliek Collins) all day. I went against him all last year, and the previous year as well, I believe. I remember him. He stuck out to me last year. I thought he was the best player that I went against all last year. That's kind of stuck out to me, and this is a game I kind of circled for myself because I wanted to improve the way I played against him. He's a good player, I think he's the best on that D line. I hope I can do well against him."
QUICKLY NOTED: Collins, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound junior, was the Huskers' Defensive Co-MVP last season. But in their 38-17 win over the 'Cats, he was credited with just two tackles. This season, through seven games, he has 21 tackles, a pair of sacks and three quarterback-hurries. . . The line he anchors is clearly one of the Huskers' strengths. But they are surrendering an average of 341.7 passing yards per-game, which ranks dead last in the Big Ten. . . . Their offense is choreographed by junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong, Jr., who's in his third year as their starter. He's a dual threat who has rushed for two touchdowns and thrown for 15 while completing 54.2 percent of his passes (128-236). He's been picked just a half-dozen times. . . . Their leading rusher is Terrell Newby, who went for 116 in their win last week over Minnesota and is averaging 5.7 yards per-carry. But also keep an eye on De'Mornay Pierson-El. Just a sophomore, he already has seven career punt returns of 40 yards or longer. . . . The Huskers are just 3-4 in their first year under Mike Riley, who took over after 14 seasons at Oregon State. But in each of their losses, their opponents scored their winning points on the game's final play or in overtime. "They've had some heartbreaking losses. I know how that feels, so I feel for him," says Pat Fitzgerald, who has gotten to know Riley well while working with him on the American Football Coaches Association's Board of Trustees. "But you watch the way they've persevered. Anytime you're in the first year with a new staff, there's a lot of new. You can start to see they're taking on the identity of what they're trying to do in all three phases. What's impressive is those guys stuck together and went on the road and beat a very good Minnesota team last week.". . . The Huskers' Memorial Stadium has been sold out for 345 consecutive games, a streak that started back on Nov. 2, 1962. "One of the great college environments, one of the great cathedrals of college football," Fitzgerald says of it. . . . In its last two games, the 'Cats offense has scored only one touchdown and held the ball for just a little more than 45 minutes (out of a possible 120). They worked to improve on that this week. "I think one of our problems, and Coach (Mick) McCall (the offensive coordinator) hit on it at our Monday offensive meeting, is that we can't rely on our defense to make a play, or to hold them to under 10 points every single game," explains Matt Frazier. "We have to be a strong part of our team as well. We have to put points up and to seize momentum. We can't always be so dependent on them. Why can't we be that group that other people depend on? That's a big thing we've been striving for this week, trying to cause momentum ourselves and not wait on someone else to make a play. For us to make plays."
AND FINALLY, quarterback Clayton Thorson, on his confidence after the offense's recent struggles: "It's good. Obviously, coming off two losses, some people would be, 'Oh, shoot. I suck. I this.' But I think my confidence is high. That comes from my teammates and my coaches, everyone staying together and just pushing on."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
QUITE A COMEBACK: His off-season would be mottled by back surgery and operations on both of his ankles and a pernicious staph infection in his pelvis that threatened his life. He would, in the wake of all that, lose 25 pounds and his considerable strength and valuable training time, and he would not appear this season until he made an emotional return Oct. 3 against Minnesota. But just two weeks later, in the 'Cats loss last Saturday to Iowa, right guard Matt Frazier was such a force that his coaches later named his team's Offensive Player-of-the-Game. "It wasn't a surprise," he said on Wednesday when asked if the award was just that.
"I remember thinking during the game that I was playing well. I had a few mistakes that stuck out to me that I'm trying to get better on this week. But I did know I was playing pretty well. I was feeling it, I was in the zone. So I wouldn't say it was a surprise to me. But being the Offensive Player of the Week when you score only 10 points doesn't really feel all that great."
AND HE'S STILL NOT WHOLE: There is being-in-shape and there is game-shape, and they are two different things. So while Frazier regained his weight and his strength before facing the Gophers, the second is coming only as he gets more (if you will) on-the-job training. "Everything I got worked on, getting those back into shape and getting the muscles used to that shock that comes with football, that was the toughest thing for me," he says when asked about that. "Both my ankles and my hip, it took awhile to get back. It's still kind of coming back. It's not there completely. But it's getting a lot better. Over the last couple of weeks, that was the biggest adjustment getting into game shape."
Can he quantify how far back he is?
"I don't know. Compared to where I was last year (when he started every game), I'm not really sure. I feel like I'm not there yet when I was at my best form last year. I'm not quite there. I'm a lot closer than I thought I was going to be at this point. But I'm not quite there yet. It's just playing with the pad level I had last year, playing with the knee bend and the power I had last year. I'm straining to get my butt down and play with good pad level. It's not quite where it was last year."
ANOTHER TEST: Frazier, on his second Saturday back, faced Michigan, which leads the Big Ten in rushing defense. Then, last Saturday, he faced the Hawkeyes, whose rushing defense is number two in the conference. Now, this Saturday, he must face Nebraska, whose third-ranked rushing defense surrenders an average of just 91 ypg. "It's their D line. Their D line's pretty good, especially on the inside," he says when asked its strength.
"I'm going to be going against number seven (defensive tackle Maliek Collins) all day. I went against him all last year, and the previous year as well, I believe. I remember him. He stuck out to me last year. I thought he was the best player that I went against all last year. That's kind of stuck out to me, and this is a game I kind of circled for myself because I wanted to improve the way I played against him. He's a good player, I think he's the best on that D line. I hope I can do well against him."
QUICKLY NOTED: Collins, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound junior, was the Huskers' Defensive Co-MVP last season. But in their 38-17 win over the 'Cats, he was credited with just two tackles. This season, through seven games, he has 21 tackles, a pair of sacks and three quarterback-hurries. . . The line he anchors is clearly one of the Huskers' strengths. But they are surrendering an average of 341.7 passing yards per-game, which ranks dead last in the Big Ten. . . . Their offense is choreographed by junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong, Jr., who's in his third year as their starter. He's a dual threat who has rushed for two touchdowns and thrown for 15 while completing 54.2 percent of his passes (128-236). He's been picked just a half-dozen times. . . . Their leading rusher is Terrell Newby, who went for 116 in their win last week over Minnesota and is averaging 5.7 yards per-carry. But also keep an eye on De'Mornay Pierson-El. Just a sophomore, he already has seven career punt returns of 40 yards or longer. . . . The Huskers are just 3-4 in their first year under Mike Riley, who took over after 14 seasons at Oregon State. But in each of their losses, their opponents scored their winning points on the game's final play or in overtime. "They've had some heartbreaking losses. I know how that feels, so I feel for him," says Pat Fitzgerald, who has gotten to know Riley well while working with him on the American Football Coaches Association's Board of Trustees. "But you watch the way they've persevered. Anytime you're in the first year with a new staff, there's a lot of new. You can start to see they're taking on the identity of what they're trying to do in all three phases. What's impressive is those guys stuck together and went on the road and beat a very good Minnesota team last week.". . . The Huskers' Memorial Stadium has been sold out for 345 consecutive games, a streak that started back on Nov. 2, 1962. "One of the great college environments, one of the great cathedrals of college football," Fitzgerald says of it. . . . In its last two games, the 'Cats offense has scored only one touchdown and held the ball for just a little more than 45 minutes (out of a possible 120). They worked to improve on that this week. "I think one of our problems, and Coach (Mick) McCall (the offensive coordinator) hit on it at our Monday offensive meeting, is that we can't rely on our defense to make a play, or to hold them to under 10 points every single game," explains Matt Frazier. "We have to be a strong part of our team as well. We have to put points up and to seize momentum. We can't always be so dependent on them. Why can't we be that group that other people depend on? That's a big thing we've been striving for this week, trying to cause momentum ourselves and not wait on someone else to make a play. For us to make plays."
AND FINALLY, quarterback Clayton Thorson, on his confidence after the offense's recent struggles: "It's good. Obviously, coming off two losses, some people would be, 'Oh, shoot. I suck. I this.' But I think my confidence is high. That comes from my teammates and my coaches, everyone staying together and just pushing on."
••••••
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