Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
The Skip Report: Friday Notes - Minnesota
10/2/2015 5:00:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
FEED THE BEAST: The 'Cats have most certainly done that the last two weeks, and Justin Jackson has rewarded them for their largesse. Against Duke two Saturdays ago he netted 120 yards on 35 carries and then, last Saturday against Ball State, he rolled up 184 more on 33. (He also caught a pair of passes in each game for a total of 38 yards). "Oh, no. Not at all," he says when asked if he has trouble handling that heavy work load. "I'm kind of used to it. My body feels great right now (late Tuesday morning). Two or three days removed from the game, I feel like I could play tomorrow."
Jackson, in fact, benefits from that heavy load since he is one of those runners whose rhythm improves the more he carries. "For sure," he explains. "Just because, in high school and before that, I always had high reps. So, I don't feel my way through a game. But as a game goes on, I just pick up on more things. I pick up on where I can win better. It's just basically leaning during the game. So I think, as the game goes along, I just learn more and more, and in that way I can perform better."
STILL: It is a long season and there to spell Jackson are Warren Long and Solomon Vault, themselves a pair of accomplished performers. That is why running backs coach Matt MacPherson goes into every game planning to keep Jackson's touches below 30. Yet in him he has a dynamic talent who thrives when heavily fed, and so how does he balance those conflicting dynamics? "That's what I fight every single game," he says with a chuckle. "You've got a guy who likes to carry the ball a bunch. You've got a guy who can carry the ball a bunch. But, one, for his health, and for the longevity of our season, It's not always great for him to do that. So I have to try and balance those things."
"Warren and Solo are doing well. We've got to continue to take some reps of of JJ. It's a long year," echoes Pat Fitzgerald. "But at the same time, it was his career-high rushing Saturday (against Ball State). So it's a balance. He's a great player, he's been very productive. But at the same time, as the season goes along, we're going to have to lighten his load a little bit and just be smart with when we do it, how we do it and all those things.
"But JJ's playing at a pretty-high level right now. So it's hard to say, 'Hey, you know what? I want you to stand over here with me for 20 plays and not play.'"
SPITTING IN THE EYE OF ADVERSITY: Injuries have wreaked havoc along the 'Cats offensive line, which has been in a state of flux all through the fall. Still, entering their Big Ten opener Saturday against Minnesota, they are the league's top rushing team, averaging 265 ypg. "Pretty much from the start of the entire off-season, from January and spring ball, we've been focusing on playing a bunch of different guys, and different guys playing different positions," guard Shane Mertz says when asked how that line has thrived despite the constant shuffling.
"So we've been playing next to different guys the whole time, and I think that was by plan. Situations arise, people get hurt. So now we're in the situation where I may not be playing next to the game guy I played next to last week. But it doesn't really matter. I've taken reps with everyone."
QUICKLY NOTED: Jackson, after an off-season in the weight room, put on 12 pounds of muscle. When asked where that was evidenced in his play, MacPherson pointed to an unexpected area. "Where you see the strength is in the pass blocking and some of the run blocking," he said. "He's had a couple of really nice cut blocks on quarterback isos and things like that. That's where I'm really seeing the strength. When he's having to take on those linebackers, whether it's in pass pro(tection) or it's in the run game.". . . Jackson was not the only 'Cat who carried a heavy load against Ball State. Superback Dan Vitale did as well. He was on the field for 77 of their 88 offensive snaps in that game. . . The 'Cats also lead the Big Ten in scoring defense (8.8 ppg) as conference play opens. But that unit's dominance is better appreciated by comparing what their opponents did against it to what they've done in their other games. Stanford put up six against the 'Cats; against others, it is averaging 38 ppg. Eastern Illinois was shut out by the 'Cats; against others, it is averaging 12 ppg. Duke managed just 10 against the 'Cats; against others, it is averaging 42 ppg. And Ball State totaled 19 against the 'Cats; against others, it is averaging 33 ppg. . . Minnesota, despite its 3-1 record, is averaging just 19.2 ppg, which ranks last in the Big Ten. . . The first time Fitzgerald faced the Gophs as a head coach, the 'Cats won by one in double-overtime. Since then their meetings have been decided by seven, 11, one, 15, eight, three and seven points. It is no wonder, then, that he says, "These games have been huge challenges. Over the years, this has always been a hard-fought battle. I don't expect anything different this weekend.". . . The Gophs' offense is choreographed by 6-foot-four, 237-pound redshirt junior Mitch Leidner, a dual threat who has thrown for 878 yards and rushed for 107 more. "He presents a different challenge," defensive end Deonte Gibson says, comparing him to other dual threats the 'Cats have faced this season. "I would say he's more physical, he can take a hit. So they run him a lot. We just have to be disciplined in our gap integrity and also be very disciplined in our pass rush lanes. He presents a very good challenge when he has the ball in his hands." . . . The Gophs feature a pair of running backs, the redshirt freshman Rodney Smith and the true freshman Shannon Brooks. Last week, in their win over Ohio, Smith finished with 94 rushing and 58 receiving yards and Brooks, 82 rushing yards. "Smith is pretty electric. They get him the ball in a lot of different ways," Fitzgerald says of them. "Brooks got it much more last week against Ohio. It's amazing. He wears 27 (as did David Cobb, their premier back last year). He reminded me a lot of Cobb watching him, just as a young guy. Just physical, plays behind his pads. He had a long run, dropped his pads and ran through the DB.". . . . The Gophs, or course, are led by the estimable Jerry Kill, the former Northern Illinois coach who is a good friend of Fitzgerald. "Minnesota embodies everything Jerry Kill is about," he says. "They play physical. They're very athletic. They're tough. They've got a great idea of what they're doing in all three phases schematically. They're a complete team."
AND FINALLY, Mertz, on the O line's appreciation of the guys behind it: "Having Justin Jackson in the backfield makes our lives a whole lot easier. We know we don't always have to block everyone. Sometimes Coach (Mick) McCall (the offensive coordinator) will say, 'Block a few, fool a few and run over a few.' Justin is definitely a guy who can make people miss, he can run people over, and also Warren Long's a phenomenal running back, and Solomon Vault. So it's a lot of fun blocking for the guys. Even when we don't do our job, they make us look really good sometimes."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
FEED THE BEAST: The 'Cats have most certainly done that the last two weeks, and Justin Jackson has rewarded them for their largesse. Against Duke two Saturdays ago he netted 120 yards on 35 carries and then, last Saturday against Ball State, he rolled up 184 more on 33. (He also caught a pair of passes in each game for a total of 38 yards). "Oh, no. Not at all," he says when asked if he has trouble handling that heavy work load. "I'm kind of used to it. My body feels great right now (late Tuesday morning). Two or three days removed from the game, I feel like I could play tomorrow."
Jackson, in fact, benefits from that heavy load since he is one of those runners whose rhythm improves the more he carries. "For sure," he explains. "Just because, in high school and before that, I always had high reps. So, I don't feel my way through a game. But as a game goes on, I just pick up on more things. I pick up on where I can win better. It's just basically leaning during the game. So I think, as the game goes along, I just learn more and more, and in that way I can perform better."
STILL: It is a long season and there to spell Jackson are Warren Long and Solomon Vault, themselves a pair of accomplished performers. That is why running backs coach Matt MacPherson goes into every game planning to keep Jackson's touches below 30. Yet in him he has a dynamic talent who thrives when heavily fed, and so how does he balance those conflicting dynamics? "That's what I fight every single game," he says with a chuckle. "You've got a guy who likes to carry the ball a bunch. You've got a guy who can carry the ball a bunch. But, one, for his health, and for the longevity of our season, It's not always great for him to do that. So I have to try and balance those things."
"Warren and Solo are doing well. We've got to continue to take some reps of of JJ. It's a long year," echoes Pat Fitzgerald. "But at the same time, it was his career-high rushing Saturday (against Ball State). So it's a balance. He's a great player, he's been very productive. But at the same time, as the season goes along, we're going to have to lighten his load a little bit and just be smart with when we do it, how we do it and all those things.
"But JJ's playing at a pretty-high level right now. So it's hard to say, 'Hey, you know what? I want you to stand over here with me for 20 plays and not play.'"
SPITTING IN THE EYE OF ADVERSITY: Injuries have wreaked havoc along the 'Cats offensive line, which has been in a state of flux all through the fall. Still, entering their Big Ten opener Saturday against Minnesota, they are the league's top rushing team, averaging 265 ypg. "Pretty much from the start of the entire off-season, from January and spring ball, we've been focusing on playing a bunch of different guys, and different guys playing different positions," guard Shane Mertz says when asked how that line has thrived despite the constant shuffling.
"So we've been playing next to different guys the whole time, and I think that was by plan. Situations arise, people get hurt. So now we're in the situation where I may not be playing next to the game guy I played next to last week. But it doesn't really matter. I've taken reps with everyone."
QUICKLY NOTED: Jackson, after an off-season in the weight room, put on 12 pounds of muscle. When asked where that was evidenced in his play, MacPherson pointed to an unexpected area. "Where you see the strength is in the pass blocking and some of the run blocking," he said. "He's had a couple of really nice cut blocks on quarterback isos and things like that. That's where I'm really seeing the strength. When he's having to take on those linebackers, whether it's in pass pro(tection) or it's in the run game.". . . Jackson was not the only 'Cat who carried a heavy load against Ball State. Superback Dan Vitale did as well. He was on the field for 77 of their 88 offensive snaps in that game. . . The 'Cats also lead the Big Ten in scoring defense (8.8 ppg) as conference play opens. But that unit's dominance is better appreciated by comparing what their opponents did against it to what they've done in their other games. Stanford put up six against the 'Cats; against others, it is averaging 38 ppg. Eastern Illinois was shut out by the 'Cats; against others, it is averaging 12 ppg. Duke managed just 10 against the 'Cats; against others, it is averaging 42 ppg. And Ball State totaled 19 against the 'Cats; against others, it is averaging 33 ppg. . . Minnesota, despite its 3-1 record, is averaging just 19.2 ppg, which ranks last in the Big Ten. . . The first time Fitzgerald faced the Gophs as a head coach, the 'Cats won by one in double-overtime. Since then their meetings have been decided by seven, 11, one, 15, eight, three and seven points. It is no wonder, then, that he says, "These games have been huge challenges. Over the years, this has always been a hard-fought battle. I don't expect anything different this weekend.". . . The Gophs' offense is choreographed by 6-foot-four, 237-pound redshirt junior Mitch Leidner, a dual threat who has thrown for 878 yards and rushed for 107 more. "He presents a different challenge," defensive end Deonte Gibson says, comparing him to other dual threats the 'Cats have faced this season. "I would say he's more physical, he can take a hit. So they run him a lot. We just have to be disciplined in our gap integrity and also be very disciplined in our pass rush lanes. He presents a very good challenge when he has the ball in his hands." . . . The Gophs feature a pair of running backs, the redshirt freshman Rodney Smith and the true freshman Shannon Brooks. Last week, in their win over Ohio, Smith finished with 94 rushing and 58 receiving yards and Brooks, 82 rushing yards. "Smith is pretty electric. They get him the ball in a lot of different ways," Fitzgerald says of them. "Brooks got it much more last week against Ohio. It's amazing. He wears 27 (as did David Cobb, their premier back last year). He reminded me a lot of Cobb watching him, just as a young guy. Just physical, plays behind his pads. He had a long run, dropped his pads and ran through the DB.". . . . The Gophs, or course, are led by the estimable Jerry Kill, the former Northern Illinois coach who is a good friend of Fitzgerald. "Minnesota embodies everything Jerry Kill is about," he says. "They play physical. They're very athletic. They're tough. They've got a great idea of what they're doing in all three phases schematically. They're a complete team."
AND FINALLY, Mertz, on the O line's appreciation of the guys behind it: "Having Justin Jackson in the backfield makes our lives a whole lot easier. We know we don't always have to block everyone. Sometimes Coach (Mick) McCall (the offensive coordinator) will say, 'Block a few, fool a few and run over a few.' Justin is definitely a guy who can make people miss, he can run people over, and also Warren Long's a phenomenal running back, and Solomon Vault. So it's a lot of fun blocking for the guys. Even when we don't do our job, they make us look really good sometimes."
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