Northwestern University Athletics
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The Skip Report: Monday Notes - Michigan
10/5/2015 4:21:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
CENTER OF ATTENTION: It entered this season as one of the 'Cats' question marks and, since its start, its performances have been parsed and analyzed and subjected to stern scrutiny. Pat Fitzgerald even called it out after his team's victory over Stanford, and then came a series of injuries that left its composition in eternal flux. But still, on the last Saturday of September, it was the foundation of an offense that totaled 546 yards, and then it was back at it again on the first Saturday of October, opening holes enough for the 'Cats to roll up 184 rushing yards in their Big Ten opener against Minnesota.
"I think the group is getting tired of hearing people talk negatively about them," Fitzgerald would say of his O line after that last game. "That, I think, would be their mindset now. And they're trying to do something about it. Not necessarily listening to it. But just tired of it. When you've got something in your mouth and you don't like the taste of it, you've got to get rid of it."
Then Monday, at his weekly presser, he announced that tackle Eric Olson had been selected by the coaches as his team's Offensive Player of the Week for his work against Minnesota. Did that award symbolize how far that line has come?
"I don't know that it's symbolic. I think it is reality," he said. "I thought that group played their best game of the year on Saturday against a very good defensive line. When we popped on Minnesota's D line, those guys got after people. It was very impressive to watch. Now we've still got a long way to go. But it's a big, big step in the right direction. I see that group getting more confident and hopefully-- if you want to win Big Ten games, you've got to win in the trenches. That's the reality. We've just got to keep working to get better."
TIMELY COMEBACK: That line was buoyed Saturday by the return of senior guard Matt Frazier, who played for the first time since suffering a staph infection in July. "It's awesome having him back," superback Dan Vitale said Monday, and then he explained why. "It really didn't hit me until last week when he came back to practice and was able to get involved. After the offense comes off after a set of five plays. . .it's tough for me to talk to the offensive linemen, it's tough for the quarterbacks, receivers to talk to the offensive linemen and try and get 'em going.
"We don't live in that world, down in the trenches where it's just hard-nosed football. We don't do that. So to have a guy like Matt come back and step in and take over that leadership role, those guys listen to him. That's cool to have. This last weekend, I think it showed what happens when you have a guy like him back."
"He'll probably get up here and tell you he didn't play very well," added Fitzgerald. "That's a mark of a senior. A guy, 'All right. I'm back. Quit talking about it and let's go play.' He's a leader. Pound-for-pound he's our strongest player. It's just absolutely terrific for him to have the opportunity to do what he loves. That's playing with his teammates and that's playing this great game."
"It was emotional last week, getting back on the field again," concluded Frazier himself. "Being able to play with all my teammates, all my brothers out there, it was a great feeling. But I can't be emotional this week. All the rust is shaken off. I didn't play that well last week. I'm just looking to improve this week."
THIS WEEK: The 'Cats, undefeated and ranked No. 13, travel to Ann Arbor Saturday to face Michigan, once-beaten and ranked No. 18. This is just the kind of game that generates hype, hyperbole and hysteria, just the kind of meeting that can produce story lines about history and tradition and an unexpected newcomer jumping up in the polls. Not surprisingly, the 'Cats are having none of it. They instead spent Monday echoing refrains they have played since season's start.
"I'm not sure what that means," Fitzgerald (for one example) said when asked if this meeting with the Wolverines was a statement game. "But I do know that we have to prepare the right way. So my focus--and the guys will laugh--we focus on us. We've got to control the controllable and that's the way we get prepare for tomorrow, by what we do today."
"We talked as a Leadership Council this morning about understanding the process of being successful," he (for another example) said when asked if his team might get too high for the game. "That obviously starts with your attitude, and with that comes a sense of humility. When you work that way, it doesn't matter where you are at. It's a one-game season. What's in the rear view mirror is done and what comes up, mile marker whatever down the road, is down the road. We're focused on the here-and-now and hopefully we'll get better this week. That's what we have to do if we want to have a chance to compete this weekend."
"Obviously, it's pretty cool being 5-0," Vitale said when asked about that. "But we're just trying to go 1-0 every week. One game at a time. Really, only one day at a time. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's practice. That's all that's on my mind right now. Obviously we're excited about it. But we've just got to keep taking it one step at a time. Great things are going to happen for us if we do that."
"Our theme here is not only going 1-0 every week, but going 1-0 every single rep too," Frazier said when asked how the team stayed earthbound with all the chatter surrounding it. "That keeps us grounded, focused on the matter at hand, and not getting caught up in all the hype and the atmosphere and that type of thing."
AND FINALLY: The 'Cats lead the nation in scoring defense, surrendering an average of just 7.0 points per game. That's the fewest they've surrendered through five games since 1943, when they allowed 33. Still, said Fitzgerald on Monday, "We're far, far from what I believe we're capable of, what the men believe we're capable of. Like I said after the (Minnesota) game, it's like getting into the weight room and putting more weight on the bar each week. It gets heavier and heavier. It's going to be a great challenge this week. But that's going to be the same thing moving forward. You might as well write, 'Click, copy and paste.' It ain't going to change. Whether we're home or on the road, 11, 2:30 or 8 o'clock kick, it's, 'Let's tee it up and go play.'"
NUsports.com Special Contributor
CENTER OF ATTENTION: It entered this season as one of the 'Cats' question marks and, since its start, its performances have been parsed and analyzed and subjected to stern scrutiny. Pat Fitzgerald even called it out after his team's victory over Stanford, and then came a series of injuries that left its composition in eternal flux. But still, on the last Saturday of September, it was the foundation of an offense that totaled 546 yards, and then it was back at it again on the first Saturday of October, opening holes enough for the 'Cats to roll up 184 rushing yards in their Big Ten opener against Minnesota.
"I think the group is getting tired of hearing people talk negatively about them," Fitzgerald would say of his O line after that last game. "That, I think, would be their mindset now. And they're trying to do something about it. Not necessarily listening to it. But just tired of it. When you've got something in your mouth and you don't like the taste of it, you've got to get rid of it."
Then Monday, at his weekly presser, he announced that tackle Eric Olson had been selected by the coaches as his team's Offensive Player of the Week for his work against Minnesota. Did that award symbolize how far that line has come?
"I don't know that it's symbolic. I think it is reality," he said. "I thought that group played their best game of the year on Saturday against a very good defensive line. When we popped on Minnesota's D line, those guys got after people. It was very impressive to watch. Now we've still got a long way to go. But it's a big, big step in the right direction. I see that group getting more confident and hopefully-- if you want to win Big Ten games, you've got to win in the trenches. That's the reality. We've just got to keep working to get better."
TIMELY COMEBACK: That line was buoyed Saturday by the return of senior guard Matt Frazier, who played for the first time since suffering a staph infection in July. "It's awesome having him back," superback Dan Vitale said Monday, and then he explained why. "It really didn't hit me until last week when he came back to practice and was able to get involved. After the offense comes off after a set of five plays. . .it's tough for me to talk to the offensive linemen, it's tough for the quarterbacks, receivers to talk to the offensive linemen and try and get 'em going.
"We don't live in that world, down in the trenches where it's just hard-nosed football. We don't do that. So to have a guy like Matt come back and step in and take over that leadership role, those guys listen to him. That's cool to have. This last weekend, I think it showed what happens when you have a guy like him back."
"He'll probably get up here and tell you he didn't play very well," added Fitzgerald. "That's a mark of a senior. A guy, 'All right. I'm back. Quit talking about it and let's go play.' He's a leader. Pound-for-pound he's our strongest player. It's just absolutely terrific for him to have the opportunity to do what he loves. That's playing with his teammates and that's playing this great game."
"It was emotional last week, getting back on the field again," concluded Frazier himself. "Being able to play with all my teammates, all my brothers out there, it was a great feeling. But I can't be emotional this week. All the rust is shaken off. I didn't play that well last week. I'm just looking to improve this week."
THIS WEEK: The 'Cats, undefeated and ranked No. 13, travel to Ann Arbor Saturday to face Michigan, once-beaten and ranked No. 18. This is just the kind of game that generates hype, hyperbole and hysteria, just the kind of meeting that can produce story lines about history and tradition and an unexpected newcomer jumping up in the polls. Not surprisingly, the 'Cats are having none of it. They instead spent Monday echoing refrains they have played since season's start.
"I'm not sure what that means," Fitzgerald (for one example) said when asked if this meeting with the Wolverines was a statement game. "But I do know that we have to prepare the right way. So my focus--and the guys will laugh--we focus on us. We've got to control the controllable and that's the way we get prepare for tomorrow, by what we do today."
"We talked as a Leadership Council this morning about understanding the process of being successful," he (for another example) said when asked if his team might get too high for the game. "That obviously starts with your attitude, and with that comes a sense of humility. When you work that way, it doesn't matter where you are at. It's a one-game season. What's in the rear view mirror is done and what comes up, mile marker whatever down the road, is down the road. We're focused on the here-and-now and hopefully we'll get better this week. That's what we have to do if we want to have a chance to compete this weekend."
"Obviously, it's pretty cool being 5-0," Vitale said when asked about that. "But we're just trying to go 1-0 every week. One game at a time. Really, only one day at a time. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's practice. That's all that's on my mind right now. Obviously we're excited about it. But we've just got to keep taking it one step at a time. Great things are going to happen for us if we do that."
"Our theme here is not only going 1-0 every week, but going 1-0 every single rep too," Frazier said when asked how the team stayed earthbound with all the chatter surrounding it. "That keeps us grounded, focused on the matter at hand, and not getting caught up in all the hype and the atmosphere and that type of thing."
AND FINALLY: The 'Cats lead the nation in scoring defense, surrendering an average of just 7.0 points per game. That's the fewest they've surrendered through five games since 1943, when they allowed 33. Still, said Fitzgerald on Monday, "We're far, far from what I believe we're capable of, what the men believe we're capable of. Like I said after the (Minnesota) game, it's like getting into the weight room and putting more weight on the bar each week. It gets heavier and heavier. It's going to be a great challenge this week. But that's going to be the same thing moving forward. You might as well write, 'Click, copy and paste.' It ain't going to change. Whether we're home or on the road, 11, 2:30 or 8 o'clock kick, it's, 'Let's tee it up and go play.'"
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