Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report - Trio of Talented Tailbacks
4/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
The `Cats held an open practice Saturday at Ryan Field and among the observers was running back Justin Jackson. Last fall, as a true freshman, he was a sensation, ending that season with 1,187 yards on 245 carries (4.8 ypc). But this spring he was slowed, undergoing minor surgery on within the last month. "It's different. It's a little scary because you kind of think worst-case scenario," he will say of going under the knife for the first time.
"But our surgeon said everything went actually better than they thought it was going to go. So it's kind of the best-case scenario. But it was a different experience. I'd never been under anesthesia, so I was kind of out of it for awhile once I woke up, just saying random stuff. But everything went well. . .(and) I'll be 100 percent for summer workouts. With the surgery I had, you can come back faster than I am. But since it's spring, they're being cautious with it."
His absence, in turn, has left running back reps more readily available for both Solomon Vault, who himself played last fall as a true freshman, and Auston Anderson, a redshirt freshman who sat out last season while recovering from his own injury.
"Auston, he's short (5-foot-8). He's not small, but he's short, and so he has a really low center of gravity," Jackson will say when asked for a scouting report on the pair. "He was a track guy in high school, has really good top-end speed. But he's very quick as well. Solomon, he's kind of our hybrid receiver/running back. He came in as a receiver, moved to running back. He adapted really well. When he goes out in the slot, when we do one-on-ones, he's got some of the best routes on the team, not just of the running backs. So he's our hybrid."
"Both guys are very talented, and learning the offense," head coach Pat Fitzgerald says of them. "We thought, off of high school video, if Auston wasn't banged up coming into camp last year that he probably would have been in the mix to play last year. So, yeah, a very talented young man. Then Solomon obviously played last year and his role started to increase until he got hurt midway through the season. So two very talented guys.
"I think in the backfield right now we've got good depth there and we've got very good competition. And as we're always stressing, it's players, formations, plays. So those guys are not only competing against the other running backs. They're also competing against the other skilled guys for playing time, and we teach our backs not only how to be running backs, but also how to play out in space. So it's really going to be fun to watch those two young men continue to evolve not only in the backfield, but also in our offense."
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Solomon Vault is a burner, one of the two fastest 'Cats. But last September, on the opening kickoff at Penn State, he tweaked a hamstring and was never again the same. "It's a process. You've got to keep working at it. So I've been getting with the trainers, doing a lot of strengthening exercises. The main thing is to be healthy by August and I think I'm on track to be 100 percent by August."
Auston Anderson is also a burner, the second of the two fastest 'Cats. But last summer at his entrance physical, he recalls, "They said, `Something's wrong with your hip.' I said, `OK.' I thought I was just old (when) my hip locked up on me. But it turns out the ball was too big for the socket, so they had to shave it down. That put me back a little bit. A minor setback for a major comeback."
The comebacks of both are crucial for the `Cats, who last season lacked that explosive performer who himself could blow up a defense. Each of this pair can do just that and here in the spring, in Jackson's absence, they are honing their skills and striving to transform their vast potential into reality. "I'm taking all the reps I can to get back in the swing of things, to get back in the groove of playing football again," says Anderson when asked if he's trying to take advantage of that absence. "I came here to play. So I want to show everybody, my coaches, my teammates, that the scholarship wasn't wasted. This is a proving ground. That's what spring ball's for. There's spots to be taken, people step up. I'm trying to get on this team, contribute to this team as much as I can."
"It's not about me. It's about us as a (running back) group," says Vault when asked that same question. "We're competing with superbacks and wide receivers for reps. So it's not about beating out one guy. It's about being among the best 11 on the offense, whether that means three running backs on the field or three wide receivers."
Could that mean Vault might be switched back to wide receiver?
"He gets reps there like the other running backs do already. So. I reserve the right to play the best 11 players every play," says Fitzgerald. "If he earns that role, we'll find a spot for him. We'll always find a spot for fast, talented guys. We need to be more productive and explosive on offense. He's one of those guys that has that type of capability."
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A bond is already shared by Jackson, Vault and Anderson, who all joined the `Cats at the same time and now stand as their most-dangerous offensive weapons. But, to end on a lighter note, they are even more-closely aligned now, and here is why. During the off-season each changed his number.
Jackson, 28 last fall, is now 21, which he first wore when he found himself playing some defensive back as a sophomore in high school. It was his maiden experience at that position and, while researching it, he found himself impressed by the Cowboys' Deion Sanders. "He was one of the guys I knew about before," he explains. "But when I started researching, watching film, just his mojo and everything he had, I really liked that. The guy's got character. You've got to give it to him. He's got a lot of character."
And Vault, 12 last fall, is now four, which he wore the first time he played organized football. "It's nothing special," he says. "That's the number the coach gave me. I don't really have a special reason. I just like the number."
And Anderson, 33 last fall, is now 12. "I didn't want 33 anymore. I'm sorry. Thrity-three to me is like a big back number, 6-2, 230, a bruiser," he explains. "I was like, `Let me get something a little more slender.' I wanted seven (his high school number), but (quarterback) Matt Alviti has it. So, OK, if I can't get seven, I'll get nine. But (superback) Garrett Dickerson played last year (and switched from 81 to 9) and they do it by seniority. So can I get six (which is worn by junior receiver Mike McHugh)? Mike's older, so he gets it.
So it was, `What else have you got?' It was like 12, 16, something like that. My friend Carlos (Wiggins), he plays for New Mexico, he was kind of my mentor at (Plano West) high school (outside Dallas). He wears number 12 at New Mexico and I was like, `Shoot. Looks pretty good on me. Plano West legacy.'
"So I signed up for it."
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