Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: The House Seven
10/26/2016 7:01:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
HOUSE SEVEN
There was the middle linebacker Anthony Walker. There were the safeties Kyle Queiro and Godwin Igwebuike. There were the corners Matthew Harris and Keith Watkins and Marcus McShepard. They met and bonded back when they were freshmen living on hallway seven of Foster-Walker, which is why they now call themselves House Seven.
"That's the brotherhood right there," says Igwebuike. "The strongest brotherhood on the team. Quote me."
THE SITUATION
Last offseason, after working three years at corner, McShepard switched to wide receiver. Last month, with both Watkins and Harris injured, the 'Cats were suddenly short at corner and McShepard switched back. Last Saturday, against Indiana, McShepard took over at right corner when Alonzo Mayo went down, was tested often and bore up admirably. "Anytime they see there's a new guy out there, they're going to attack you," he will later say. "My mindset was, 'Good.' I wanted to be able to make plays. I wanted to be able to show people in the future that I'm more than capable of making any play on the ball.
"Just because you might not have seen me on film doesn't mean that I'm a liability to our defense."
AN ORAL RECAP
"As a coach, you look at guys from time to time and you say, 'Look, it's not working here. I'm going to move you because I think it'll help you get on the field quicker,'" says Pat Fitzgerald. "I did that with Marcus last off-season and he was incredibly unselfish to do that. A great teammate. He moves over, some guys stepped up and started playing better and he was kinda lost in the rotation a little bit. Then we lose a couple guys at the position he played, I brought him in and I said, 'Listen. I've got to move you back and I feel terrible about it.' As a coach you feel terrible when you have to do that, but you have to do what's right for the team first. It's about the team. And when you've got unselfish guys like that, to see what he's done and the way he's stepped up—I mean, if I were to reverse roles, let me flip it over, have him talking to me about the situation. I think I know how I'd feel. 'Where am I on the team? What's my role? Why's this happening to me?' All those things that creep in and create self-doubt. Again. He could be a guy that would pout or feel sorry for himself. Instead he's played better each week."
"I told him I would do anything to help this team out," says McShepard. "So moving back to defensive back, he knew I knew the playbook, he knew I knew the different coverages. So I was more than willing to move back to corner. In all honesty, I just wanted a chance to get on the field as much as possible. There was no anger, or any frust— there was a little frustration, I suppose, just because I didn't really know exactly what was going on. . . . But after talking to teammates and coaches, I understood I just had to keep my faith, one, and to continue to just work and prepare like I was going to be the starter out there. So, really, I was just trying to be prepared for anything."
"But there definitely were times where he may have had doubts," says Igwebuike. "Obviously I'm not in his mind so I can't say for sure. But there were definitely times where I feel like he may have had those doubts. Quick. In-and-out. But his self talk was amazing. He had great self talk. He's a strong-minded individual and I think having the close relationship we have (in House Seven), being able to talk him through that, definitely paid off. I think his perspective was a lot better because Keith, Matt, their situations are very extreme. Matt having to give up the game itself. (He announced his retirement from football on Monday.) Keith having to give up his whole season (after being injured in training camp). I think that put it in perspective. 'OK. Here's my best friends going through that. So I've got to be strong. I've got to work through this because the game is never promised.' I think he understood that and realized that, especially as we communicated with him. I think it was great he was open about it, not holding it to himself. A lot of guys do that. They shut it in and then it really effects them. He was open. We were able to talk about it and get it fixed. And the preparation and the mindset he took during that process is paying off."
"I think it was— he saw me, Godwin, Kyle, Keith, Matthew, all of us are playing a lot," says Walker. "That's our close-knit group and he was the only one who wasn't really getting a shot to stand out. I think he started to really think about that. He didn't want to be the guy who wasn't doing anything. So when he switched to receiver, he was really, really excited, finally helping the team in some way. Then when he had to come back, because of circumstances, he was back to number two again. We just told him to keep preparing like he was a starter and it's going to happen for you. I kept telling him, "Patience, patience, patience.' One thing about Marcus, he never came with negative energy to meetings or practice or anything like that. He was always upbeat, uptempo, always had a lot of energy. Even last Thursday at practice, a lot of people didn't pay attention to it, but one thing I saw was he still had that fire, that passion. 'I may get my shot. I may not. But I'm going to prepare like I'm going to get my shot.'"
"Yeah, yeah," says McShepard when asked if he ever got down. "It was hard. It was definitely hard. But that's where the faith comes in. And having guys like Kyle, Godwin and Anthony, who have played a lot of football, but have also had time behind guys who were All Big Ten, like (former 'Cat safety) Ibraheim Campbell. Those are the guys who helped me out in the long run, who said, 'Hey, we need you to continue to work and to continue to prepare like you're the guy because you never know what could happen.' It was keep your prayer, bear up and really just continue to grind."
"He stepped in (when Mayo got hurt) on Saturday and played like he was a veteran out there," says Walker. "He made some plays, fought hard for the ball. He was competing out there. Marcus, his athletic ability was never questioned. Just getting out there and trusting himself and trusting the defense, he was able to play fine."
"On the field, we were having a blast," says Igwebuike. "Running down the field laughing, dancing, having fun, which is what it's all about. He was definitely part of that. Making plays, that's fun."
"After the game Saturday, he was really excited," says Walker. "We were happy for him. Again, our close-knit group, we were happy for him. He earned it. He wanted it really bad and he deserved it."
"It's like you're a ping pong (ball), bang, bang, bang. That's not fair to an athlete," Pat Fitzgerald finally says. "That's why I'm really, really proud of him. He's doing whatever he's asked for the betterment of the team. That's being an incredibly-unselfish teammate. I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised. He's a great young man and he's responded really well. I think he's responded really well."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
HOUSE SEVEN
There was the middle linebacker Anthony Walker. There were the safeties Kyle Queiro and Godwin Igwebuike. There were the corners Matthew Harris and Keith Watkins and Marcus McShepard. They met and bonded back when they were freshmen living on hallway seven of Foster-Walker, which is why they now call themselves House Seven.
"That's the brotherhood right there," says Igwebuike. "The strongest brotherhood on the team. Quote me."
THE SITUATION
Last offseason, after working three years at corner, McShepard switched to wide receiver. Last month, with both Watkins and Harris injured, the 'Cats were suddenly short at corner and McShepard switched back. Last Saturday, against Indiana, McShepard took over at right corner when Alonzo Mayo went down, was tested often and bore up admirably. "Anytime they see there's a new guy out there, they're going to attack you," he will later say. "My mindset was, 'Good.' I wanted to be able to make plays. I wanted to be able to show people in the future that I'm more than capable of making any play on the ball.
"Just because you might not have seen me on film doesn't mean that I'm a liability to our defense."
AN ORAL RECAP
"As a coach, you look at guys from time to time and you say, 'Look, it's not working here. I'm going to move you because I think it'll help you get on the field quicker,'" says Pat Fitzgerald. "I did that with Marcus last off-season and he was incredibly unselfish to do that. A great teammate. He moves over, some guys stepped up and started playing better and he was kinda lost in the rotation a little bit. Then we lose a couple guys at the position he played, I brought him in and I said, 'Listen. I've got to move you back and I feel terrible about it.' As a coach you feel terrible when you have to do that, but you have to do what's right for the team first. It's about the team. And when you've got unselfish guys like that, to see what he's done and the way he's stepped up—I mean, if I were to reverse roles, let me flip it over, have him talking to me about the situation. I think I know how I'd feel. 'Where am I on the team? What's my role? Why's this happening to me?' All those things that creep in and create self-doubt. Again. He could be a guy that would pout or feel sorry for himself. Instead he's played better each week."
"I told him I would do anything to help this team out," says McShepard. "So moving back to defensive back, he knew I knew the playbook, he knew I knew the different coverages. So I was more than willing to move back to corner. In all honesty, I just wanted a chance to get on the field as much as possible. There was no anger, or any frust— there was a little frustration, I suppose, just because I didn't really know exactly what was going on. . . . But after talking to teammates and coaches, I understood I just had to keep my faith, one, and to continue to just work and prepare like I was going to be the starter out there. So, really, I was just trying to be prepared for anything."
"But there definitely were times where he may have had doubts," says Igwebuike. "Obviously I'm not in his mind so I can't say for sure. But there were definitely times where I feel like he may have had those doubts. Quick. In-and-out. But his self talk was amazing. He had great self talk. He's a strong-minded individual and I think having the close relationship we have (in House Seven), being able to talk him through that, definitely paid off. I think his perspective was a lot better because Keith, Matt, their situations are very extreme. Matt having to give up the game itself. (He announced his retirement from football on Monday.) Keith having to give up his whole season (after being injured in training camp). I think that put it in perspective. 'OK. Here's my best friends going through that. So I've got to be strong. I've got to work through this because the game is never promised.' I think he understood that and realized that, especially as we communicated with him. I think it was great he was open about it, not holding it to himself. A lot of guys do that. They shut it in and then it really effects them. He was open. We were able to talk about it and get it fixed. And the preparation and the mindset he took during that process is paying off."
"I think it was— he saw me, Godwin, Kyle, Keith, Matthew, all of us are playing a lot," says Walker. "That's our close-knit group and he was the only one who wasn't really getting a shot to stand out. I think he started to really think about that. He didn't want to be the guy who wasn't doing anything. So when he switched to receiver, he was really, really excited, finally helping the team in some way. Then when he had to come back, because of circumstances, he was back to number two again. We just told him to keep preparing like he was a starter and it's going to happen for you. I kept telling him, "Patience, patience, patience.' One thing about Marcus, he never came with negative energy to meetings or practice or anything like that. He was always upbeat, uptempo, always had a lot of energy. Even last Thursday at practice, a lot of people didn't pay attention to it, but one thing I saw was he still had that fire, that passion. 'I may get my shot. I may not. But I'm going to prepare like I'm going to get my shot.'"
"Yeah, yeah," says McShepard when asked if he ever got down. "It was hard. It was definitely hard. But that's where the faith comes in. And having guys like Kyle, Godwin and Anthony, who have played a lot of football, but have also had time behind guys who were All Big Ten, like (former 'Cat safety) Ibraheim Campbell. Those are the guys who helped me out in the long run, who said, 'Hey, we need you to continue to work and to continue to prepare like you're the guy because you never know what could happen.' It was keep your prayer, bear up and really just continue to grind."
"He stepped in (when Mayo got hurt) on Saturday and played like he was a veteran out there," says Walker. "He made some plays, fought hard for the ball. He was competing out there. Marcus, his athletic ability was never questioned. Just getting out there and trusting himself and trusting the defense, he was able to play fine."
"On the field, we were having a blast," says Igwebuike. "Running down the field laughing, dancing, having fun, which is what it's all about. He was definitely part of that. Making plays, that's fun."
"After the game Saturday, he was really excited," says Walker. "We were happy for him. Again, our close-knit group, we were happy for him. He earned it. He wanted it really bad and he deserved it."
"It's like you're a ping pong (ball), bang, bang, bang. That's not fair to an athlete," Pat Fitzgerald finally says. "That's why I'm really, really proud of him. He's doing whatever he's asked for the betterment of the team. That's being an incredibly-unselfish teammate. I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised. He's a great young man and he's responded really well. I think he's responded really well."
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