Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
The Skip Report: Friday Notes - Wisconsin
11/5/2016 9:13:00 AM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
NEWBIE I: Last August, when the 'Cats convened for training camp, it appeared that running back John Moten IV would see no more than spot action come the fall. But then senior Warren Long broke his hand and redshirt sophomore Auston Anderson tweaked a muscle, and that left the redshirt sophomore as Justin Jackson's primary backup. "I think John's doing well. I think he's learning how to be a Big Ten running back," Pat Fitzgerald said of him this week. "That's more than just having the ball, and I think he's working hard at it.
"You're right. He's like a lot of our players that went into the year thinking they were going to ride the bus and eat steak and kinda chill-axe a little bit. Maybe get into a game here and there. That's why you get prepared. I think if you look back, like probably a lot of our younger guys who are playing significant roles, they would change maybe their mental approach to the way they prepared because now they're right in the thick of the grind, right in the thick of Big Ten play. I think John, though, for the most part has handled it really well."
"My preparation hasn't changed," said Moten, who has netted 82 yards on 23 carries (3.6 ypc) and caught a pair of passes for 24 more. "But I think I've learned a lot of things along the way, and I can definitely thank the older guys like Justin and Auston and Warren and Corey (Acker, a redshirt junior), who've helped me learn some things along the way. But one thing Coach Mac (Matt MacPherson, the RBs coach) emphasizes is that everyone in the room should always be ready, and I took that to heart when I first got here."
And what did the older guys teach him?
"How to read defenses. Playing fast, playing strong, being aggressive."
NEWBIE II: Bennett Skowronek is even more raw than Moten. He is a true freshman. But the 6-foot-4, 210-pound wideout has cracked that group's rotation, and heads into the 'Cats game Saturday against Wisconsin with five catches for 32 yards. "There was a big learning curve coming in here this summer," he said when asked if he's learning to be a Big Ten receiver. "But the biggest thing is the physicality of the game. All the DBs try to get their hands on you and you've got to be physical with them. That's something I've been really working on at practice, working to improve upon. Then also blocking on the perimeter is huge, especially with the running game we have. A lot of times our runs, they get to the outside, so it's really important we're locked in on our blocks on the outside as well."
Earlier, as he was lining up for a play at this day's practice, fifth-year Andrew Scanlan barked out to him to work on his release, work on his release.
"Getting off the line. Being physical. Working on releases. That's the first part of your route, that's the most important part," Skowronek said when asked about that moment. "If you can't get off the line of scrimmage, you have no chance to be open."
What's the most-important thing he has learned?
"I've learned a lot. But the biggest thing is you have to be locked in. You can't let one play dictate your whole practice. You can't let one play dictate your whole game. Each play is a new play and you've just got to play it to the best of your abilities. You can't worry about previous plays."
What about the attention to diet, to treatment, to film study?
"It's a big jump. It definitely takes a lot of time out of your day. But you want to make sure you're getting the proper treatment to have your body ready. I mean, we're playing Big Ten football in November. Nobody's going to be feeling good. So you have to take extra time to get extra treatment so you can perform to the best of ur abilities. Nutrition's the same. That's something I never really paid attention to in the past. Now i'm trying to eat right. In the film room, that's a huge part. . .(and) there's a lot more film (than he studied in high school). Every single practicer is recorded. We have game tape on every single game an opponent has played. so there's a lot more film that I've watched this year than last year. So mentally I feel my game's grown a lot just in these last couple of months."
QUICKLY NOTED: Skowronek, who as a junior captained his high school basketball team, did not play that sport as a senior so he could begin preparing for his 'Cat career. "I saw an opportunity to come in as a freshman and potentially play," he explained. "That was something I was working toward. That was my mindset since I got here— I wanted to come in and be a productive part of the offense. That's something I really thought I could do. So it really came down to, everyday, just busting your tail.". . . No. 8 Ohio State last week, No. 6 Wisconsin this week at Ryan Field, and yet one more acclaimed defense to conquer. In the Big Ten the Badgers rank No. 2 in scoring D (14.6 ppg); No. 3 in total D (301.1 ypg); No. 1 in rushing D (109 ypg) and No. 5 in passing D (192.1 ypg). It is also holding opponents to a league-best 29 percent conversion rate on third-down opportunities (31-107). "Those guys are relentless," Fitzgerald said of them. "They're fun to watch. As a former neck-roll, Big Ten linebacker, they're fun to watch. They fly around. They do a great job." Said 'Cat right guard Tommy Doles: "But the thing is, at this point in the Big Ten season, we've been seeing great defenses for the last few weeks. So it's nothing we haven't seen before. They're going to be big, physical. But if you think about it, that's the Big Ten. So it's going to be trusting the scheme the coaches give us. We know it's going to be a good plan to attack their defense. And then just coming out and finishing. It's the effort that we give and, it's cliche, but execute. Just go out, run our feet, finish at the end of the whistle. Good things have happened when we've done that.". . . The Badgers are using a pair of quarterbacks, the senior Bart Houston and the redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook. But, said Fitzgerald, "They run their offense. I wouldn't say its Trevor (Siemian) and Kain (Colter). I'd say it's more similar than different from the standpoint of schematics.". . . The Badgers' offensive line goes 313, 321, 325, 333 and 314. "It's going to be a huge challenge for our defense. Huge. Literally and figuratively, I guess," Fitzgerald cracked. Countered D tackle Tyler Lancaster: "Yeah, they're really big. But I think it's a leverage game. So if you can stay low, the size doesn't really matter."
AND FINALLY, FITZGERALD, who this week offered up a shout out to his team's long snapper: "Chris Fitzpatrick's had a really good career snapping the ball. It doesn't get talked about a lot. His family are the only people who know he's on the field— (the family) with the big old 'My Son Wears 52' button. But it's great when you don't talk about the long snapper for a whole career. He led us out of the tunnel last week as our special team's player of the week. That was pretty cool for him. He's earned it throughout his career."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
NEWBIE I: Last August, when the 'Cats convened for training camp, it appeared that running back John Moten IV would see no more than spot action come the fall. But then senior Warren Long broke his hand and redshirt sophomore Auston Anderson tweaked a muscle, and that left the redshirt sophomore as Justin Jackson's primary backup. "I think John's doing well. I think he's learning how to be a Big Ten running back," Pat Fitzgerald said of him this week. "That's more than just having the ball, and I think he's working hard at it.
"You're right. He's like a lot of our players that went into the year thinking they were going to ride the bus and eat steak and kinda chill-axe a little bit. Maybe get into a game here and there. That's why you get prepared. I think if you look back, like probably a lot of our younger guys who are playing significant roles, they would change maybe their mental approach to the way they prepared because now they're right in the thick of the grind, right in the thick of Big Ten play. I think John, though, for the most part has handled it really well."
"My preparation hasn't changed," said Moten, who has netted 82 yards on 23 carries (3.6 ypc) and caught a pair of passes for 24 more. "But I think I've learned a lot of things along the way, and I can definitely thank the older guys like Justin and Auston and Warren and Corey (Acker, a redshirt junior), who've helped me learn some things along the way. But one thing Coach Mac (Matt MacPherson, the RBs coach) emphasizes is that everyone in the room should always be ready, and I took that to heart when I first got here."
And what did the older guys teach him?
"How to read defenses. Playing fast, playing strong, being aggressive."
NEWBIE II: Bennett Skowronek is even more raw than Moten. He is a true freshman. But the 6-foot-4, 210-pound wideout has cracked that group's rotation, and heads into the 'Cats game Saturday against Wisconsin with five catches for 32 yards. "There was a big learning curve coming in here this summer," he said when asked if he's learning to be a Big Ten receiver. "But the biggest thing is the physicality of the game. All the DBs try to get their hands on you and you've got to be physical with them. That's something I've been really working on at practice, working to improve upon. Then also blocking on the perimeter is huge, especially with the running game we have. A lot of times our runs, they get to the outside, so it's really important we're locked in on our blocks on the outside as well."
Earlier, as he was lining up for a play at this day's practice, fifth-year Andrew Scanlan barked out to him to work on his release, work on his release.
"Getting off the line. Being physical. Working on releases. That's the first part of your route, that's the most important part," Skowronek said when asked about that moment. "If you can't get off the line of scrimmage, you have no chance to be open."
What's the most-important thing he has learned?
"I've learned a lot. But the biggest thing is you have to be locked in. You can't let one play dictate your whole practice. You can't let one play dictate your whole game. Each play is a new play and you've just got to play it to the best of your abilities. You can't worry about previous plays."
What about the attention to diet, to treatment, to film study?
"It's a big jump. It definitely takes a lot of time out of your day. But you want to make sure you're getting the proper treatment to have your body ready. I mean, we're playing Big Ten football in November. Nobody's going to be feeling good. So you have to take extra time to get extra treatment so you can perform to the best of ur abilities. Nutrition's the same. That's something I never really paid attention to in the past. Now i'm trying to eat right. In the film room, that's a huge part. . .(and) there's a lot more film (than he studied in high school). Every single practicer is recorded. We have game tape on every single game an opponent has played. so there's a lot more film that I've watched this year than last year. So mentally I feel my game's grown a lot just in these last couple of months."
QUICKLY NOTED: Skowronek, who as a junior captained his high school basketball team, did not play that sport as a senior so he could begin preparing for his 'Cat career. "I saw an opportunity to come in as a freshman and potentially play," he explained. "That was something I was working toward. That was my mindset since I got here— I wanted to come in and be a productive part of the offense. That's something I really thought I could do. So it really came down to, everyday, just busting your tail.". . . No. 8 Ohio State last week, No. 6 Wisconsin this week at Ryan Field, and yet one more acclaimed defense to conquer. In the Big Ten the Badgers rank No. 2 in scoring D (14.6 ppg); No. 3 in total D (301.1 ypg); No. 1 in rushing D (109 ypg) and No. 5 in passing D (192.1 ypg). It is also holding opponents to a league-best 29 percent conversion rate on third-down opportunities (31-107). "Those guys are relentless," Fitzgerald said of them. "They're fun to watch. As a former neck-roll, Big Ten linebacker, they're fun to watch. They fly around. They do a great job." Said 'Cat right guard Tommy Doles: "But the thing is, at this point in the Big Ten season, we've been seeing great defenses for the last few weeks. So it's nothing we haven't seen before. They're going to be big, physical. But if you think about it, that's the Big Ten. So it's going to be trusting the scheme the coaches give us. We know it's going to be a good plan to attack their defense. And then just coming out and finishing. It's the effort that we give and, it's cliche, but execute. Just go out, run our feet, finish at the end of the whistle. Good things have happened when we've done that.". . . The Badgers are using a pair of quarterbacks, the senior Bart Houston and the redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook. But, said Fitzgerald, "They run their offense. I wouldn't say its Trevor (Siemian) and Kain (Colter). I'd say it's more similar than different from the standpoint of schematics.". . . The Badgers' offensive line goes 313, 321, 325, 333 and 314. "It's going to be a huge challenge for our defense. Huge. Literally and figuratively, I guess," Fitzgerald cracked. Countered D tackle Tyler Lancaster: "Yeah, they're really big. But I think it's a leverage game. So if you can stay low, the size doesn't really matter."
AND FINALLY, FITZGERALD, who this week offered up a shout out to his team's long snapper: "Chris Fitzpatrick's had a really good career snapping the ball. It doesn't get talked about a lot. His family are the only people who know he's on the field— (the family) with the big old 'My Son Wears 52' button. But it's great when you don't talk about the long snapper for a whole career. He led us out of the tunnel last week as our special team's player of the week. That was pretty cool for him. He's earned it throughout his career."
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