Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: Western Michigan Friday Notes
9/2/2016 5:39:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
FLASHBACK: This was two falls ago and Justin Jackson, then a true freshman, was discussing what he does so well. "Running the ball is really such an art," he said here. "It's something that becomes instinct over time. It's something that's crafted very carefully. I've tried to do that. I watch a lot of film. I critique myself. I try to improve my game, do anything to get better. I think my coach is putting me in a great position to succeed and slowly but surely I'm becoming more comfortable. When I become more comfortable in anything, I become a lot better."
THE PRESENT: Justin Jackson was plenty good that freshman season, finishing it with 1,187 yards, and even better last fall, which he ended with 1,418. But this week, just days before the 'Cats would open their new year against Western Michigan, he would say, "Coming off my first two years, I'm so much more comfortable now, and I'm really ready to go out there and be a great running back. The last few years have been about me going out there and knowing my job and doing my job to the best of my ability. But now it's about going out there and really helping my team win the Big Ten championship, and to really excel in the running game and receiving game. I think as a whole, on offense, it's that mindset. We have to go out there with that mindset knowing, 'Listen. We're very good players. We're great players. We've worked all off-season, we've worked all camp to be here and to be great, not just be average.' That's the mindset we have to go into games with. I think that's what's changed from last year to this year."
Is it evident that Jackson is more comfortable this year, Pat Fitzgerald was later asked.
"Almost a calm," he said. "You and I have talked a lot about how the game slows down (the more experience a player gets). Real calm. Excited to play. You could tell the first two years, he was giddy, almost like a little kid getting ready for the holidays. Now there's a calm presence about him, there's a swagger, there's a confidence that isn't said, it's just seen. I look forward to him having a great year."
THE PREP: This last off-season was the first Jackson went through at full strength and now he says, "I'm healthier than I've ever been. I think honestly I've just gotten so much stronger. If anything, I'm more explosive on my cuts. I feel great right now . . . My preparation for this season was a lot different. I tried to get in the weight room as much as possible, the training room as much as possible. It's really about those extras. Obviously you're going to lift with the team, but sometimes I'd go back later in the day.
"Just having the full off-season with no injuries, I'm so much more prepared for the season than I was last year. Last year I was hurt, didn't even participate in Kenosha. I was just getting back on my feet. Now I feel I've already calloused my body enough that after the first few games, my body won't be in such a position as it was last year. Last year, the first few games were like my Kenosha."
THE SPECIFICS: Asked what exactly was different about his prep this season, Jackson said, "I tried to work a lot on pass pro. That's something I feel I need to be better at. Routes and stuff, I got in with Solo (Solomon Vault) and some of the other receivers and really tried to study their game. I put in an extra amount of work on that because I believe I can be a viable option out of the backfield and slot this year. Especially since Solo moved (from running back) to receiver, we need to have another running back step in and kind of do what he did. I just really wanted to improve my game."
QUICKLY NOTED: Vault was switched to receiver to give the 'Cats an explosive playmaker on the edge. "Solomon's been doing a great job, working on his hands, working on getting in and out of routes," reported corner Matthew Harris, who has been facing him in practice. "But his athleticism takes over once he gets the ball in his hands. He's so explosive and elusive that anything can happen.". . . Back on Football Media Day, Fitzgerald indicated Warren Long would have a greater role this season than he has had in the past. "I think Warren's an explosive player. Warren's a powerful runner," Jackson said when asked about sharing the workload. "I think where he can help our team is getting more carries. That change of pace, it's a little bit different from my running style. That one-two punch is really potent, and it gives me more rest, and takes some of the load off my body. So the runs I am getting, I can have more stamina in those runs, and have more explosiveness because I'm not as tired.". . . Western is coming off consecutive 8-5 seasons and the first bowl win in school history. It topped Middle Tennessee State by 14 in the 2015 Popeye's Bahamas Bowl. . . . Both the media and the league's coaches picked the Broncos to win the MAC this season. . . . They are coached by P.J. Fleck, a former star receiver at Northern Illinois who also was an assistant there from 2007-2009. He is considered a rising, young star in the profession. . . . Their strength is their offense, which last season averaged 36 points per game. It is choreographed by fifth-year senior Zach Terrell, who last season completed 67 percent of his passes (262-391) and averaged 271.2 yards per-game while throwing for 29 touchdowns and suffering just nine interceptions. His favorite target is 6-foot-3, 213-pound Corey Davis, who enters the year as the active leading receiver in the FBS with 3,785 yards. "He's a great player," Fitzgerald said of him. "He was an instant-impact player when he first got there. Now to see his progression, he's just very impressive. He's a complete wide receiver. He's got great hands, he runs great routes, he's physical, he's really good at blocking, and they move him around. They do a lot of really good things with him, and he makes big plays happen in a lot of different ways.". . . They also have a pair of accomplished running backs, Jamauri Bogan and Jarvion Franklin, and a dangerous returner, Darius Phillips. "When I pop in the tape, he looks like a Big Ten returner," Fitzgerald said of him.
AND FINALLY, HARRIS, on the Broncos: "They're definitely a Big Ten caliber team, one of the top in the MAC. We can't take them easily. That's something we've been harping on all camp. Approach it with respect for the team."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
FLASHBACK: This was two falls ago and Justin Jackson, then a true freshman, was discussing what he does so well. "Running the ball is really such an art," he said here. "It's something that becomes instinct over time. It's something that's crafted very carefully. I've tried to do that. I watch a lot of film. I critique myself. I try to improve my game, do anything to get better. I think my coach is putting me in a great position to succeed and slowly but surely I'm becoming more comfortable. When I become more comfortable in anything, I become a lot better."
THE PRESENT: Justin Jackson was plenty good that freshman season, finishing it with 1,187 yards, and even better last fall, which he ended with 1,418. But this week, just days before the 'Cats would open their new year against Western Michigan, he would say, "Coming off my first two years, I'm so much more comfortable now, and I'm really ready to go out there and be a great running back. The last few years have been about me going out there and knowing my job and doing my job to the best of my ability. But now it's about going out there and really helping my team win the Big Ten championship, and to really excel in the running game and receiving game. I think as a whole, on offense, it's that mindset. We have to go out there with that mindset knowing, 'Listen. We're very good players. We're great players. We've worked all off-season, we've worked all camp to be here and to be great, not just be average.' That's the mindset we have to go into games with. I think that's what's changed from last year to this year."
Is it evident that Jackson is more comfortable this year, Pat Fitzgerald was later asked.
"Almost a calm," he said. "You and I have talked a lot about how the game slows down (the more experience a player gets). Real calm. Excited to play. You could tell the first two years, he was giddy, almost like a little kid getting ready for the holidays. Now there's a calm presence about him, there's a swagger, there's a confidence that isn't said, it's just seen. I look forward to him having a great year."
THE PREP: This last off-season was the first Jackson went through at full strength and now he says, "I'm healthier than I've ever been. I think honestly I've just gotten so much stronger. If anything, I'm more explosive on my cuts. I feel great right now . . . My preparation for this season was a lot different. I tried to get in the weight room as much as possible, the training room as much as possible. It's really about those extras. Obviously you're going to lift with the team, but sometimes I'd go back later in the day.
"Just having the full off-season with no injuries, I'm so much more prepared for the season than I was last year. Last year I was hurt, didn't even participate in Kenosha. I was just getting back on my feet. Now I feel I've already calloused my body enough that after the first few games, my body won't be in such a position as it was last year. Last year, the first few games were like my Kenosha."
THE SPECIFICS: Asked what exactly was different about his prep this season, Jackson said, "I tried to work a lot on pass pro. That's something I feel I need to be better at. Routes and stuff, I got in with Solo (Solomon Vault) and some of the other receivers and really tried to study their game. I put in an extra amount of work on that because I believe I can be a viable option out of the backfield and slot this year. Especially since Solo moved (from running back) to receiver, we need to have another running back step in and kind of do what he did. I just really wanted to improve my game."
QUICKLY NOTED: Vault was switched to receiver to give the 'Cats an explosive playmaker on the edge. "Solomon's been doing a great job, working on his hands, working on getting in and out of routes," reported corner Matthew Harris, who has been facing him in practice. "But his athleticism takes over once he gets the ball in his hands. He's so explosive and elusive that anything can happen.". . . Back on Football Media Day, Fitzgerald indicated Warren Long would have a greater role this season than he has had in the past. "I think Warren's an explosive player. Warren's a powerful runner," Jackson said when asked about sharing the workload. "I think where he can help our team is getting more carries. That change of pace, it's a little bit different from my running style. That one-two punch is really potent, and it gives me more rest, and takes some of the load off my body. So the runs I am getting, I can have more stamina in those runs, and have more explosiveness because I'm not as tired.". . . Western is coming off consecutive 8-5 seasons and the first bowl win in school history. It topped Middle Tennessee State by 14 in the 2015 Popeye's Bahamas Bowl. . . . Both the media and the league's coaches picked the Broncos to win the MAC this season. . . . They are coached by P.J. Fleck, a former star receiver at Northern Illinois who also was an assistant there from 2007-2009. He is considered a rising, young star in the profession. . . . Their strength is their offense, which last season averaged 36 points per game. It is choreographed by fifth-year senior Zach Terrell, who last season completed 67 percent of his passes (262-391) and averaged 271.2 yards per-game while throwing for 29 touchdowns and suffering just nine interceptions. His favorite target is 6-foot-3, 213-pound Corey Davis, who enters the year as the active leading receiver in the FBS with 3,785 yards. "He's a great player," Fitzgerald said of him. "He was an instant-impact player when he first got there. Now to see his progression, he's just very impressive. He's a complete wide receiver. He's got great hands, he runs great routes, he's physical, he's really good at blocking, and they move him around. They do a lot of really good things with him, and he makes big plays happen in a lot of different ways.". . . They also have a pair of accomplished running backs, Jamauri Bogan and Jarvion Franklin, and a dangerous returner, Darius Phillips. "When I pop in the tape, he looks like a Big Ten returner," Fitzgerald said of him.
AND FINALLY, HARRIS, on the Broncos: "They're definitely a Big Ten caliber team, one of the top in the MAC. We can't take them easily. That's something we've been harping on all camp. Approach it with respect for the team."
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