Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: The Pit
10/13/2017 3:24:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
NOT HERE: Superlatives draped the Penn State running back and Heisman hopeful Saquon Barkley last Saturday when he dropped by Ryan Field. But that afternoon, in an inspired performance, the 'Cat defense smothered him on all but one play, which he broke for a 53-yard touchdown run. "I thought our defensive line dominated the game. I thought they were outstanding," Pat Fitzgerald would say this week, explaining why Barkley was reduced to mere mortality.
"Every guy who went out there played his rear end off. They were incredibly active. Saquon got credit for the (one, long) run, but we should get credit for the carry. We misfit the play, we missed a tackle, our corner ran up the field and our safety ran into the umpire. He gets the 53 yards. But if any of those four guys do something a little different, that probably goes for four or five like it did the other three times they ran the tackle trap play. Credit him, though. He's a heck of a player. But I thought our defensive line was able to control the line of scrimmage pretty well."
And does the D line get a bit more jacked when bumping up against a back as acclaimed as Barkley?
"Absolutely," said D end Joe Gaziano. "We play a lot of great competition in the Big Ten. Even in our non-conference games we go against a lot of great athletes. But the higher we esteem the player we're going against, the more we have to elevate our play. That's not to say teams we played before don't have good athletes. But a Heisman candidate coming into our house, we've got to protect our house."
SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO DO IT: He and his line mates operate in a place called The Pit, which was given that name for a reason. The work there is dirty and nasty and characterized by constant collisions, and rarely (if ever) is any of their labor featured on some highlight show. "It's a cliché. But it's bringing your lunch pail to work every day," Gaziano says when asked how one survives in such an unforgiving world. "It's a blue collar type of job. You're not going to get all the glory. Your name's not necessarily going to get written up in the paper. But if you do a great job, your linebackers are going to succeed. Our linebackers are very thankful for us, and we appreciate them being with us and being great teammates. When we do a great job, the linebackers get the glory. But they give it back to us."
So just as the O line gets its satisfaction from opening the hole that springs a back, his line gets its satisfaction from its backers succeeding?
"Absolutely. Paddy Fisher (the middle linebacker) against Duke had 18 tackles. We like to pride ourselves in taking on the blockers so he can run free and make the plays. He's making a lot of great plays out there, and we expect that of our backers when we do a good job."
And, to continue the parallels, do they on the D line have to play as one just as those on the O line must?
"For sure. On pass rush, there are different moves you like to make and you have to be on the same page as the guy next to you. There's a lot of communication. If I'm the left end, the right end has to know what I'm doing, and it has to be synchronous communication. Not only along the front four. But with the backers and the DBs as well. Eleven guys on the same page all at once is how we're going to succeed."
YES. THEY ARE GRATEFUL: The linebacker Brett Walsh was asked about the D line's play against Penn State, and just how its play effects his job. "They had a great day," he said. "We had a plan to take away Saquon Barkley and our defensive line executed that. They were on the attack. As a linebacker, we play off of them. A lot of our success is attributed to how well they play. They deserve all the credit."
"The guys up front were outstanding Saturday," the safety Jared McGee now added. "They did well keeping blockers off the linebackers and plugged the holes they were supposed to plug. In the passing game they got to the quarterback, made it hard for him to make his reads, made him move around the pocket a little bit and got their fair share of sacks. (Four of the team's five. The last went to linebacker Nate Hall.) That makes our life on the back end a whole lot better when the quarterback can't throw the ball. So a big shout out to those guys. They were great."
QUICKLY NOTED: Gaziano has a sack in each of the 'Cats last two games and is the team leader with three. "To see a veteran like Joe step up, it's what we've expected," Fitzgerald said of him. . . . The 'Cats have been playing football for 135 years and Maryland, for 125. But
Saturday's meeting is the first between the two schools. . . . Back in 1998, Fitzgerald began his coaching career as a defensive grad assistant at Maryland. So Saturday, he said, "Is a little bit of a homecoming for me.". . . The Terps are coached by D.J. Durkin, who is in his second season guiding them. On his last stop he was defensive coordinator at Michigan. . . . The Terps are 3-2 with wins at then-No. 23 Texas, at home over Towson and at Minnesota. Their losses are to No. 22 UCF and No. 9 Ohio State. . . . The Terps stats aren't good, ranking dead last in the Big Ten in passing offense and passing defense and 13th in rushing defense and total defense. "Stats are for losers," Fitzgerald said when this was noted, repeating a familiar opinion. Then he added, "Every game is a new season. Every week is a season in and of itself. I can't tell you I look at very many stats going into a game. I look at the tape. When I look at the tape, I look at that Texas game. All three phases, really impressive. Fast forward to watching Minnesota. I was really impressed.". . . The Terps have lost two starting quarterbacks this season to torn ACLs. Their third starter, sophomore Max Bortenschlager, choreographed their Sept. 30 win over the Gophs, but took a forearm to the head in their loss last Saturday at Ohio State. On Thursday Durkin said his starter against the 'Cats will be a "game time decision." If it is not Bortenschlager it will be redshirt junior Caleb Henderson, a transfer from North Carolina. . . . Against the Buckeyes the Terps completed only three passes, managed just six first downs and totaled a mere 66 yards of offense. No wonder, then, that Durkin said this week, "We're looking into what we can do scheme-wise differently, what we can do personnel-wise differently. All those things are on the table."
AND FINALLY, GAZIANO, on the team's mood after consecutive losses to Wisconsin and Penn State: "You saw us today (at practice). We're scratching and clawing. Like I said, we're a blue collar team. We're fighting for every inch. That's the game of football. We've got to come out and fight. You get knocked down in a couple rounds, you've got to stand up and fight. it's one of those deals, if you let your morale get down, if you let the team sink into the past and what happened, you're not going to succeed. But if we stand up and fight, I think we're going to do well this season."
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