Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: Jeremy Larkin Finding His Role
10/6/2017 5:56:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
TOUGH LOVE: They were sibs, and they competed with all the fervor that characterizes sibling rivalries, and no, absolutely not, Jeff Larkin would never, ever, let his younger brother win those games of one-on-one played out on the driveway of their Cincinnati home.
"Not a chance. Not a chance," remembers that younger brother, Northwestern redshirt first-year running back Jeremy Larkin. "And even when I did win, he'd flip it on me so mentally I'd feel that I'd cheated somehow, and then I'd be upset. I remember my uncle saying, 'Why are you crying? You won.' I told him, 'He said I cheated.' But my older brother never let me win. So when I got it I had to realize I earned it. But for the most part I lost."
And are those driveway experiences still relevant now?
"Yes. Yes," he says quickly. "If you talk to anyone who's very close to me, they know I do not like to lose at anything. I always play with a chip on my shoulder no matter what it is. I'm always ready to compete, always looking to compete. I've just got to win. It's to the point that, if I didn't win, I didn't do anything right."
LOVE REAFFIRMED: He won a lot as a junior and a senior at La Salle High School, which went a combined 27-3 those two seasons and grabbed off a pair of state championships. But last fall, after undergoing an operation for a torn labrum, he redshirted, and so was merely a spectator as the 'Cats worked their way to the Pinstripe Bowl.
"Just sitting back and not being able to play football really tested me emotionally. Made me realize just how much I love the game," he recalls.
"Without having that year of football, I couldn't wait to get back on the field. So when spring time came around, every moment, I didn't take it for granted. I'm still not taking it for granted. Whenever we get to practice, I'm loving it out here. It made me realize how much I actually, truly love the game."
LOVE ACQUITTED: The 'Cats featured runner, of course, is the senior Justin Jackson, but through much of this season he has been nicked up and limited. He has, then, needed relief, and into that role has stepped Larkin, who last week at Wisconsin carried seven times for a team-high 37 yards and caught three passes for 17 more.
"I think Lark had a really good game. I think he's had a really good start to his career," Pat Fitzgerald said of that performance. "From the standpoint of the future for him, it's very exciting. But with guys getting banged up, the future's now. The opportunity is now. I thought he did a really good job with the opportunities he was given on Saturday."
"Naw. Not at all. Not at all," Larkin says when asked if there is pressure relieving a performer as estimable as Jackson. "It's all about how we prepare out here every day. Practice should be harder than the game, so when it comes to the game, it's easier than what you've practiced. Going to Wisconsin, I knew it was going to be a tough game. But when I actually got out there, got the plays, it felt normal. I felt like I knew what I was doing. Very confident in the game plan."
A QUICK STAT PACK: This gives you a hint of Larkin's possibilities. In his final three seasons at La Salle he totaled 5,349 rushing yards, 6,399 total offensive yards, 8,326 all-purpose yards and 95 touchdowns. In the last two of those seasons he was named Ohio's Division II Offensive Player of the Year.
QUICKLY NOTED: Larkin's dad Jeff and former Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, the Hall of Famer, are second cousins…Larkin and defensive tackle Jordan Thompson were teammates at La Salle…Next up for Larkin and the 'Cats is No. 4 Penn State, which visits Ryan Field Saturday on Homecoming Weekend. The 5-0 Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten in scoring defense, surrendering an average of just 9.4 points per game, and turnover margin at +9. They are second in the conference to Ohio State in scoring offense (41.4 ppg) and total offense (471.2 ypg)…Their stud, and a top Heisman candidate, is running back Saquon Barkley, who's averaging a conference-best 243.6 all-purpose yards per-game. He is so versatile that he is second in the league in rushing, and fourth in the league in both receptions and kickoff returns. "He has everything," Fitzgerald said of him this week. "He's great at protection. He's great running the ball. He has great vision. He has great balance. He has great speed. He has great toughness. Amazing vision. He's durable. He's tough. Then he catches the ball the same way. He returns the ball the same way. I had a chance to watch the Iowa game as a fan. We had a bye week. I'm sitting there cheering for that guy. You say, 'Wow.' If I'm a Penn State fan, I'm pretty stoked up. He's pretty darn good." Added defensive tackle Tyler Lancaster, "He's one of the most-talented players I'll ever play."…Dangerous too is their quarterback Trace McSorley, who is averaging a league-high 270.4 yards per-game while completing 65.6 percent of his passes. He has thrown for a dozen touchdowns and been picked four times. "He reminds me a lot of Danny Persa before Danny got hurt," Fitzgerald said of him. "Very athletic, he has the opportunity to make plays with his legs. He's a definite threat in the run game…Nittany Lion punter Blake Gillikin is the twin brother of 'Cat long snapper Tyler. "I remember going to Blake's house for the official visit," Penn State coach James Franklin remembered this week, "and there were scuff marks and holes all over the walls because Tyler used to snap it to him and he would drop it and do a light punt in the house. So there was stuff all over the place."…Discussing the 'Cats, Franklin said, "I think whenever you're at an academic school like Northwestern—I was in one at Vanderbilt (as their head coach). Everybody just likes the story that you don't have the same type of athletes. I don't know if I necessarily would agree with that. They have a bunch of guys every year that make All Big Ten, and a bunch of guys that get drafted and go to the NFL. They are tough, hard-nosed, smart and disciplined…and Pat's been there a long time. He played there and (with him) there's just a vision. There's a lot of cohesion. I think they are a blue-collar, hard-nosed, smart and talented team…and that's why they are a tough out."
AND FINALLY, Fitzgerald on former 'Cat and current Bronco quarterback Trevor Siemian, who is Saturday's honorary captain.
"I remember vividly when we had our conversation after he got hurt his senior year. He's like, 'I'm not sure what I want to do.' I said, 'Listen. I think your best football's still ahead of ya. I would go for it. If the worst thing is you get into a camp and you end up not making it, you'll never have a regret for not at least trying.' To his credit, he worked his rear end off. It was so impressive to watch how he rehabbed to get ready for his pro day. He couldn't roll out. He couldn't really move, but he could at least drop back. That was one of the most impressive pro day performances from a guy who's probably 65, 70 percent."
