Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
The Skip Report: Showing the Way
11/8/2017 1:49:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
They're getting the ball first in their overtime tussle with Nebraska and, on their sideline, senior Justin Jackson and redshirt first-year Jeremy Larkin are among those Wildcats huddled around their offensive coaches. Now a play is called, the play that will open their possession.
"It was an unblocked defensive end on the boundary. It was more of a speed play," remembers running backs coach Matt MacPherson. "As we're going out, Justin goes, 'Jeremy, go.'
"Justin had kind of banged up his knee a little bit earlier in the game and it was stiffening up on him. They had a long drive (of 4:39 near the end of regulation) and he just said, 'You know what? We need a little bit more speed out there for this play. So send Jeremy out there.'"
As a coach, how did he react to that?
"That's great. That's great," MacPherson fairly shouts. "That's being unselfish. That's doing what's best for the team. And doing what's necessary for us to win games."
Jeremy Larkin, with his speed, sweeps left for a dozen yards on his unexpected opportunity and, six plays later, Clayton Thorson sneaks in with the what proves to be the winning touchdown.
"It was a really nice thing. I appreciated it," Larkin will later say of Jackson's action.
The running back is a hungry cat whose appetite craves the ball. Feed me, feed me, he continually commands, and when he's ignored there come pouts accompanied by whining and whimpering.
Jackson himself once said, "At the end of the day you want the ball handed to you so you can go make something happen. That's what we love. That's what running backs love to do. If I wasn't able to do that anymore, I probably wouldn't really want to play."
This perspective helps explain just how extraordinary his overtime gesture was, and punctuates even further his exalted status as leader. Those appetites should also be recalled as we move on now and consider the room he leads, which includes, along with Larkin, guys like Auston Anderson and John Moten IV, Jesse Brown and Corey Acker.
Pat Fitzgerald is asked about the relationship between Jackson and Larkin, and what the redshirt first year has learned from the senior star.
"It's kinda like what Trevor (Siemian, the former Northwestern quarterback) had with Peyton Manning (during their season together on the Broncos), right?," he says. "I'm not saying JJ's going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the NFL. But you've got one of the greatest players in our program's history, and when you're a younger player, to be able to watch and emulate his process is a true blessing. I think Lark and all those guys in that room have learned a ton. Justin's a great teammate. The way that he goes about his physical preparation, his mental film study, his practice habits— he's developed so much in our program to be the player he is now, I think he's been a great leader in that room to show those guys exactly what it takes to be a great player in this league."
And Larkin has been receptive?
"Oh, yeah. Lark. Johnny Mo. Corey. All those guys. Auston. Jesse. That whole group. They were awesome this off-season. They were the first guys in the weight room. First guys out running, last guys to leave. They've grinded now for a long time. Similar to our D line, I think that group has great chemistry within the room. In a room traditionally—I'm not saying here; we've been fortunate—but across the country that room is pretty selfish typically. As a linebacker-head coach would say, that group is usually pretty selfish. We've been fortunate in my time. We haven't had that issue. Maybe it's a little byproduct of the guys we recruit. But those guys have been awesome. That group has played really well this year. Johnny's got a big role in the kick game. Jesse's got a big role in the kick game. Auston's assumed his role in the kick game. Lark's been outstanding. Justin exudes toughness."
Minutes later, Larkin himself is asked what he has learned observing Jackson.
"It's about how he goes about his business," he says. "One thing I've really been able to learn from him is how he prepares for a game. The extra film he watches throughout the week. How he recovers every day after practice, after a game. And just the type of leader he is. He's a very vocal guy. He's constantly telling us how we have to be better. We have to be the most-prepared group. We have to be this and that. Just how he is as a leader, as a person. He's a great guy."
And how has that made him a better player?
"Just looking up to him, I guess. Trying to one day be nearly as good as him. It's kinda tough," he says, and now he pauses, checks himself and chuckles softy at the breadth of him ambition.
Then, leaning into a microphone, he concludes, "But just try to be that kind of guy."
Northwestern running backs have 250 carries this season. All but 18 of them belong to either Jackson or Larkin. This means, of course, that a bunch of them are not being fed, that they are instead working prosaic jobs instead of sweeping grandly into the end zone. This cannot be easy, this enforced diet. But, explains running backs coach MacPherson, "One of the first things I say when I meet with them is, 'If you are not carrying the ball 25, 30 times a game, you better be a starter on two or three special teams.' When I recruit them, when they get here, I tell them that.
"We feel as running backs— the reason you have the ball in your hands is because you're one of the best athletes on the team. Whether that's high school, whether that's college. So if you're not going to have the ball in your hands a bunch here, you need to be helping us in other ways. They understand that's an expectation from the time they walk on campus. That's the culture. That's the standard that's set when they come in."
Jesse Brown was fed at Georgia's Brookwood High School, where in his career he rushed for 26 touchdowns and better than 3,300 yards. But this season, as a redshirt first year, he has exactly five carries for 34 yards. He is asked first what he has learned in his 16 months around Justin Jackson.
"When I first came in," he says, "I noticed Justin was very hard working, very diligent. So definitely it gave me an idea of exactly how much time and effort a Big Ten student-athlete needs to put in to actually do well and be the best that he can at this level. Trying to mimic that has improved my game on the front end (in the meeting room) and the back end (on the field). Going home. Watching film. Doing all the extra prep work so you can be even better on the field during practice and in games. That discipline and work ethic has really improved."
But he's being used primarily on special teams.
"I'm probably like most anybody out here. They were the star athlete. They only played their position. They didn't play special teams," he says. "But coming in here I realized that getting the starting running back position would be tough and I'd have to find a way to get on the field, no matter what it is. Turned out that was special teams and I'm filling my role. Really, anywhere that I can show off my talents on the field— especially special teams. You just cut it loose and have fun. That's what you get out of it."
But he's a runner, and runners like to be fed.
"I believe everything's a process, and I know that God's plan for me is to get better in this area. A lot of special teams is fundamentals, and getting those fundamentals down will allow you to show your talents even more. So getting those basics down on special teams will help me out in the future at running back too."
But this is the age of instant access, instant karma, instant gratification. Where's his patience come from?
"You've got to learn it. That's something I learned from Justin too," Jesse Brown finally says. "He's real even keeled. He can get fired up and everything. But he knows when things need to be worked through. He allows things to develop, if that makes sense. That rubbed off on me too."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
They're getting the ball first in their overtime tussle with Nebraska and, on their sideline, senior Justin Jackson and redshirt first-year Jeremy Larkin are among those Wildcats huddled around their offensive coaches. Now a play is called, the play that will open their possession.
"It was an unblocked defensive end on the boundary. It was more of a speed play," remembers running backs coach Matt MacPherson. "As we're going out, Justin goes, 'Jeremy, go.'
"Justin had kind of banged up his knee a little bit earlier in the game and it was stiffening up on him. They had a long drive (of 4:39 near the end of regulation) and he just said, 'You know what? We need a little bit more speed out there for this play. So send Jeremy out there.'"
As a coach, how did he react to that?
"That's great. That's great," MacPherson fairly shouts. "That's being unselfish. That's doing what's best for the team. And doing what's necessary for us to win games."
Jeremy Larkin, with his speed, sweeps left for a dozen yards on his unexpected opportunity and, six plays later, Clayton Thorson sneaks in with the what proves to be the winning touchdown.
"It was a really nice thing. I appreciated it," Larkin will later say of Jackson's action.
The running back is a hungry cat whose appetite craves the ball. Feed me, feed me, he continually commands, and when he's ignored there come pouts accompanied by whining and whimpering.
Jackson himself once said, "At the end of the day you want the ball handed to you so you can go make something happen. That's what we love. That's what running backs love to do. If I wasn't able to do that anymore, I probably wouldn't really want to play."
This perspective helps explain just how extraordinary his overtime gesture was, and punctuates even further his exalted status as leader. Those appetites should also be recalled as we move on now and consider the room he leads, which includes, along with Larkin, guys like Auston Anderson and John Moten IV, Jesse Brown and Corey Acker.
Pat Fitzgerald is asked about the relationship between Jackson and Larkin, and what the redshirt first year has learned from the senior star.
"It's kinda like what Trevor (Siemian, the former Northwestern quarterback) had with Peyton Manning (during their season together on the Broncos), right?," he says. "I'm not saying JJ's going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the NFL. But you've got one of the greatest players in our program's history, and when you're a younger player, to be able to watch and emulate his process is a true blessing. I think Lark and all those guys in that room have learned a ton. Justin's a great teammate. The way that he goes about his physical preparation, his mental film study, his practice habits— he's developed so much in our program to be the player he is now, I think he's been a great leader in that room to show those guys exactly what it takes to be a great player in this league."
And Larkin has been receptive?
"Oh, yeah. Lark. Johnny Mo. Corey. All those guys. Auston. Jesse. That whole group. They were awesome this off-season. They were the first guys in the weight room. First guys out running, last guys to leave. They've grinded now for a long time. Similar to our D line, I think that group has great chemistry within the room. In a room traditionally—I'm not saying here; we've been fortunate—but across the country that room is pretty selfish typically. As a linebacker-head coach would say, that group is usually pretty selfish. We've been fortunate in my time. We haven't had that issue. Maybe it's a little byproduct of the guys we recruit. But those guys have been awesome. That group has played really well this year. Johnny's got a big role in the kick game. Jesse's got a big role in the kick game. Auston's assumed his role in the kick game. Lark's been outstanding. Justin exudes toughness."
Minutes later, Larkin himself is asked what he has learned observing Jackson.
"It's about how he goes about his business," he says. "One thing I've really been able to learn from him is how he prepares for a game. The extra film he watches throughout the week. How he recovers every day after practice, after a game. And just the type of leader he is. He's a very vocal guy. He's constantly telling us how we have to be better. We have to be the most-prepared group. We have to be this and that. Just how he is as a leader, as a person. He's a great guy."
And how has that made him a better player?
"Just looking up to him, I guess. Trying to one day be nearly as good as him. It's kinda tough," he says, and now he pauses, checks himself and chuckles softy at the breadth of him ambition.
Then, leaning into a microphone, he concludes, "But just try to be that kind of guy."
Northwestern running backs have 250 carries this season. All but 18 of them belong to either Jackson or Larkin. This means, of course, that a bunch of them are not being fed, that they are instead working prosaic jobs instead of sweeping grandly into the end zone. This cannot be easy, this enforced diet. But, explains running backs coach MacPherson, "One of the first things I say when I meet with them is, 'If you are not carrying the ball 25, 30 times a game, you better be a starter on two or three special teams.' When I recruit them, when they get here, I tell them that.
"We feel as running backs— the reason you have the ball in your hands is because you're one of the best athletes on the team. Whether that's high school, whether that's college. So if you're not going to have the ball in your hands a bunch here, you need to be helping us in other ways. They understand that's an expectation from the time they walk on campus. That's the culture. That's the standard that's set when they come in."
Jesse Brown was fed at Georgia's Brookwood High School, where in his career he rushed for 26 touchdowns and better than 3,300 yards. But this season, as a redshirt first year, he has exactly five carries for 34 yards. He is asked first what he has learned in his 16 months around Justin Jackson.
"When I first came in," he says, "I noticed Justin was very hard working, very diligent. So definitely it gave me an idea of exactly how much time and effort a Big Ten student-athlete needs to put in to actually do well and be the best that he can at this level. Trying to mimic that has improved my game on the front end (in the meeting room) and the back end (on the field). Going home. Watching film. Doing all the extra prep work so you can be even better on the field during practice and in games. That discipline and work ethic has really improved."
But he's being used primarily on special teams.
"I'm probably like most anybody out here. They were the star athlete. They only played their position. They didn't play special teams," he says. "But coming in here I realized that getting the starting running back position would be tough and I'd have to find a way to get on the field, no matter what it is. Turned out that was special teams and I'm filling my role. Really, anywhere that I can show off my talents on the field— especially special teams. You just cut it loose and have fun. That's what you get out of it."
But he's a runner, and runners like to be fed.
"I believe everything's a process, and I know that God's plan for me is to get better in this area. A lot of special teams is fundamentals, and getting those fundamentals down will allow you to show your talents even more. So getting those basics down on special teams will help me out in the future at running back too."
But this is the age of instant access, instant karma, instant gratification. Where's his patience come from?
"You've got to learn it. That's something I learned from Justin too," Jesse Brown finally says. "He's real even keeled. He can get fired up and everything. But he knows when things need to be worked through. He allows things to develop, if that makes sense. That rubbed off on me too."
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