Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: The Test of Adversity
9/13/2017 3:15:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
Justin Jackson's a bit banged up. Pat Fitzgerald shared that bit of intel last Saturday shortly after Duke drubbed the 'Cats by 24. "I feel great," Jackson himself would say three days later.
But Fitz said you're a bit banged up.
"Everyone is," Jackson asserted. "But it's early season, body's got to get used to it, to the toll of it. I'm good."
Justin Jackson, normally incandescent, was unusually muted against the Blue Devils, netting a career-low 18 yards on a career-low seven carries. Clayton Thorson, normally well-armed and accurate, was himself also muffled down in Durham, getting picked twice while completing a mere 11 of his 29 attempts. It is no wonder, then, that the offense they lead controlled the ball for less than 19 of the game's 60 minutes.
"For sure," Jackson will say when asked if he takes that kind of defeat and that kind of performance personally. "A lot of the leaders feel we could have played a lot better from the top down. So I first and foremost take it on my shoulders. I'll be much better this week (against Bowling Green on Saturday night)."
"I take it very personally," Thorson will say minutes later when asked the same question. "Being the quarterback of this team, and obviously a captain as well — but being the quarterback of this team, whatever happens to our team and our offense, I take on my shoulders because I'm the leader of this team. When we lose like that, even if I've played well and thrown for 400 yards, I take it personally because we've lost. If I'm the leader of this team, I've got to take that on me. And I do.
"This team is really good. We had a bad day. We had a really bad day. That was horrible. I hate losing. I hate losing. There's never been once in my life when I went, 'Man, I really played well. We lost. But that's OK.' There's never been anything like that. And if there is in football, you're probably not going to be on a very successful team. I think everyone on our team realizes that. Guys like (redshirt first-year linebacker) Paddy Fisher, he had a ton of tackles (a game-high 18). I said, 'Hey, man. Nice job.'
"He's, 'Whatever. Doesn't matter.'
"It's cool to see that out of a guy that young. He realizes the big picture and what really matters."
The big picture was not a pretty one for the 'Cats last Saturday. "When you look at it on a grand scale," says Jackson, "obviously it looks like we got our asses whipped. And we did. But there were definitely a few moments in the game when we had the momentum and we let it slip away. What it comes down to in big games like that, it's a few plays here and there that can really swing things."
"They just bested us," says Thorson. "But we started out pretty well. We started out (up) 3-0. But I missed a throw to (running back) Jeremy Larkin. If I make that throw he's scoring a touchdown. We had the ball on the 45-yard line to start the second half. (Actually, the 47). No points. I think of those turning points in the game. Obviously Jared's hit. (Safety Jared McGee was penalized for targeting on the hit, which got him bounced from the game and negated an interception by Godwin Igwebuike. Two plays later Duke would score its first touchdown.) Different things that really changed the game for us. We've just got to do a better job of responding and taking advantage of our opportunities."
"We have to respond to adversity," echoes Jackson. "I think in the beginning of the game, we started off real well with a drive we probably should have scored (a touchdown) on and then the defense got a turnover right away (on a pick by corner Montre Hartage). That's a great way to start a game. We've just got to sustain it, and when bad things happen we've got to respond and make a play. That starts with me. That starts with guys like Clayton and guys like Garrett (Dickerson, the superback), the leaders on the offense."
This team's maturity and leadership were lauded all through camp, so it appears counter-intuitive that they had difficulty responding.
"I wouldn't say it's a maturity issue. We have a lot of really good leaders," Jackson demurs when this is mentioned to him. "But we've got a lot of young guys playing too and we've got to get them confident. We're really confident in ourselves and in this team, and Coach Fitz is too. So, yeah. From the outside looking in, you guys might see one thing and it's either really good or really bad to you guys. But we watch the film, we see what things look like out there. We'll get it fixed."
So do they still believe they're a good team?
"Yeah," says Thorson. "We know we're a good team."
They are among the leaders of that team and so this week, in the wake of a loss as lopsided as a crooked grin, they have a job to do. "Making sure we're getting back out here at practice," Jackson says when asked about it. "We had a good Tuesday, a good first day. And just really attacking things. Then when it comes to Saturday, just let it loose. Don't be out there thinking too much. Be on the attack. That's what we're focusing on this week."
"First and foremost, just stay together," Thorson says. "Any negative talk within our team has been squashed, and I don't think there has been any. Which is really cool. Guys realize what's good for a team and what's bad for a team. Especially the guys who are fifth-year. They've seen two 5-7 seasons. And have seen the bad things that can happen and the good things that can happen. On those teams we had a lot of guys who are in the NFL right now, and they did a lot of good things for us. But those two seasons were five-and-seven, and they've seen what works and what doesn't work. So a lot of it is just staying together, and going out there and playing with confidence. Letting loose."
Is it possible, with all the expectations, all the chatter surrounding them that they're not loose, that they've forgotten how to have fun playing a kid's game?
Justin Jackson laughs out loud when asked that. But then he says, "I think sometimes you can get lost in all the stress and everything. But, yeah. At the end of the day you've just got to go out there and play, man. This is what we worked so hard for all off-season. You can't get that lost in your mind. We've got to get back to playing."
"I think guys are having fun," Clayton Thorson finally says. "But, obviously, when we're not making plays, it's tough to have fun, and we weren't making plays on Saturday. (The previous) Saturday, in the second half (against Nevada), we were making a lot of plays and having a lot of fun. We know we're capable of that no matter who the opponent is.
"So we do have a lot of fun. You see us at practice. It's fun. Everyone on this team I think really loves football. Even more than teams in the past, that love for football is there and the desire to win and the desire to be a team and to do it is there. That's what's going to separate our team. The desire to stay together, to be a team, and to have fun playing this game."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
Justin Jackson's a bit banged up. Pat Fitzgerald shared that bit of intel last Saturday shortly after Duke drubbed the 'Cats by 24. "I feel great," Jackson himself would say three days later.
But Fitz said you're a bit banged up.
"Everyone is," Jackson asserted. "But it's early season, body's got to get used to it, to the toll of it. I'm good."
Justin Jackson, normally incandescent, was unusually muted against the Blue Devils, netting a career-low 18 yards on a career-low seven carries. Clayton Thorson, normally well-armed and accurate, was himself also muffled down in Durham, getting picked twice while completing a mere 11 of his 29 attempts. It is no wonder, then, that the offense they lead controlled the ball for less than 19 of the game's 60 minutes.
"For sure," Jackson will say when asked if he takes that kind of defeat and that kind of performance personally. "A lot of the leaders feel we could have played a lot better from the top down. So I first and foremost take it on my shoulders. I'll be much better this week (against Bowling Green on Saturday night)."
"I take it very personally," Thorson will say minutes later when asked the same question. "Being the quarterback of this team, and obviously a captain as well — but being the quarterback of this team, whatever happens to our team and our offense, I take on my shoulders because I'm the leader of this team. When we lose like that, even if I've played well and thrown for 400 yards, I take it personally because we've lost. If I'm the leader of this team, I've got to take that on me. And I do.
"This team is really good. We had a bad day. We had a really bad day. That was horrible. I hate losing. I hate losing. There's never been once in my life when I went, 'Man, I really played well. We lost. But that's OK.' There's never been anything like that. And if there is in football, you're probably not going to be on a very successful team. I think everyone on our team realizes that. Guys like (redshirt first-year linebacker) Paddy Fisher, he had a ton of tackles (a game-high 18). I said, 'Hey, man. Nice job.'
"He's, 'Whatever. Doesn't matter.'
"It's cool to see that out of a guy that young. He realizes the big picture and what really matters."
The big picture was not a pretty one for the 'Cats last Saturday. "When you look at it on a grand scale," says Jackson, "obviously it looks like we got our asses whipped. And we did. But there were definitely a few moments in the game when we had the momentum and we let it slip away. What it comes down to in big games like that, it's a few plays here and there that can really swing things."
"They just bested us," says Thorson. "But we started out pretty well. We started out (up) 3-0. But I missed a throw to (running back) Jeremy Larkin. If I make that throw he's scoring a touchdown. We had the ball on the 45-yard line to start the second half. (Actually, the 47). No points. I think of those turning points in the game. Obviously Jared's hit. (Safety Jared McGee was penalized for targeting on the hit, which got him bounced from the game and negated an interception by Godwin Igwebuike. Two plays later Duke would score its first touchdown.) Different things that really changed the game for us. We've just got to do a better job of responding and taking advantage of our opportunities."
"We have to respond to adversity," echoes Jackson. "I think in the beginning of the game, we started off real well with a drive we probably should have scored (a touchdown) on and then the defense got a turnover right away (on a pick by corner Montre Hartage). That's a great way to start a game. We've just got to sustain it, and when bad things happen we've got to respond and make a play. That starts with me. That starts with guys like Clayton and guys like Garrett (Dickerson, the superback), the leaders on the offense."
This team's maturity and leadership were lauded all through camp, so it appears counter-intuitive that they had difficulty responding.
"I wouldn't say it's a maturity issue. We have a lot of really good leaders," Jackson demurs when this is mentioned to him. "But we've got a lot of young guys playing too and we've got to get them confident. We're really confident in ourselves and in this team, and Coach Fitz is too. So, yeah. From the outside looking in, you guys might see one thing and it's either really good or really bad to you guys. But we watch the film, we see what things look like out there. We'll get it fixed."
So do they still believe they're a good team?
"Yeah," says Thorson. "We know we're a good team."
They are among the leaders of that team and so this week, in the wake of a loss as lopsided as a crooked grin, they have a job to do. "Making sure we're getting back out here at practice," Jackson says when asked about it. "We had a good Tuesday, a good first day. And just really attacking things. Then when it comes to Saturday, just let it loose. Don't be out there thinking too much. Be on the attack. That's what we're focusing on this week."
"First and foremost, just stay together," Thorson says. "Any negative talk within our team has been squashed, and I don't think there has been any. Which is really cool. Guys realize what's good for a team and what's bad for a team. Especially the guys who are fifth-year. They've seen two 5-7 seasons. And have seen the bad things that can happen and the good things that can happen. On those teams we had a lot of guys who are in the NFL right now, and they did a lot of good things for us. But those two seasons were five-and-seven, and they've seen what works and what doesn't work. So a lot of it is just staying together, and going out there and playing with confidence. Letting loose."
Is it possible, with all the expectations, all the chatter surrounding them that they're not loose, that they've forgotten how to have fun playing a kid's game?
Justin Jackson laughs out loud when asked that. But then he says, "I think sometimes you can get lost in all the stress and everything. But, yeah. At the end of the day you've just got to go out there and play, man. This is what we worked so hard for all off-season. You can't get that lost in your mind. We've got to get back to playing."
"I think guys are having fun," Clayton Thorson finally says. "But, obviously, when we're not making plays, it's tough to have fun, and we weren't making plays on Saturday. (The previous) Saturday, in the second half (against Nevada), we were making a lot of plays and having a lot of fun. We know we're capable of that no matter who the opponent is.
"So we do have a lot of fun. You see us at practice. It's fun. Everyone on this team I think really loves football. Even more than teams in the past, that love for football is there and the desire to win and the desire to be a team and to do it is there. That's what's going to separate our team. The desire to stay together, to be a team, and to have fun playing this game."
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