Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: "Just Run"
9/29/2017 4:09:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
Three falls ago, days after the 'Cats trip to Wisconsin, the running backs coach Matt MacPherson was recalling a moment from that game. Here he was on the sideline with his first year Justin Jackson, and they were discussing a counter they had used on the previous possession, and he was advising his young protégé on just how it should have been run. But then, just before the offense returned to the field, MacPherson added, "Now listen. Once you get out on the field, don't listen to a damn word I say. You just run."
"I don't want him thinking," he would now explain. "I want him reacting."
"Running the ball is really such an art. It's something that becomes instinct over time," Jackson himself would say that same morning. "It's something I've 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. But you just want to run with what you see. You don't want to be thinking about it."
Justin Jackson, in all the days that have since passed, has most certainly gotten better. But, even more impressively, he has also proven himself to be one of those rare ones, a child blessed by the gods, a talent who reflects that 'pinball wizard' heralded by The Who in their rock opera Tommy, "That deaf dumb and blind kid. . .(who) plays by sense of smell (and) Always has a replay, 'n' never tilts at all." Yes. He may have, on occasion, been slowed. But still, as he returns as a senior to Wisconsin for the 'Cats Saturday Big Ten opener with the Badgers, he is a mere 108 yards shy of Damien Anderson's program record of 4,485 rushing yards.
"The minute he got on campus, I thought he had that type of potential," Pat Fitzgerald said of him this week. "He wasn't the biggest guy. But his work ethic was just unbelievable in the early practices, and we had a wide open job. We had graduated some great production in that room and it was wide open. Did I think he was going to win the job right away? No. But to his credit, he did. So I don't know if there was a specific game (when he realized Jackson was a special talent). I think it was from the get go. But he's had a lot of pretty special performances."
Any characteristics he shares with Anderson and Tyrell Sutton and Darnell Autry, those others atop the 'Cat career rushing list?
"First of all, they're all really tough and durable," Fitzgerald said. "To be able to have the type of success all those guys have had, especially going back to Darnell when I played with him. It's not like in the '90s we were throwing the ball and spreading you out. This was a 'phone booth league,' meaning everyone was tight to the box and everyone was trying to run the football. He'd be 35, 40 carries, not be able to practice the next week. That toughness I saw from afar with Damien, then when I was back on staff saw first hand with Tyrell. Just great toughness. Now you look at JJ, and that's what you see. A durability. A toughness. A work ethic. The off-season work he puts in allows him to have that kind of work load."
"He's really consistent off the field, and I think that's allowed him to be very consistent on the field," quarterback Clayton Thorson soon echoed. "Whenever he's a little banged up, and he's banged up a lot more than you guys know, you would never see it in his play because he gets his body right. He takes care of himself in the weight room and the training room. I think that's what has given him his longevity, and what will continue to help him the rest of this year and in the NFL as well."
Do the guys feed off his toughness?
"They definitely do," Thorson said. "Everyone sees that, sees how he just battles. Throughout games he's getting beat up, he's taking these big hits, he pops right back up, tosses the ball back (to the ref). He wishes he could get more yards when it's, 'Wait a minute. There were six guys (defenders) in the backfield.' It's pretty fun to watch."
THEN AND NOW: Jackson was just one of four true first years to play for the 'Cats in that 2014 season. (The others were the superback Garrett Dickerson, the injured receiver Solomon Vault and defensive lineman Xavier Washington.) But this fall they have already employed 13. "Every year guys have been more prepared (to play) from the standpoint of strength and conditioning," Fitzgerald said when asked about this uptick. "Like I said in camp, maybe my kickoff to camp, I was really impressed with this group overall this summer. They took to heart what I said to them. 'If you don't come prepared, you'll redshirt yourself.' Some guys really worked hard this summer to get themselves prepared for the opportunity. And then, it's been one of those years. We've had injuries that forced us to play more guys across the board. That's not unique to us. Other schools have the same challenges. But I'm going to try and play the best 11 guys every rep. I'm really proud of those guys who've stepped up and had to fill roles."
QUICKLY NOTED: The 'Cats and Badgers have split their last dozen meetings, which is why Fitzgerald's scouting report was no surprise. "Two programs that have great respect for each other," he said. "Our styles are a little bit different from a schematic standpoint. But I think both teams play really hard, and they're very well coached up in Madison. So, yeah. A turnover battle. The ability to run the ball and stop the run. It just seems like they've been back-and-forth games, and the team that makes the least mistakes typically has won this game. We know who they are. They know who we are. I don't think that's going to be different in the eight weeks after this. Comes down to execution. Comes down to not beating yourself. And finding a way in the fourth quarter to win the game." . . . The Badgers have toppled Utah State, Florida Atlantic and Brigham Young by the combined score of 130-30. Their average margin of victory, 33.3, is tops among Power Five teams. . . . The Badgers have pitched a shutout this season in the second half, outscoring opponents 72-0 in those 30 minutes. . . . Their defense is surrendering an average of just 90.7 rushing yards-per-game. . . . Against BYU in his last outing, Badger quarterback Alex Hornibrook went 18-of-19 (94.7 percent) for 256 yards and four touchdowns. On the season he's 49-of-70 (70 percent) for 701 yards and eight touchdowns with just one pick. . . . He's abetted by running back Jonathan Taylor, who's averaging a Big Ten best 146 ypg with a Big Ten best five rushing touchdowns. . . . The Badgers lead the league in scoring (43.3 ppg) and rushing (275.3 ypg) and are second to Ohio State in total offense, averaging 511 ypg. . . . "You're playing an enormous, athletic, physical offensive line," Fitzgerald said this week when discussing the Badgers. For the record, the starters on their depth chart go 6-foot-6, 328; 6-foot-6, 336; 6-foot-3, 316; 6-foot-6, 317; and 6-foot-7, 315.
AND FINALLY, on a lighter note: Camp Randall Stadium, the Badgers' home, is celebrating its Centennial. It was built 100 years ago on the grounds of a Civil War training site.
NUsports.com Special Contributor
Three falls ago, days after the 'Cats trip to Wisconsin, the running backs coach Matt MacPherson was recalling a moment from that game. Here he was on the sideline with his first year Justin Jackson, and they were discussing a counter they had used on the previous possession, and he was advising his young protégé on just how it should have been run. But then, just before the offense returned to the field, MacPherson added, "Now listen. Once you get out on the field, don't listen to a damn word I say. You just run."
"I don't want him thinking," he would now explain. "I want him reacting."
"Running the ball is really such an art. It's something that becomes instinct over time," Jackson himself would say that same morning. "It's something I've 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. But you just want to run with what you see. You don't want to be thinking about it."
Justin Jackson, in all the days that have since passed, has most certainly gotten better. But, even more impressively, he has also proven himself to be one of those rare ones, a child blessed by the gods, a talent who reflects that 'pinball wizard' heralded by The Who in their rock opera Tommy, "That deaf dumb and blind kid. . .(who) plays by sense of smell (and) Always has a replay, 'n' never tilts at all." Yes. He may have, on occasion, been slowed. But still, as he returns as a senior to Wisconsin for the 'Cats Saturday Big Ten opener with the Badgers, he is a mere 108 yards shy of Damien Anderson's program record of 4,485 rushing yards.
"The minute he got on campus, I thought he had that type of potential," Pat Fitzgerald said of him this week. "He wasn't the biggest guy. But his work ethic was just unbelievable in the early practices, and we had a wide open job. We had graduated some great production in that room and it was wide open. Did I think he was going to win the job right away? No. But to his credit, he did. So I don't know if there was a specific game (when he realized Jackson was a special talent). I think it was from the get go. But he's had a lot of pretty special performances."
Any characteristics he shares with Anderson and Tyrell Sutton and Darnell Autry, those others atop the 'Cat career rushing list?
"First of all, they're all really tough and durable," Fitzgerald said. "To be able to have the type of success all those guys have had, especially going back to Darnell when I played with him. It's not like in the '90s we were throwing the ball and spreading you out. This was a 'phone booth league,' meaning everyone was tight to the box and everyone was trying to run the football. He'd be 35, 40 carries, not be able to practice the next week. That toughness I saw from afar with Damien, then when I was back on staff saw first hand with Tyrell. Just great toughness. Now you look at JJ, and that's what you see. A durability. A toughness. A work ethic. The off-season work he puts in allows him to have that kind of work load."
"He's really consistent off the field, and I think that's allowed him to be very consistent on the field," quarterback Clayton Thorson soon echoed. "Whenever he's a little banged up, and he's banged up a lot more than you guys know, you would never see it in his play because he gets his body right. He takes care of himself in the weight room and the training room. I think that's what has given him his longevity, and what will continue to help him the rest of this year and in the NFL as well."
Do the guys feed off his toughness?
"They definitely do," Thorson said. "Everyone sees that, sees how he just battles. Throughout games he's getting beat up, he's taking these big hits, he pops right back up, tosses the ball back (to the ref). He wishes he could get more yards when it's, 'Wait a minute. There were six guys (defenders) in the backfield.' It's pretty fun to watch."
THEN AND NOW: Jackson was just one of four true first years to play for the 'Cats in that 2014 season. (The others were the superback Garrett Dickerson, the injured receiver Solomon Vault and defensive lineman Xavier Washington.) But this fall they have already employed 13. "Every year guys have been more prepared (to play) from the standpoint of strength and conditioning," Fitzgerald said when asked about this uptick. "Like I said in camp, maybe my kickoff to camp, I was really impressed with this group overall this summer. They took to heart what I said to them. 'If you don't come prepared, you'll redshirt yourself.' Some guys really worked hard this summer to get themselves prepared for the opportunity. And then, it's been one of those years. We've had injuries that forced us to play more guys across the board. That's not unique to us. Other schools have the same challenges. But I'm going to try and play the best 11 guys every rep. I'm really proud of those guys who've stepped up and had to fill roles."
QUICKLY NOTED: The 'Cats and Badgers have split their last dozen meetings, which is why Fitzgerald's scouting report was no surprise. "Two programs that have great respect for each other," he said. "Our styles are a little bit different from a schematic standpoint. But I think both teams play really hard, and they're very well coached up in Madison. So, yeah. A turnover battle. The ability to run the ball and stop the run. It just seems like they've been back-and-forth games, and the team that makes the least mistakes typically has won this game. We know who they are. They know who we are. I don't think that's going to be different in the eight weeks after this. Comes down to execution. Comes down to not beating yourself. And finding a way in the fourth quarter to win the game." . . . The Badgers have toppled Utah State, Florida Atlantic and Brigham Young by the combined score of 130-30. Their average margin of victory, 33.3, is tops among Power Five teams. . . . The Badgers have pitched a shutout this season in the second half, outscoring opponents 72-0 in those 30 minutes. . . . Their defense is surrendering an average of just 90.7 rushing yards-per-game. . . . Against BYU in his last outing, Badger quarterback Alex Hornibrook went 18-of-19 (94.7 percent) for 256 yards and four touchdowns. On the season he's 49-of-70 (70 percent) for 701 yards and eight touchdowns with just one pick. . . . He's abetted by running back Jonathan Taylor, who's averaging a Big Ten best 146 ypg with a Big Ten best five rushing touchdowns. . . . The Badgers lead the league in scoring (43.3 ppg) and rushing (275.3 ypg) and are second to Ohio State in total offense, averaging 511 ypg. . . . "You're playing an enormous, athletic, physical offensive line," Fitzgerald said this week when discussing the Badgers. For the record, the starters on their depth chart go 6-foot-6, 328; 6-foot-6, 336; 6-foot-3, 316; 6-foot-6, 317; and 6-foot-7, 315.
AND FINALLY, on a lighter note: Camp Randall Stadium, the Badgers' home, is celebrating its Centennial. It was built 100 years ago on the grounds of a Civil War training site.
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