Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: Back to the Future
10/14/2019 5:54:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
SO IT'S BACK TO THE FUTURE when No. 4 Ohio State visits Northwestern this week for the first Friday night game to ever kick off at Ryan Field.
"It's interesting. It brings you back to high school, right?" defensive tackle Joe Gaziano said Monday when asked about this historical date. "Me and (defensive tackle) Joe Spivak were having a conversation today. It's going to be funny when people at Northwestern are going to class and there's guys in the parking lot having a little fun at the tailgate. It will be an interesting mix on Friday night. It's a cool opportunity. You get extra eyes on the game. So I'm excited for Friday night lights. Brings it back to high school."
BUT JUST WHO WILL START at quarterback for the Wildcats that evening? The depth chart distributed Monday said only that it will be either the sophomore Hunter Johnson or the junior Aidan Smith.
SMITH CAME OUT OF THE BULLPEN and replaced Johnson in losses to Michigan State and Wisconsin, and then started and played the entire 60 minutes in their loss two Saturdays ago at Nebraska. Johnson had suffered a knee injury against the Badgers and that could well have contributed to that last decision.
"Hunter's not been in the offense as long as Aidan. So, yeah, it's an accurate representation of what I said because of time-on-task. That's what he's not getting," he replied. "He's got to keep getting time-on-task of being involved and engaged in the offense. Then, from a consistency standpoint, you've got to go out and produce on game day. When you don't, sometimes taking a step out is what you need to do."
WITH APOLOGIES TO FITZGERALD, who oft opines that stats are for losers, here are some numbers that hint at the kind of challenge awaiting the offense on Friday, no matter the identity of its quarterback. The Buckeyes have allowed just 8.8 points per game, fourth best in the nation, and surrendered a paltry 234 yards per game, which is second best. It has been nicked for a mere 82 rushing yards per game, eighth best in the nation, and it leads the nation with an average of 4.67 sacks-per-game.
That leads to a mention of Chase Young, its 6-foot-5, 265-pound junior defensive end. He is second nationally with 8.5 sacks and along the way has also forced three fumbles.
"He's a great player," Fitzgerald said of him. "He's a first-round talent and he's playing like a first-rounder. I think he's healthy this year and it shows. He can do everything. He's one of the best I've seen in this league. We're going to have our hands full."
ONE LAST STAT: The Buckeyes' offense is averaging a robust 49.3 points per game, which makes their average margin of victory a national-best 40.5 points per contest.
THE BUCKEYES have a receiver, K.J. Hill, who has caught at least one pass in 40 consecutive games and is just 21 receptions shy of becoming the school's career pass-catching leader. And they have a running back, J.K. Dobbins, who is second nationally in both total rushing yards (826) and average yards per-game (137.6). But their catalyst, and choreographer, is Justin Fields, their 6-foot-3, 223-pound sophomore quarterback. He has not only completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 1,298 yards (216.3 ypg) and 18 touchdowns with just one interception, he has also run for an average of 47.2 yards per game.
"We recruited Justin. He's a rock star person," Fitzgerald said of him. "He's playing outstanding football within the framework of what they want him to do, and then he's taken it to the next level by being really explosive with his feet."
"We know he can scramble, but we have a game plan for that," cornerback Greg Newsome would soon avow. "Our defensive line is going to do things. They know he's trying to get out of the pocket. We're going to stop that."
"We're trying to give the quarterback different looks so he can't drop back and know where we're going to be and pick us apart," Gaziano later explained. "That includes the linebackers and the d line being in different spots and not allowing the protection to key in on where we're going to be.
"It (Fields' ability to scramble) creates an extra threat (so we have) to be more disciplined in our rush lanes. Not being behind the quarterback and allowing him to step up and escape out the side door. Inside guys making sure they're pushing the pocket and not getting engulfed and letting him escape in those gaps. In our base defense we have four down and they have five offensive linemen. So there's an extra gap somewhere. We have to be physical and collapse the pocket and make sure we cover the side doors and the rat holes he can escape out of."
FIELDS IS IN HIS FIRST SEASON guiding the Buckeyes after transferring in from Georgia and so, naturally enough, Fitzgerald was asked why he has succeeded right away.
"You're asking me to compare two different players in two different situations. I think that would be unfair to Justin and unfair to Hunter," he said. "It's one of those situations where every player has different maturation throughout their careers. Everybody's experiences are totally different. Clayton Thorson's experiences are different from any quarterback that he (entered college) with. Dan Persa's were different. The list goes on and on.
"I would never. . .(make) a player-to-player comparison. I just don't think that's fair based on external factors. You're talking about different schools. You're talking about stars. Everybody's got things going on in their lives that are completely different and make their experiences different and unique. Do I expect that Hunter will get his play up to where Justin's is right now? I believe so. I believe in that. I believe it will happen. But it's going to come with work and it's going to come with time. For some players it just clicks. It just clicks right away because, I don't know why. I couldn't tell you why. But the way Justin has had it click for him, it's been fun to watch. Really happy for him, especially with the relationship we had for a little while in recruiting him."
AND FINALLY, Newsome, when asked the defense's priority come Friday night:
"Turnovers. If we win the turnover ratio we should win the game. Our goal is to not let them score. If they don't score any points we can win the game."
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