Saturday, September 21
Evanston, Ill.
11 a.m.
Northwestern
vs
Michigan State
Photo by: S. J. Carrera, Inc.
Skip Report: Looking Ahead to Michigan State
9/17/2019 1:30:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.comSpecial Contributor
Upon further review…
A GLIMPSE: A year ago, when Northwestern faced Michigan State, Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald and his staff were unsettled at running back. Jeremy Larkin, who had been their bell cow, had been forced to retire for medical reasons, and now they were virtually auditioning a cast that included both a pair of upperclassmen (Solomon Vault and John Moten IV) and a pair of callow first-years (Isaiah Bowser and Drake Anderson). Bowser would eventually put a stranglehold on the job, but he was injured in this season's opener at Stanford. Unfortunately for NU, another injury befell the sophomore's replacement in Jesse Brown during the win over Nevada-Las Vegas on Sept 14. Enter Anderson, who finessed his way for 141 yards on 26 carries and scored his first career touchdown against the Rebels.
"I think it's just opportunity," Fitzgerald said at his weekly Monday presser when asked what had changed in Anderson. "He was really close to playing last year. This game, we went up to Michigan State not sure where we were at. You saw him get a little bit of time in that game. (He netted 12 yards on five carries.) Then we go to Rutgers and Isaiah took it over, to his credit. So just opportunity. I think he's a big-time player. I think he's going to be a great player for us for a long time."
Anderson's statistical outburst was a pleasant surprise for the patrons of Ryan Field, but many of his fellow teammates knew exactly what they were getting in the Chandler, Ariz. native.
"Drake was out there?" Offensive lineman Jared Thomas joked, and chuckled. "No. Very excited for Drake. He saw action in a few games last year. We knew the potential was there. It was just on us as guys on the team, his teammates, to keep encouraging him to stay at it, to keep grinding. It paid off for him. The O-line, we did our job a little bit. But he made us look good. So, it was a good thing for everybody."
AND ANOTHER GLIMPSE: On first sighting, which came in that opener in Palo Alto, Calif., quarterback Hunter Johnson was viewed with anxiety, ending his day against the Cardinal with just six completions on 17 attempts and a pair of interceptions.
But against UNLV he was a far-different apparition, executing his passes in rhythm and offered throws that could best be described as major league.
"I thought you saw a guy a lot more confident," Fitzgerald said when asked to compare his quarterback's appearances. "Got his second experience. For the most part, except for the one throw in the red zone (that ended in an interception), took what the defense gave him. He didn't try to force things. And I think he learned a lot from that rep. He got a little greedy. Tried to play a matchup instead of playing the scheme, and their (UNLV) kid made a nice play. That's got to be an us-or-nobody throw. It was a little bit too far under thrown.
"But I thought he had great command of what we were trying to get done. He was opportunistic with the football, running it too. He's got to do a better job taking care of himself at the end of some plays. But I thought he did a nice job of improving, and he's just going to keep doing that week after week after week. It's his second collegiate start. Congratulations. Now you get the best defense in the country (Saturday when Michigan State visits Ryan Field at 11 a.m.). That's your consolation prize. He's got a lot to work on getting ready for this group. This is a good as we'll see all year."
AND ONE FINAL GLIMPSE: Thomas too was asked to compare, in this case his O-line's work against Vegas to its work at Stanford.
"The one thing I saw," he said, "is we got better one week to another. That was definitely our goal, which is our goal each and every day. To get one percent better. But as I told the guys earlier. Now we have to take it to another level in Big Ten play. That's why we all came to a place like Northwestern, to compete in the games that are coming up. Not any disrespect to any team before. But this is conference play. Conference play is where you define what your season's going to be."
FIRST UP: The 'Cats open conference play against Michigan State, the same team they faced last season when Chris Bergin made his first start as the SAM linebacker. That occasion was served with the idea that the universe does have a sense of humor since his father Joe (not to be confused with his brother and teammate, Joe) was a starter on the Spartans' 1987 Big Ten Championship team and last played for the Green and White in the 1988 Rose Bowl.
"But, contrary to popular belief, our dad is a die-hard Cats' fan," Bergin said. "You wouldn't think so. But I try to look at it from his perspective. If your kids went to Northwestern and they didn't get recruited at all (by Michigan State), you root for your kids. Our dad supports us more than anybody and he wants us to beat State more than anybody."
BROTHER ACT: Bergin was not using the royal plural there for some kind of phony affect. He was speaking of both himself and his brother Joe, the senior defensive back who this season was voted with the honor of wearing the No.1 jersey for the 'Cats. They both, as kids, were regulars at Spartan Stadium, but never were they pushed to go there and for good reason. Mr. Bergin had grown up in Elmhurst, Ill., and had attended York high and DuPage Junior College, and had often bundled up his young boys and brought them to Chicago for a visit.
Then there was this: "At the end of the day, and this is one thing my dad really harped on throughout the recruiting process, there's the 440 Rule," Chris Bergin recalled Monday. "The four years of college for the 40 years after. This place exemplifies that more than anywhere. This is exactly where I was meant to be. I couldn't be happier every day that I didn't get recruited by Michigan State. This is home and I'm glad it is."
But, still, is there a little extra juice when he faces Michigan State, Michigan?
"You could say so," he admits. "There's always some sort of underlying factor that gets you a little bit more excited for each game. This game, as a team, it's finally getting back into Big Ten play. Personally, as a Michigan native, yeah, there's a little extra chip on the shoulder. I try to take each week the same. But I'm really excited for the opportunity. I know our whole team is."
QUICKLY NOTED: "They play just outstanding team defense," Fitzgerald said of the Spartans, who are limiting opponents to just 23.3 rushing yards per game (No. 2 nationally) and 216 total yards (No. 3).
Does their outsized rep juice up the Northwestern defense?
"They do have a great defense," said safety Travis Whillock. "But I think our defense, and our mindset, and what we set out for ourselves— we want to have one of the best defenses."
Among the skills Johnson needs to still hone is the ability to slide, which he did not execute against UNLV.
"Yeah. Of course," Fitzgerald said when asked if he would like to see more of that. "He's played two games. There's a lot we're going to work on and he's going to learn. This isn't Brownsburg (Indiana) High School where he can hit a seam and go for 70 (yards). It's Big Ten football. Sometimes you learn from getting coached and other times you learn from touching the stove. My hope is he doesn't touch the stove against the Spartans because they'll knock his lips out. Maybe we'll reach out to Joe Girardi (the former 'Cats catcher and New York Yankees manager), see if Joe can come in and teach him to slide."
Anderson was named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week for his work against Vegas and Joe Gaziano was honored as the conference's Defensive Player of the Week.
"An All-Big Ten level performer," Fitzgerald said of the Scituate, Mass. native who had nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery against the Rebels.
AND FINALLY, Whillock, on starting conference play: "It definitely ramps up a little bit. It's only going to get tougher from here on, week in, week out. That's Big Ten football. You've got to love it. There's great competition all across the board. We have one of the best conferences in the nation. Just looking forward to the challenge. It's always fun when you get to play against the best. If you want to be the best you've got to beat the best. So just trying to take that mindset, but also not getting too sucked up into it. Understanding taking one game at a time and continuing to grow and trying to get better every single day."
NUsports.comSpecial Contributor
Upon further review…
A GLIMPSE: A year ago, when Northwestern faced Michigan State, Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald and his staff were unsettled at running back. Jeremy Larkin, who had been their bell cow, had been forced to retire for medical reasons, and now they were virtually auditioning a cast that included both a pair of upperclassmen (Solomon Vault and John Moten IV) and a pair of callow first-years (Isaiah Bowser and Drake Anderson). Bowser would eventually put a stranglehold on the job, but he was injured in this season's opener at Stanford. Unfortunately for NU, another injury befell the sophomore's replacement in Jesse Brown during the win over Nevada-Las Vegas on Sept 14. Enter Anderson, who finessed his way for 141 yards on 26 carries and scored his first career touchdown against the Rebels.
"I think it's just opportunity," Fitzgerald said at his weekly Monday presser when asked what had changed in Anderson. "He was really close to playing last year. This game, we went up to Michigan State not sure where we were at. You saw him get a little bit of time in that game. (He netted 12 yards on five carries.) Then we go to Rutgers and Isaiah took it over, to his credit. So just opportunity. I think he's a big-time player. I think he's going to be a great player for us for a long time."
Anderson's statistical outburst was a pleasant surprise for the patrons of Ryan Field, but many of his fellow teammates knew exactly what they were getting in the Chandler, Ariz. native.
"Drake was out there?" Offensive lineman Jared Thomas joked, and chuckled. "No. Very excited for Drake. He saw action in a few games last year. We knew the potential was there. It was just on us as guys on the team, his teammates, to keep encouraging him to stay at it, to keep grinding. It paid off for him. The O-line, we did our job a little bit. But he made us look good. So, it was a good thing for everybody."
AND ANOTHER GLIMPSE: On first sighting, which came in that opener in Palo Alto, Calif., quarterback Hunter Johnson was viewed with anxiety, ending his day against the Cardinal with just six completions on 17 attempts and a pair of interceptions.
But against UNLV he was a far-different apparition, executing his passes in rhythm and offered throws that could best be described as major league.
"I thought you saw a guy a lot more confident," Fitzgerald said when asked to compare his quarterback's appearances. "Got his second experience. For the most part, except for the one throw in the red zone (that ended in an interception), took what the defense gave him. He didn't try to force things. And I think he learned a lot from that rep. He got a little greedy. Tried to play a matchup instead of playing the scheme, and their (UNLV) kid made a nice play. That's got to be an us-or-nobody throw. It was a little bit too far under thrown.
"But I thought he had great command of what we were trying to get done. He was opportunistic with the football, running it too. He's got to do a better job taking care of himself at the end of some plays. But I thought he did a nice job of improving, and he's just going to keep doing that week after week after week. It's his second collegiate start. Congratulations. Now you get the best defense in the country (Saturday when Michigan State visits Ryan Field at 11 a.m.). That's your consolation prize. He's got a lot to work on getting ready for this group. This is a good as we'll see all year."
AND ONE FINAL GLIMPSE: Thomas too was asked to compare, in this case his O-line's work against Vegas to its work at Stanford.
"The one thing I saw," he said, "is we got better one week to another. That was definitely our goal, which is our goal each and every day. To get one percent better. But as I told the guys earlier. Now we have to take it to another level in Big Ten play. That's why we all came to a place like Northwestern, to compete in the games that are coming up. Not any disrespect to any team before. But this is conference play. Conference play is where you define what your season's going to be."
FIRST UP: The 'Cats open conference play against Michigan State, the same team they faced last season when Chris Bergin made his first start as the SAM linebacker. That occasion was served with the idea that the universe does have a sense of humor since his father Joe (not to be confused with his brother and teammate, Joe) was a starter on the Spartans' 1987 Big Ten Championship team and last played for the Green and White in the 1988 Rose Bowl.
"But, contrary to popular belief, our dad is a die-hard Cats' fan," Bergin said. "You wouldn't think so. But I try to look at it from his perspective. If your kids went to Northwestern and they didn't get recruited at all (by Michigan State), you root for your kids. Our dad supports us more than anybody and he wants us to beat State more than anybody."
BROTHER ACT: Bergin was not using the royal plural there for some kind of phony affect. He was speaking of both himself and his brother Joe, the senior defensive back who this season was voted with the honor of wearing the No.1 jersey for the 'Cats. They both, as kids, were regulars at Spartan Stadium, but never were they pushed to go there and for good reason. Mr. Bergin had grown up in Elmhurst, Ill., and had attended York high and DuPage Junior College, and had often bundled up his young boys and brought them to Chicago for a visit.
Then there was this: "At the end of the day, and this is one thing my dad really harped on throughout the recruiting process, there's the 440 Rule," Chris Bergin recalled Monday. "The four years of college for the 40 years after. This place exemplifies that more than anywhere. This is exactly where I was meant to be. I couldn't be happier every day that I didn't get recruited by Michigan State. This is home and I'm glad it is."
But, still, is there a little extra juice when he faces Michigan State, Michigan?
"You could say so," he admits. "There's always some sort of underlying factor that gets you a little bit more excited for each game. This game, as a team, it's finally getting back into Big Ten play. Personally, as a Michigan native, yeah, there's a little extra chip on the shoulder. I try to take each week the same. But I'm really excited for the opportunity. I know our whole team is."
QUICKLY NOTED: "They play just outstanding team defense," Fitzgerald said of the Spartans, who are limiting opponents to just 23.3 rushing yards per game (No. 2 nationally) and 216 total yards (No. 3).
Does their outsized rep juice up the Northwestern defense?
"They do have a great defense," said safety Travis Whillock. "But I think our defense, and our mindset, and what we set out for ourselves— we want to have one of the best defenses."
Among the skills Johnson needs to still hone is the ability to slide, which he did not execute against UNLV.
"Yeah. Of course," Fitzgerald said when asked if he would like to see more of that. "He's played two games. There's a lot we're going to work on and he's going to learn. This isn't Brownsburg (Indiana) High School where he can hit a seam and go for 70 (yards). It's Big Ten football. Sometimes you learn from getting coached and other times you learn from touching the stove. My hope is he doesn't touch the stove against the Spartans because they'll knock his lips out. Maybe we'll reach out to Joe Girardi (the former 'Cats catcher and New York Yankees manager), see if Joe can come in and teach him to slide."
Anderson was named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week for his work against Vegas and Joe Gaziano was honored as the conference's Defensive Player of the Week.
"An All-Big Ten level performer," Fitzgerald said of the Scituate, Mass. native who had nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery against the Rebels.
AND FINALLY, Whillock, on starting conference play: "It definitely ramps up a little bit. It's only going to get tougher from here on, week in, week out. That's Big Ten football. You've got to love it. There's great competition all across the board. We have one of the best conferences in the nation. Just looking forward to the challenge. It's always fun when you get to play against the best. If you want to be the best you've got to beat the best. So just trying to take that mindset, but also not getting too sucked up into it. Understanding taking one game at a time and continuing to grow and trying to get better every single day."
Players Mentioned
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