Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, August 31
Stanford, Calif.
3 p.m.
Northwestern
at
Stanford
Photo by: S. J. Carrera, Inc.
Northwestern Defensive Backs Gear Up For Week 1 Opponent Stanford
8/29/2019 1:00:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
"Yeah, sure. You're supposed to ignore the noise, disregard the chatter, not even know about the shade getting tossed your way. Just concentrate on yourself and what you can control, that's the ticket, and so take no notice of all that commentary produced by over-active thumbs. But they're not oblivious to the outside world," defensive backs coach Matt MacPherson said. "They hear, 'If the DBs can hold up, if they can be better here, if they can be better there.' We (the defense) stop the run. We make that a priority, obviously. So I think they're aware of it and want to hold up their end of the bargain."
"We know (the front seven's) going to stop the run. We know Joe Gaz(iano) and Earnie B(rown, the defensive ends) are going to get after the passer," echoes senior cornerback Trae Williams. "That puts it more on our defensive back room. We have to hold up our end of the bargain. That can make us a really great defense. If we can show the same dominance they have for the last how-many years, we can take it to the next level."
So does that chatter leave them with one of those proverbial chips on their collective shoulder?
"You've got to have it," says sophomore corner Greg Newsome II. "We have a great front seven. So if we do our job to the best of our ability, we'll have a top defense in the country. So we definitely got a chip on our shoulder this season."
"I think our guys feel they are going to be attacked, right," MacPherson said. "And they feel if we play well, we have a very, very good chance to win the game. I think they shoulder a lot of responsibility and if you want to call that a chip, you can consider that a chip."
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Saturday, in the 'Cats season opener at Stanford, MacPherson's group will be challenged by the 6-foot-5, 222-pound K.J. Costello, who completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 3,540 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2018. His junior campaign totals stack up better than former Cardinal quarterbacks Andrew Luck, John Elway and Jim Plunkett ever threw for a season, and only 87 less than the school record set by Steve Stenstrom back in 1993.
"He's a very good passer," Williams said. "Bigger dude. Has really good arm strength, arm talent. Throws it really well. He's a good quarterback. He's a good quarterback."
"He's a great player," said Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald. "He reminds me, watching him, of what we had to prepare for playing (Daniel) Jones at Duke the last couple years. I thought Jones, the last few years, was one of the best quarterbacks we were going to see all year. What was he, the first QB off the board (in the NFL draft)? OK. The second. I feel the same way when I watch K.J. on tape. He has a high, high ceiling. He's the next in line of the great Stanford quarterbacks."
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Northwestern's defensive back room a season ago was plagued by injuries, never truly reaching full strength. Alonzo Mayo and Cameron Ruiz only saw the field late in the season, which put the 'Cats secondary at a disadvantage in many games early on in the season. Travis Whillock, bedeviled by a balky hamstring, was slowly worked back into football shape and finally got his first start against Iowa on Nov. 10. As a true freshman, Newsome got a start against Duke on Sept. 8, suffered an injury against Michigan on Sept. 29 and didn't play again until the Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State on Dec. 1.
"We had a lot of injuries, which was bad," Williams said after reflecting on the previous campaign. "But we had a lot of young guys who got to play and play meaningful time."
"We had to play a lot of guys because of injury," adds Fitzgerald. "I think the young guys that played a year ago, they're going through the reps (in games) you hoped they'd get in practice. They were getting them on the field and they learned from that."
"Getting reps can do a lot of things," concludes MacPherson. "One, they can either build your confidence if you're playing well or two, if you're not, they can humble you and give you an idea of what you need to work on. Either way, if you're looking at it the right way, they're really going to be useful going into this year."
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JR Pace was an outlier last season, whom stayed healthy all year and started each of the 'Cats 14 games. However, that is not to say he was a finished product.
"There were a couple times last year when I was kind of casual on the field," he admitted earlier this month. "It's something I've kind of battled with throughout my career, and I've started to hunker down and realize what it is. It's playing with urgency consistently, flying around every play. A big thing for me now is urgency."
"I think a lot of times, especially with a guy as physically talented as JR, in high school he can get by with just kinda showing up and being a good athlete," MacPherson said when asked about Pace's comments. "I think what he found last year, when he was a starter for 14 games, if he's not locked in, not doing it right from a technique standpoint, it doesn't matter how good an athlete he is. The other guy's just as good. I think that's more of what he was talking about. Not just relying on athletic ability, but being locked in from a mental standpoint and a technique standpoint."
"That, collectively, it's the type of mentality the DBs wanted to hone coming into the year. Doing things in the attack mode," Whillock added when asked about Pace's sense of urgency. "We made that an emphasis in our room, to attack and to not be casual and to go all out in everything that we do."
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Whillock redshirted his first year in Evanston and was sidelined by his hamstring issues in 2017. Newsome, last year, was an immediate sensation as a true freshman, but his injury also forced him into being a spectator for a large chunk of the schedule. These long gaps of being sidelined made both defenders realize how diligent they need to be when it comes to their health.
"It was tough," Whillock said. "It gave me a new perspective on the game, understanding that it can get taken away at any point. It helped me, during that time, to appreciate what I had, and just accepting my role of being the best teammate I can. But also still preparing like a starter so when my time came I would be ready to take that next step."
"There were definitely some games where I was kind of cleared a little bit to play, but I just couldn't get out there. I wasn't feeling great," Newsome said of his own inactive stretch. "It was not great that I couldn't be out there to help my team in any type of way. It was definitely hard."
And what lessons were learned going through that experience and a first season of college ball?
"Just to be present with it all, and to just enjoy it and have fun with it," Whillock said. "We don't get this game forever. Also, we're going to make mistakes. But being able to learn from those mistakes and having that short-term memory. Especially DBs, we can't hang our heads on one play. Some (opponents) are going to make plays. But we have to have that dog mentality that we're going to make that next play and that we're going to help our team. The biggest thing for me is wanting to be accountable (so) my teammates know they could trust me. Trust is a big thing. It's a core value of our program. And just having fun with it, and enjoying the experience. Especially coming from where I did with my injuries, just having fun with it and just go all out every single day, every practice. Having that game mentality, that championship mentality, trying to be the best we can be knowing our days are numbered in our sport."
"Taking off from that, the same thing," Newsome shared. "Just to have fun every day. The next day's not guaranteed. Jeremy Larkin (the former running back who was forced to retire), he didn't know he was going to be gone that quick. After that injury, it really changed my mindset to I need to attack every day like it's my last because the next day could literally be my last. I learned a lot. Just having fun, and attacking each day. The rough times, attack 'em and have fun with 'em because you don't know what could happen."
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Coach Fitzgerald is not prone to sending valentines. But earlier this month, when speaking of his DBs, he said, "This may be the best we've had, quite honestly. I'm excited about that group. I'm really excited."
"We're deep and we're hungry. We've got a lot of guys ready to go," Williams attested this week. "We're real hungry to get better and change the narrative, to locking teams down and making a difference."
"I know we can be a lot better," Whillock said. "Just going back throughout the off-season looking at old film, there're a lot of areas for improvement. With the guys we have, we have a chance to be a great group. That's what you want. Getting out on the field and being able to show that, we're excited to do that."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
"Yeah, sure. You're supposed to ignore the noise, disregard the chatter, not even know about the shade getting tossed your way. Just concentrate on yourself and what you can control, that's the ticket, and so take no notice of all that commentary produced by over-active thumbs. But they're not oblivious to the outside world," defensive backs coach Matt MacPherson said. "They hear, 'If the DBs can hold up, if they can be better here, if they can be better there.' We (the defense) stop the run. We make that a priority, obviously. So I think they're aware of it and want to hold up their end of the bargain."
"We know (the front seven's) going to stop the run. We know Joe Gaz(iano) and Earnie B(rown, the defensive ends) are going to get after the passer," echoes senior cornerback Trae Williams. "That puts it more on our defensive back room. We have to hold up our end of the bargain. That can make us a really great defense. If we can show the same dominance they have for the last how-many years, we can take it to the next level."
So does that chatter leave them with one of those proverbial chips on their collective shoulder?
"You've got to have it," says sophomore corner Greg Newsome II. "We have a great front seven. So if we do our job to the best of our ability, we'll have a top defense in the country. So we definitely got a chip on our shoulder this season."
"I think our guys feel they are going to be attacked, right," MacPherson said. "And they feel if we play well, we have a very, very good chance to win the game. I think they shoulder a lot of responsibility and if you want to call that a chip, you can consider that a chip."
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Saturday, in the 'Cats season opener at Stanford, MacPherson's group will be challenged by the 6-foot-5, 222-pound K.J. Costello, who completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 3,540 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2018. His junior campaign totals stack up better than former Cardinal quarterbacks Andrew Luck, John Elway and Jim Plunkett ever threw for a season, and only 87 less than the school record set by Steve Stenstrom back in 1993.
"He's a very good passer," Williams said. "Bigger dude. Has really good arm strength, arm talent. Throws it really well. He's a good quarterback. He's a good quarterback."
"He's a great player," said Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald. "He reminds me, watching him, of what we had to prepare for playing (Daniel) Jones at Duke the last couple years. I thought Jones, the last few years, was one of the best quarterbacks we were going to see all year. What was he, the first QB off the board (in the NFL draft)? OK. The second. I feel the same way when I watch K.J. on tape. He has a high, high ceiling. He's the next in line of the great Stanford quarterbacks."
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Northwestern's defensive back room a season ago was plagued by injuries, never truly reaching full strength. Alonzo Mayo and Cameron Ruiz only saw the field late in the season, which put the 'Cats secondary at a disadvantage in many games early on in the season. Travis Whillock, bedeviled by a balky hamstring, was slowly worked back into football shape and finally got his first start against Iowa on Nov. 10. As a true freshman, Newsome got a start against Duke on Sept. 8, suffered an injury against Michigan on Sept. 29 and didn't play again until the Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State on Dec. 1.
"We had a lot of injuries, which was bad," Williams said after reflecting on the previous campaign. "But we had a lot of young guys who got to play and play meaningful time."
"We had to play a lot of guys because of injury," adds Fitzgerald. "I think the young guys that played a year ago, they're going through the reps (in games) you hoped they'd get in practice. They were getting them on the field and they learned from that."
"Getting reps can do a lot of things," concludes MacPherson. "One, they can either build your confidence if you're playing well or two, if you're not, they can humble you and give you an idea of what you need to work on. Either way, if you're looking at it the right way, they're really going to be useful going into this year."
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JR Pace was an outlier last season, whom stayed healthy all year and started each of the 'Cats 14 games. However, that is not to say he was a finished product.
"There were a couple times last year when I was kind of casual on the field," he admitted earlier this month. "It's something I've kind of battled with throughout my career, and I've started to hunker down and realize what it is. It's playing with urgency consistently, flying around every play. A big thing for me now is urgency."
"I think a lot of times, especially with a guy as physically talented as JR, in high school he can get by with just kinda showing up and being a good athlete," MacPherson said when asked about Pace's comments. "I think what he found last year, when he was a starter for 14 games, if he's not locked in, not doing it right from a technique standpoint, it doesn't matter how good an athlete he is. The other guy's just as good. I think that's more of what he was talking about. Not just relying on athletic ability, but being locked in from a mental standpoint and a technique standpoint."
"That, collectively, it's the type of mentality the DBs wanted to hone coming into the year. Doing things in the attack mode," Whillock added when asked about Pace's sense of urgency. "We made that an emphasis in our room, to attack and to not be casual and to go all out in everything that we do."
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Whillock redshirted his first year in Evanston and was sidelined by his hamstring issues in 2017. Newsome, last year, was an immediate sensation as a true freshman, but his injury also forced him into being a spectator for a large chunk of the schedule. These long gaps of being sidelined made both defenders realize how diligent they need to be when it comes to their health.
"It was tough," Whillock said. "It gave me a new perspective on the game, understanding that it can get taken away at any point. It helped me, during that time, to appreciate what I had, and just accepting my role of being the best teammate I can. But also still preparing like a starter so when my time came I would be ready to take that next step."
"There were definitely some games where I was kind of cleared a little bit to play, but I just couldn't get out there. I wasn't feeling great," Newsome said of his own inactive stretch. "It was not great that I couldn't be out there to help my team in any type of way. It was definitely hard."
And what lessons were learned going through that experience and a first season of college ball?
"Just to be present with it all, and to just enjoy it and have fun with it," Whillock said. "We don't get this game forever. Also, we're going to make mistakes. But being able to learn from those mistakes and having that short-term memory. Especially DBs, we can't hang our heads on one play. Some (opponents) are going to make plays. But we have to have that dog mentality that we're going to make that next play and that we're going to help our team. The biggest thing for me is wanting to be accountable (so) my teammates know they could trust me. Trust is a big thing. It's a core value of our program. And just having fun with it, and enjoying the experience. Especially coming from where I did with my injuries, just having fun with it and just go all out every single day, every practice. Having that game mentality, that championship mentality, trying to be the best we can be knowing our days are numbered in our sport."
"Taking off from that, the same thing," Newsome shared. "Just to have fun every day. The next day's not guaranteed. Jeremy Larkin (the former running back who was forced to retire), he didn't know he was going to be gone that quick. After that injury, it really changed my mindset to I need to attack every day like it's my last because the next day could literally be my last. I learned a lot. Just having fun, and attacking each day. The rough times, attack 'em and have fun with 'em because you don't know what could happen."
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Coach Fitzgerald is not prone to sending valentines. But earlier this month, when speaking of his DBs, he said, "This may be the best we've had, quite honestly. I'm excited about that group. I'm really excited."
"We're deep and we're hungry. We've got a lot of guys ready to go," Williams attested this week. "We're real hungry to get better and change the narrative, to locking teams down and making a difference."
"I know we can be a lot better," Whillock said. "Just going back throughout the off-season looking at old film, there're a lot of areas for improvement. With the guys we have, we have a chance to be a great group. That's what you want. Getting out on the field and being able to show that, we're excited to do that."
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