Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
The Skip Report: Wisconsin Upon Further Review
10/2/2017 4:52:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
UPON FURTHER REVIEW. . . .
DINGS AND THINGS: Justin Jackson's a bit banged up, Pat Fitzgerald reported after the 'Cats lost at Duke. But the next Saturday, against Bowling Green at Ryan Field, he carried 18 times for 121 yards and three touchdowns and caught three passes for 21 more yards. He also, Jackson himself revealed Monday, got bruised badly enough in that game that he was forced to wear a brace Saturday at Wisconsin.
"It was a little bit of an adjustment feel-wise, having that on your leg. But I was still able to do everything," he claimed. "Just trying to get the strength back (now). But I feel good. I came out of (that game) good, so I should be much better this week (when the 'Cats host No. 4 Penn State on homecoming weekend).
"Justin felt better today than he has in a month," said Fitzgerald. "So that was encouraging. That's great."
NO SCIENCE TO IT: Against the Badgers Jackson carried nine times, Jeremy Larkin carried seven, John Moten IV carried three and Jesse Brown carried once.
"You try to sprinkle the touches and see if we can get somebody hot. Obviously we weren't able to do that," Fitzgerald said when asked if he had a distribution plan. "Some of that was on Wisconsin's play. Some of that was on our play. We had some plays that were there. There were certain things we had to take advantage of schematically and we were a block away a couple times from really getting our run game going. Credit our opponent. But anytime injuries are a factor, it's a challenge. You try to get the right guys the right reps in practice, and then play the guys that are hot."
WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: Monday, at his weekly presser, Fitzgerald was asked which position group had exceeded his expectations and which had failed to meet them.
"The linebackers have probably played better than I thought they would going into the season. Especially (redshirt first year) Paddy Fisher," he said. "I really think he's played outstanding football for us. He pops off the video. There's no doubt about that. The group that— I really thought we'd be much better running the football at this point. It's something that we've prided ourselves in, and that's not on one group. I think that's collectively on us as an offense. We've got to be able to run the football better for us to be successful consistently."
Here is why he said that. The 'Cats four backs netted just 67 yards in their 20 carries against the Badgers.
IT'S FINGER POINTING TIME: That paucity of yardage, as well as the eight sacks suffered by quarterback Clayton Thorson, swung the spotlight on the 'Cats' oft-beleaguered offensive line.
"But it wasn't one thing," Fitzgerald demurred before noting that drops by receivers and hesitancy by Thorson also contributed to the problems. But, he then went on, "You can't have eight sacks and not have the offensive line get beat up for it. We've got to play better at right tackle. There's no doubt about that. That's not a mystery. That performance was not good enough for us to be consistent on Saturday. Those two guys (true freshman Rashawn Slater and sophomore Jared Thomas) are going to keep working at it. There's no doubt about that, and we're going to keep coaching the heck out of them. They're going to get better. I believe that."
OWNING IT: Tommy Doles, the guy who operates next to that pair as the right guard, played well enough against the Badgers to be named the 'Cats' Offensive Player of the Week. Still, thinking back, he insisted, "We always say the team will go as the offensive line goes, and we didn't play well enough. We're a unit and that's on us. We've got to execute in the running game, and protect Clayton, and we failed to do that. It's real frustrating when you see that, especially a lot of things that we worked on in practice. Mistakes. But you know, the great thing is we have another day. We can come back to practice tomorrow, attack our preparation and play a great game against Penn State. That's what we're planning to do."
Fitzgerald called out his group last year as well. Do the same issues bedevil it, or are this year's new?
"That's a good question," said Doles. "I think there are some things I know we have improved on from last year. We've got more depth on our offensive line. I see on long drives, we can keep our energy up. So there are definitely things we've gotten better at. Then there are mistakes we continue to make. Some of its schematics, execution, not communicating well enough. That happened a few times. In Big Ten road games, that's something we have to be prepared for. It's going to be loud, but we have to communicate. So there's a lot of work left to do. I wish we had gotten to a different point before the Wisconsin game. But here we are now and we're ready to keep working. I'm confident we're going to get things done."
HARDLY JUST ANOTHER MONDAY: This presser, unlike so many others, found time to consider the world beyond the field, and that was not unexpected. There was, first of all, the horror of Las Vegas.
"It's a tough day to be an American, there's no question about that," Fitzgerald said of that abomination, and then he offered thoughts and prayers to those effected
by the carnage and a shout out to all those who responded to it.
Then there was the matter of Saturday's pre-game, which will find the 'Cats on the field during the playing of the national anthem. They have not decided what, if anything, they might do on that occasion. But they have most certainly discussed it.
"If guys are going to exercise their freedom of speech, that's a choice that I'll fully support," Fitzgerald would note at one point while discussing this issue. "That's a choice that we all have been given, and a privilege we all have been given. To me, though—I've already expressed this to our squad, so this is nothing new—I've done a ton of research. When you look at the peaceful protests guys have made, it is not at the national anthem, it is not at our military, it is not at the freedom that we all have been provided. I say that, and then you have 40 percent of the country that takes it out of context. That's the 40 percent that you can't control, and I've expressed that to our guys."
"That's what's so great about our country," he said at another. "As long as we have dialogue, and we respect each other, and we work to come together, we can create solutions and solve problems in our country. But days like today, football seems pretty insignificant. Days like today, for injustice and things that aren't fair in our country, that doesn't change ... That's on all of us as citizens. I think that's on all of us as Americans. Find ways to come together and not to come apart. And some people don't want to talk about it. That's fair. I respect that too. They don't want to talk about it until they want to take a social media blast at you."
"I'm not going to apologize for my guys being thoughtful. I'm not going to apologize for my guys thinking about making an impact and helping others. That should be commended. I think that's courageous," he also most-forcefully said. "I know some people have taken things out of context. That's going to happen no mater what our guys say, no matter what they do, no matter what they do in life. But I'm very, very proud of the courage the young men have shown."
AND FINALLY, FITZGERALD, on whether all these discussions are a distraction:
"We talk about a lot of things. Maybe I'm like one of those New Age coaches. We're in college. We're citizens before we're students. We're citizens before we're coaches. If we don't talk about those things— I don't care about distractions when it comes to (issues like this). I have been entrusted by parents to help their young men grow. That's my job. I hope like heck we win a lot of football games and championships. But my job, number one, is to help our guys grow and develop to be the best men they can be. Along with that is being a student. And along with that is being an athlete. But, number one, when I'm long retired, I want my guys to be able to say that you gave me everything you had, coach, to help me be prepared for life, to be the best man I could be, to be the best husband and the best father. That's my goal. Like I said, I hope we win a lot of football games doing it."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
UPON FURTHER REVIEW. . . .
DINGS AND THINGS: Justin Jackson's a bit banged up, Pat Fitzgerald reported after the 'Cats lost at Duke. But the next Saturday, against Bowling Green at Ryan Field, he carried 18 times for 121 yards and three touchdowns and caught three passes for 21 more yards. He also, Jackson himself revealed Monday, got bruised badly enough in that game that he was forced to wear a brace Saturday at Wisconsin.
"It was a little bit of an adjustment feel-wise, having that on your leg. But I was still able to do everything," he claimed. "Just trying to get the strength back (now). But I feel good. I came out of (that game) good, so I should be much better this week (when the 'Cats host No. 4 Penn State on homecoming weekend).
"Justin felt better today than he has in a month," said Fitzgerald. "So that was encouraging. That's great."
NO SCIENCE TO IT: Against the Badgers Jackson carried nine times, Jeremy Larkin carried seven, John Moten IV carried three and Jesse Brown carried once.
"You try to sprinkle the touches and see if we can get somebody hot. Obviously we weren't able to do that," Fitzgerald said when asked if he had a distribution plan. "Some of that was on Wisconsin's play. Some of that was on our play. We had some plays that were there. There were certain things we had to take advantage of schematically and we were a block away a couple times from really getting our run game going. Credit our opponent. But anytime injuries are a factor, it's a challenge. You try to get the right guys the right reps in practice, and then play the guys that are hot."
WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: Monday, at his weekly presser, Fitzgerald was asked which position group had exceeded his expectations and which had failed to meet them.
"The linebackers have probably played better than I thought they would going into the season. Especially (redshirt first year) Paddy Fisher," he said. "I really think he's played outstanding football for us. He pops off the video. There's no doubt about that. The group that— I really thought we'd be much better running the football at this point. It's something that we've prided ourselves in, and that's not on one group. I think that's collectively on us as an offense. We've got to be able to run the football better for us to be successful consistently."
Here is why he said that. The 'Cats four backs netted just 67 yards in their 20 carries against the Badgers.
IT'S FINGER POINTING TIME: That paucity of yardage, as well as the eight sacks suffered by quarterback Clayton Thorson, swung the spotlight on the 'Cats' oft-beleaguered offensive line.
"But it wasn't one thing," Fitzgerald demurred before noting that drops by receivers and hesitancy by Thorson also contributed to the problems. But, he then went on, "You can't have eight sacks and not have the offensive line get beat up for it. We've got to play better at right tackle. There's no doubt about that. That's not a mystery. That performance was not good enough for us to be consistent on Saturday. Those two guys (true freshman Rashawn Slater and sophomore Jared Thomas) are going to keep working at it. There's no doubt about that, and we're going to keep coaching the heck out of them. They're going to get better. I believe that."
OWNING IT: Tommy Doles, the guy who operates next to that pair as the right guard, played well enough against the Badgers to be named the 'Cats' Offensive Player of the Week. Still, thinking back, he insisted, "We always say the team will go as the offensive line goes, and we didn't play well enough. We're a unit and that's on us. We've got to execute in the running game, and protect Clayton, and we failed to do that. It's real frustrating when you see that, especially a lot of things that we worked on in practice. Mistakes. But you know, the great thing is we have another day. We can come back to practice tomorrow, attack our preparation and play a great game against Penn State. That's what we're planning to do."
Fitzgerald called out his group last year as well. Do the same issues bedevil it, or are this year's new?
"That's a good question," said Doles. "I think there are some things I know we have improved on from last year. We've got more depth on our offensive line. I see on long drives, we can keep our energy up. So there are definitely things we've gotten better at. Then there are mistakes we continue to make. Some of its schematics, execution, not communicating well enough. That happened a few times. In Big Ten road games, that's something we have to be prepared for. It's going to be loud, but we have to communicate. So there's a lot of work left to do. I wish we had gotten to a different point before the Wisconsin game. But here we are now and we're ready to keep working. I'm confident we're going to get things done."
HARDLY JUST ANOTHER MONDAY: This presser, unlike so many others, found time to consider the world beyond the field, and that was not unexpected. There was, first of all, the horror of Las Vegas.
"It's a tough day to be an American, there's no question about that," Fitzgerald said of that abomination, and then he offered thoughts and prayers to those effected
by the carnage and a shout out to all those who responded to it.
Then there was the matter of Saturday's pre-game, which will find the 'Cats on the field during the playing of the national anthem. They have not decided what, if anything, they might do on that occasion. But they have most certainly discussed it.
"If guys are going to exercise their freedom of speech, that's a choice that I'll fully support," Fitzgerald would note at one point while discussing this issue. "That's a choice that we all have been given, and a privilege we all have been given. To me, though—I've already expressed this to our squad, so this is nothing new—I've done a ton of research. When you look at the peaceful protests guys have made, it is not at the national anthem, it is not at our military, it is not at the freedom that we all have been provided. I say that, and then you have 40 percent of the country that takes it out of context. That's the 40 percent that you can't control, and I've expressed that to our guys."
"That's what's so great about our country," he said at another. "As long as we have dialogue, and we respect each other, and we work to come together, we can create solutions and solve problems in our country. But days like today, football seems pretty insignificant. Days like today, for injustice and things that aren't fair in our country, that doesn't change ... That's on all of us as citizens. I think that's on all of us as Americans. Find ways to come together and not to come apart. And some people don't want to talk about it. That's fair. I respect that too. They don't want to talk about it until they want to take a social media blast at you."
"I'm not going to apologize for my guys being thoughtful. I'm not going to apologize for my guys thinking about making an impact and helping others. That should be commended. I think that's courageous," he also most-forcefully said. "I know some people have taken things out of context. That's going to happen no mater what our guys say, no matter what they do, no matter what they do in life. But I'm very, very proud of the courage the young men have shown."
AND FINALLY, FITZGERALD, on whether all these discussions are a distraction:
"We talk about a lot of things. Maybe I'm like one of those New Age coaches. We're in college. We're citizens before we're students. We're citizens before we're coaches. If we don't talk about those things— I don't care about distractions when it comes to (issues like this). I have been entrusted by parents to help their young men grow. That's my job. I hope like heck we win a lot of football games and championships. But my job, number one, is to help our guys grow and develop to be the best men they can be. Along with that is being a student. And along with that is being an athlete. But, number one, when I'm long retired, I want my guys to be able to say that you gave me everything you had, coach, to help me be prepared for life, to be the best man I could be, to be the best husband and the best father. That's my goal. Like I said, I hope we win a lot of football games doing it."
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
QB
/ FootballFootball - Players Pro Day Media Availability (Beerntsen, Stone, Tiernan)
Tuesday, March 17
Football - David Braun Pro Day Media Availability (3/17/26)
Tuesday, March 17
Run It Back: Braden Turner
Friday, March 13
Run It Back: Caleb Komolafe
Tuesday, March 10
