Northwestern University Athletics
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The Skip Report: Monday Notes - Penn State
11/2/2015 7:23:00 PM | Football
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
TO RECAP: In the first half against Nebraska, Clayton Thorson completed four of his 10 passing attempts for a mere 16 yards and no touchdowns. That helps explain why the Huskers, who were crowding the line of scrimmage, held Justin Jackson to just four yards on four carries in these 30 minutes. But in the second half, Thorson went nine-of-18 for 161 yards and a touchdown. This helps explain why Jackson, through these 30 minutes, was able to net 36 yards on 10 carries.
"I think that (his second-half performance) was really a big boost of confidence for Clayton," Pat Fitzgerald would say last week. "I think the way that he responded was very impressive. It showed maturity. That's a tough place to play and it wasn't going great and, at the half, he listened to the adjustments on where we thought he could go with the ball, and it slowed down a little bit for him. It was fun to watch."
"Yeah, I think it was," Thorson himself said a few minutes later when asked if his response was a confidence boost. "Obviously I didn't play as well as I would have liked to in the first half throwing the football. So it was good to come back in the second half and play well. Overall, I think our offense did a lot better job executing."
AN INSIGHT: The wide receiver Austin Carr had a huge third-down catch during the third-quarter drive that gave the 'Cats the lead for good against the Huskers. On Monday he had this to say about Thorson's turn-around: "Clayton's a quarterback with a lot of composure. I think a lot of people have picked up on that, and that kind of spreads out through the offense. It can be third-and-long. It can be fourth-and-short, fourth-and-long. Clayton, at least in the huddle, is a guy who has a lot of composure.
"As he grows, as he continues to grow, he's got that kind of Tom-Bradyesque-cool, ice-in-his-veins kind of thing that definitely spreads out to the offensive line, the wide receivers, the running backs. There's still steps of maturity that he has to take. But after a win like that, we all have more confidence in him. And I think he has more confidence in the wide receiver corps as well."
TO REMIND: Thorson, in that first half, did have runs of 68 and 49 yards. The first set up a touchdown and the second, a Jack Mitchell field goal.
NOW: The 'Cats, off their bye week, face Penn State Saturday at Ryan Field, where they will confront not only a defense that leads the Big Ten in sacks (36 in nine games, an average of 4pg). They will also confront the Nittany Lion's Carl Nassib, the 6-foot-7, 272-pound defensive end whose 14 1/2 sacks lead the nation. "He (Thorson) is going to have to get the ball out of his hands quick because they're coming in the passing game," Fitzgerald said Monday when considering that reality. "In the run game, we've got to get Justin and our backs going, and Clayton's got to be a threat. What does that mean? It's to be determined. But he was a great threat against Nebraska. Things were there for him. They were there for him too against Iowa (a week earlier) and he ran a couple of times, (but) probably not enough when rush lanes broke down. He's just got to take what the defense give him and not try to force things."
MORE: The 'Cats, in their last three games, have faced their league's top-rated, second-rated and fourth-rated rushing defenses, and each effectively stymied the dynamic Jackson. Now, ahead of them, is Penn State's sixth-rated rushing D, which not only includes the sack-master Nassib. In its belly are also the 6-foot-4, 323-pound Austin Johnson and the 6-foot-4, 284-pound Anthony Zettel, a pair of tackles Fitzgerald described as future NFL first-round draft choices.
"Balance. We'd like to have as much balance as we possibly can, and that's something that's going to be a great challenge against this defense without a doubt," Fitzgerald said Monday when asked how his 'Cats could be a more-consistent offense. "We've got to find ways to move the ball. We've got to find ways to be successful on third down. . . . Run-game wise, we've got to block better at the point of attack, and he (Jackson) has got to make some guys miss, win one-on-ones.
"Schematically, we've got to try and get better angles and get ourselves some free space. There were a lot of times that Nebraska had nobody deeper than six yards against us in the first half. So having some balance, getting people off us a little bit on early downs and early in the game will be important."
Later the superback Dan Vitale added this. "Their defensive line is very strong," he added, "so our offensive line needs to show up and have the best game they've had all year. I think the game's definitely going to be won down in the trenches."
QUICKLY NOTED: Asked about corner Matthew Harris, who was injured in the Michigan game, Fitzgerald said, "I expect him to play." Asked about defensive tackle C.J. Robbins, who missed the Nebraska game, he said, "I'd probably list him day-to-day." But O lineman Adam DePietro, who was injured back on Week Two against Eastern Illinois, is done for the year after undergoing surgery. . . . Asked about the bye-week, Vitale said, "I think we definitely needed it. Playing eight games straight's pretty tough. We came out six-and-two, which is pretty good. It's not where we wanted to be. But from a health standpoint it's just huge and mentally, being able to get your mind back and refocus, is nice. People might think you lose momentum. But everyone seemed pretty excited to be here today, so I think we're ready to hit the ground running again."
AND FINALLY, Fitzgerald, on the spotlight that shines on Thorson, with reference to Sunday's matchup between Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers: "I see him maturing every day. Not that he isn't a mature young man. He is. He is a very mature young man, mature beyond his years. But from a football standpoint, from a quarterback standpoint, he just keeps getting better every day. You know. Two pretty good ones played last night. The old man (Manning) played pretty well (in a win). Two weeks ago everyone was saying he stunk. It's the quarterback position. It is what it is. You're the hero and you're the goat."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
TO RECAP: In the first half against Nebraska, Clayton Thorson completed four of his 10 passing attempts for a mere 16 yards and no touchdowns. That helps explain why the Huskers, who were crowding the line of scrimmage, held Justin Jackson to just four yards on four carries in these 30 minutes. But in the second half, Thorson went nine-of-18 for 161 yards and a touchdown. This helps explain why Jackson, through these 30 minutes, was able to net 36 yards on 10 carries.
"I think that (his second-half performance) was really a big boost of confidence for Clayton," Pat Fitzgerald would say last week. "I think the way that he responded was very impressive. It showed maturity. That's a tough place to play and it wasn't going great and, at the half, he listened to the adjustments on where we thought he could go with the ball, and it slowed down a little bit for him. It was fun to watch."
"Yeah, I think it was," Thorson himself said a few minutes later when asked if his response was a confidence boost. "Obviously I didn't play as well as I would have liked to in the first half throwing the football. So it was good to come back in the second half and play well. Overall, I think our offense did a lot better job executing."
AN INSIGHT: The wide receiver Austin Carr had a huge third-down catch during the third-quarter drive that gave the 'Cats the lead for good against the Huskers. On Monday he had this to say about Thorson's turn-around: "Clayton's a quarterback with a lot of composure. I think a lot of people have picked up on that, and that kind of spreads out through the offense. It can be third-and-long. It can be fourth-and-short, fourth-and-long. Clayton, at least in the huddle, is a guy who has a lot of composure.
"As he grows, as he continues to grow, he's got that kind of Tom-Bradyesque-cool, ice-in-his-veins kind of thing that definitely spreads out to the offensive line, the wide receivers, the running backs. There's still steps of maturity that he has to take. But after a win like that, we all have more confidence in him. And I think he has more confidence in the wide receiver corps as well."
TO REMIND: Thorson, in that first half, did have runs of 68 and 49 yards. The first set up a touchdown and the second, a Jack Mitchell field goal.
NOW: The 'Cats, off their bye week, face Penn State Saturday at Ryan Field, where they will confront not only a defense that leads the Big Ten in sacks (36 in nine games, an average of 4pg). They will also confront the Nittany Lion's Carl Nassib, the 6-foot-7, 272-pound defensive end whose 14 1/2 sacks lead the nation. "He (Thorson) is going to have to get the ball out of his hands quick because they're coming in the passing game," Fitzgerald said Monday when considering that reality. "In the run game, we've got to get Justin and our backs going, and Clayton's got to be a threat. What does that mean? It's to be determined. But he was a great threat against Nebraska. Things were there for him. They were there for him too against Iowa (a week earlier) and he ran a couple of times, (but) probably not enough when rush lanes broke down. He's just got to take what the defense give him and not try to force things."
MORE: The 'Cats, in their last three games, have faced their league's top-rated, second-rated and fourth-rated rushing defenses, and each effectively stymied the dynamic Jackson. Now, ahead of them, is Penn State's sixth-rated rushing D, which not only includes the sack-master Nassib. In its belly are also the 6-foot-4, 323-pound Austin Johnson and the 6-foot-4, 284-pound Anthony Zettel, a pair of tackles Fitzgerald described as future NFL first-round draft choices.
"Balance. We'd like to have as much balance as we possibly can, and that's something that's going to be a great challenge against this defense without a doubt," Fitzgerald said Monday when asked how his 'Cats could be a more-consistent offense. "We've got to find ways to move the ball. We've got to find ways to be successful on third down. . . . Run-game wise, we've got to block better at the point of attack, and he (Jackson) has got to make some guys miss, win one-on-ones.
"Schematically, we've got to try and get better angles and get ourselves some free space. There were a lot of times that Nebraska had nobody deeper than six yards against us in the first half. So having some balance, getting people off us a little bit on early downs and early in the game will be important."
Later the superback Dan Vitale added this. "Their defensive line is very strong," he added, "so our offensive line needs to show up and have the best game they've had all year. I think the game's definitely going to be won down in the trenches."
QUICKLY NOTED: Asked about corner Matthew Harris, who was injured in the Michigan game, Fitzgerald said, "I expect him to play." Asked about defensive tackle C.J. Robbins, who missed the Nebraska game, he said, "I'd probably list him day-to-day." But O lineman Adam DePietro, who was injured back on Week Two against Eastern Illinois, is done for the year after undergoing surgery. . . . Asked about the bye-week, Vitale said, "I think we definitely needed it. Playing eight games straight's pretty tough. We came out six-and-two, which is pretty good. It's not where we wanted to be. But from a health standpoint it's just huge and mentally, being able to get your mind back and refocus, is nice. People might think you lose momentum. But everyone seemed pretty excited to be here today, so I think we're ready to hit the ground running again."
AND FINALLY, Fitzgerald, on the spotlight that shines on Thorson, with reference to Sunday's matchup between Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers: "I see him maturing every day. Not that he isn't a mature young man. He is. He is a very mature young man, mature beyond his years. But from a football standpoint, from a quarterback standpoint, he just keeps getting better every day. You know. Two pretty good ones played last night. The old man (Manning) played pretty well (in a win). Two weeks ago everyone was saying he stunk. It's the quarterback position. It is what it is. You're the hero and you're the goat."
••••••
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