Gameday - October 2, 2014

The Daily Northwestern FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014

It’s been a long year OCT. 4,

2013 The Daily Northwestern FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

) OHIO STATE VS. NORTHWESTERN

ALMOST FAMOUS » PAGE 4

@wildcat_extra

INSIDE: Starting Lineups 2 | Paschall’s Point 3 | Almost Famous: Pat Fitzgerald’s quest to return to the Rose Bowl 4

OCT. 4,

2014

@wildcat_extra

INSIDE: Wisconsin’s Rushing Attack 10 | The future of NU’s superbacks 11 | A tough year 12

10 GAMEDAY

The Daily Northwestern

Friday, October 3, 2014

Wisconsin’s Gordon presents trouble for NU defense

By JOSEPH DIEBOLD

daily senior staffer @JosephDiebold

Daily file photo by Brian Lee

There may not be two offenses in the Big Ten more different than Penn State and Wisconsin.

The Nittany Lions are led by a surefire NFL prospect in quarterback Christian Hackenberg and have passed on nearly 56 percent of their plays so far this season. The No. 17 Badgers have a pro prospect of their own in the backfield, running back Melvin Gordon, and have run the ball on more than 68 percent of their snaps.

A week after stifling Penn State’s passing attack in an upset win over the Nittany Lions, the Wildcats will play host to the Badgers’ ground game in their conference home opener, looking to continue turning around a season that looked dead in the water after an 0-2 start. It will be easily the toughest challenge for There’s not a run defense that has held up well over the a throw he first four games, limitcan’t make. ing opponents to less He always has than 3 yards per carry.

But while none of eyes down the NU’s first three FBS field, and he has opponents is averaging really talented even 5 yards per carry, Wisconsin’s average in weapons. that statistic is over 7.

The Badgers are fourth Pat Fitzgerald, in the nation in rushing coach yards per game, with 343.3.

Wisconsin is, as coach Pat Fitzgerald puts it, “ginormous” along the offensive line, with the Badgers’ five starters averaging 6-foot-5 and 321 pounds. It will be a stiff test for an NU front seven that shone against the Nittany Lions. In last season’s matchup, it was the Badgers that won the battle in the run game, carrying 51 times for 286 yards in a 35-6 trouncing of the Cats.

Fitzgerald said his defense will have to remain disciplined to improve on that performance this year.

“No. 1, we’ve got to do a great job up front controlling our gaps. We’ve got to stay in our gaps,” he said. “Our linebackers have got to make

MARVELOUS MELVIN A week after facing a pass-happy Penn State, Northwestern will meet run-powered Wisconsin on Saturday.

Badgers running back Melvin Gordon, one of the country’s best backs, carried 22 times for 172 yards against the Wildcats in last year’s matchup.

“

the D-line right, and we’ve got to fit properly. …

And then we’ve got to tackle. We’ve got to do a really good job tackling.”

Wisconsin quarterback Tanner McEvoy will provide his own challenge. McEvoy, a former safety, is third on the team in rushing but has still run for more yards than any of NU’s running backs. Fitzgerald said he was pleased in general with the pass rush against Penn State, but McEvoy’s running ability will force the Cats to be sharper.

“I thought we did a good job except for a few times when we lost contain and were rush-lane undisciplined,” he said. “If you do that against Tanner, it’s a 60-yard run, so we gotta be much better than we were on Saturday.”

But a well-run defense is not the responsibility of the front seven alone. The secondary must come up and make plays in the box when necessary.

“Our safeties are going to have a lot of tackles on Saturday because they’re going to block everybody at the point of attack,” Fitzgerald said.

Redshirt freshman safety Godwin Igwebuike, making his first start on Saturday in place of injured senior Ibraheim Campbell, will be key in stopping the run, and NU’s coaches will have to feel comfortable stacking the box and leaving the team’s cornerbacks on an island.

The latter area is where NU really shined against the Nittany Lions. While the pass rush was in Hackenberg’s face all day, that was as much due to Penn State’s struggles along the offensive line than anything NU did defensively.

But sophomore cornerback Matthew Harris and junior cornerback Nick VanHoose, who were named the team’s defensive players of the week, were excellent against the Nittany Lions, holding Hackenberg to 216 passing yards, his secondlowest output of the season. That number could

Wisconsin Badgers (3-1) vs.

Northwestern Wildcats (2-2) 5

23

21 31

78 53

34

13

66

95

22

57

91

76 40 19

58

44

59

45

30 47

55 7

86

10

13

78

90

54

93

70 5

94

73 61

25

3 8

27

Central St.

TWEETS

Some of the highlights of the Wildcats’ lives — in 140 characters or fewer

49

16

josephdiebold2015@u.northwestern.edu

Compiled by Joseph Diebold/ Daily Senior Staffer

WISCONSIN

NORTHWESTERN

6

have been even lower if Campbell had not gotten injured on Penn State’s longest pass of the day, when he was in position to break up the throw.

Senior linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo said with the front seven occupied with Gordon and company, it will be up to the secondary to hold up.

“As a linebacker, it’s always, you want to stop the run first, so up front we’re trying to stop the run,” he said. “We’ve got the DBs in the back end to stop the pass, and from there just gonna go off the game plan, what the coaches call.”

Ariguzo said despite the schematic differences, the defense is confident it can turn in a repeat performance.

“We expect the same thing as last week, just everybody doing their job, flying around, making plays and having fun,” he said.

16

@_AWalkJr Anthony Walker Jr. Seize The Moment

#SilenceHappyValley @Optimus_22HB Parrker Westphal All Psych classes talk about the SAME thing -_____-

@Stan_P7 Dan Persa .@brian_peters10 do u attribute most, if not all, of ur personal success to the year u lived in 1113 Foster St, aka The Palace?

#AskPeters

Roster Wisconsin Offense

Northwestern Offense 13 QB Trevor SIEMIAN 22 RB Treyvon GREEN 21 WR Kyle PRATER 6 WR Tony JONES

19 WR Cam DICKERSON 40 SB Dan VITALE 78 LT Paul JORGENSEN 53 LG Geoff MOGUS

66 C Brandon VITABILE 57 RG Matt FRAZIER 76 RT Eric OLSON

30 MLB Derek LANDISCH 59 MLB Marcus TROTTER 58 OLB Joe SCHOBERT

5 QB Tanner MCEVOY 25 RB Melvin GORDON 16 WR Reggie LOVE 3 WR Kenzel DOE

86 WR Alex ERICKSON 70 C Dan VOLTZ 49 TE Sam ARNESON 54 RG Kyle COSTIGAN 61 LT Tyler MARZ 76 RT Rob HAVENSTEIN 73 LG Dallas LEWALLEN

Northwestern Defense

Wisconsin Defense 91 DE Konrad ZAGZEBSKI 95 NT Arthur GOLDBERG 34 DE Chikwe OBASIH 47 OLB C.J. OLANIYAN

@brian_peters10 Brian Peters @Stan_P7 not time yet, but

8 CB Sojourn SHELTON 7 S Michael CAPUTO 31 S Lubern FIGARO 5 CB Darius HILLARY

13 DE Deonte GIBSON 90 DT C.J. ROBBINS 93 DT Greg KUHAR 94 DE Dean LOWRY

44 OLB Chi Chi ARIGUZO 16 S Godwin IGWEBUIKE 45 MLB Collin ELLIS 10 S Traveon HENRY 55 OLB Drew SMITH 27 CB Matthew HARRIS 23 CB Nick VANHOOSE

yes my work ethic, alc tolerance, n mental toughness r attributed 2 my time at the palace

#palaceguysneversaydie @StephenABuckley Stephen Buckley Bro Obama coming today

The Daily Northwestern

Friday, October 3, 2014

Superback role ever evolving for Vitale, others future drop-backs. “It would be cool, but that’s up to the coaches and their game plan.”

His potential career as a quarterback aside, Taylor paints himself as more of a pass catcher, a role commonly referred to as an H-back in other offenses. “(Dickerson) blocks a little more on line than me,” he said. “I flex out We a little bit more and do more passing stuff, but opened up our at our position, you have passing game to know how to do the this week … blocking and the route We’re going to running.”

Taylor and Dickerson do what works.” have to learn all the ins Dan Vitale, and outs of the position, junior superback but increasingly it seems like they won’t have to do all of them. That heightened specialization may be a product of NU’s success on the recruiting trail.

Drake Dunsmore, who played for the Cats from 2007 to 2011, was the genesis of the superback position. Though he was a great Swiss army knife for NU over his playing career, he was only lightly recruited out of high school.

Vitale was in the same mold, originally listed as a wide receiver and graded out as just a twostar recruit.

That wasn’t the case with Dickerson and Taylor. Both received multiple scholarship offers, and Dickerson was a highly touted, four-star rated member of last year’s class.

As NU improves as a program and pulls in better talent, that talent is free to develop into more specific roles. Dickerson and Taylor may come to replace Vitale as two sides of the same coin, each focusing on a specific aspect of the game and doing it better than Vitale could ever hope to.

But for now, the jack of all trades still rules.

“Dan is a hell of an athlete,” Taylor said. “Getting the ball in his hands is something we plan for, and it’s added to our game.”

“

Luke Vogelzang/The Daily Northwestern

LAST OF THE SUPERBACKS Lightly recruited out of high school, junior superback Dan Vitale has thrived as a jack of all trades. Back-ups Jayme Taylor and Garrett Dickerson have become more specialized.

By BOBBY PILLOTE

the daily northwestern @BobbyPillote

Sometimes it seems like Northwestern forgets about its superbacks.

That wasn’t the case Saturday, when junior Dan Vitale caught seven passes for 113 yards to help lead the Wildcats past Penn State. Emblematic of his position, he also had blocking assignments all over the field and even had a carry on a jet sweep play.

“It changes from week to week what our gameplan is,” Vitale said after the game. “We opened up our passing game this week. … We’re going

to do what works.”

Such outbursts are rare for the talented and multifaceted Vitale, but they offer a reminder of the effect a versatile hybrid player can have, especially as the superback seems to be turning into an increasingly rare breed.

The simple reality is that athletes who have the ability and willingness to do all the things that Vitale does are hard to find. The players behind him on the depth chart are talented, but they seem to be settling into increasingly specialized roles.

Senior Tim Hanrahan is listed at superback, but his job this season has been entirely confined to lead blocking duties on kickoff returns and out of the backfield.

True freshman Garrett Dickerson has just one reception for 21 yards this season, but he has received significant playing time as an in-line blocker for running plays. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Dickerson’s size and blocking ability slot him much more into the traditional tight end role that he has played so far.

The heir-apparent to Vitale may be redshirt freshman Jayme Taylor. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, he’s the closest match to Vitale in terms of size, and despite his limited production this year – just four catches for 14 yards – he put the super in superback earlier this season when he threw a touchdown to senior quarterback Trevor Siemian on a trick play.

“I’m not sure,” Taylor said on the possibility of

robertpillote2017@u.northwestern.edu

Fearless Forecasters

WEEK 6

ALEX

BOBBY

PUTTERMAN Wisconsin 24 Northwestern 20

Wisconsin (-8)* at Northwestern

I’m feeling confident in the Cats, but let’s not get carried away

JOSEPH

PILLOTE Wisconsin 35 Northwestern 24

Cats’ offense can’t quite keep up with Gordon.

DIEBOLD

Wisconsin 33 Northwestern 19

But closer than the score indicates.

ROHAN

NADKARNI Wisconsin 34 Northwestern 35

I’m getting carried away.

Nebraska at Michigan State (-7)

Nebraska 27 Michigan State 35

Nebraska 21 Michigan State 34

Nebraska 14 Michigan State 34

Nebraska 24 Michigan State 28

Michigan at Rutgers (-3)

Michigan 21 Rutgers 17

Michigan 42 Rutgers 14

Michigan 24 Rutgers 17

Michigan 17 Rutgers 14

Ohio State (-8.5) at Maryland

Ohio State 34 Maryland 21

Ohio State 31 Maryland 24

Ohio State 41 Maryland 20

Ohio State 34 Maryland 24

Forecasting record

*Against the spread

4-4

3-5

STANDINGS WEST

EAST Maryland Penn State Michigan State Ohio State Michigan Rutgers Indiana

(4-1, 1-0) (4-1, 1-1) (3-1, 0-0) (3-1, 0-0) (2-3, 0-1) (4-1, 0-1) (2-2, 0-1)

Nebraska Iowa Minnesota Northwestern Wisconsin Illinois Purdue

(5-0, 1-0) (4-1, 1-0) (4-1, 1-0) (2-2, 1-0) (3-1, 0-0) (3-2, 0-1) (2-3, 0-1)

Gameday/Sports Editor Alex Putterman

5-3

Assistant Editor Joseph Diebold

Writer

3-5

Design Editor Virginia Van Keuren

Bobby Pillote Gameday is a publication of Students Publishing Co. A four-page issue is usually published on the Friday prior to Northwestern home games and a two-page issue is published on the Friday prior to Northwestern road games. All material is © 2014 Students Publishing Co. Questions or comments should be sent c/o Gameday Editors Alex Putterman and Joseph Diebold, 1999 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL 60208.

12 GAMEDAY

The Daily Northwestern

Friday, October 3, 2014

From Oct. 4 to Oct. 4, it’s been a long year

In the year since the best day in program history, much has gone wrong

By Alex Putterman

the daily northwestern @AlexPutt02

Northwestern football has perhaps never experienced a day cheerier than Friday, Oct. 4, 2013.

As the sun rose, ESPN’s Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic broadcast their talk show “Mike & Mike” from Deering Meadow in front of NU students who prioritized being on TV over sleeping. NU-affiliated sports TV personalities wandered the campus as if Evanston were a “This is SportsCenter” commercial.

Students who couldn’t tell a tight end from an endoscopy chose favorite Wildcats players. Bums who make sleeping until 11 a.m. a Saturday tradition planned for their pre-dawn trek to The Lakefill the following morning.

Anti-socialites who would rather wither in the library than disrupt their studies shifted their schedules to make room for Saturday’s showdown: No. 4 Ohio State and No. 16 NU. That morning’s Daily featured a movie-poster style Gameday cover, with coach Pat Fitzgerald beneath the headline “Almost Famous.” The accompanying story was premised on the idea that the football program was on the cusp.

The game didn’t go the Cats’ way, but nor did it disappoint. NU lost 40-30 in a game much closer than the final score indicates, in front of an electric sell-out crowd.

Scoreboard aside, no one denied the program’s ascension toward national relevance.

Nothing, it seemed, could halt the climb.

Well, except maybe Wisconsin, who thrashed NU 35-6 the next week. And Minnesota, who upset the Cats at Ryan Field seven days later.

And Iowa. And Nebraska. And Michigan. And Michigan State.

Since that triumphant game one year ago this weekend, NU has played 12 games and lost eight of them. Right when the program neared the peak of the mountain, it had let go of its rope. ◆ ◆ ◆ This year, Oct. 4 falls on Saturday, and the Cats just so happen to host Wisconsin, the

“

I didn’t see the signs that we weren’t ready to play. Then we went up (to Wisconsin) and played terribly.

Pat Fitzgerald, coach

very team that commenced their free fall last October.

After practice Wednesday, Fitzgerald deflected talk of the Gameday anniversary.

“It’s October now,” he replied. “I’m done talking about last year. Every team is different, every set of circumstances is different.

Obviously, we’re in a different position now than we were.”

But several breaths later — and without further prodding — he essentially confessed to what the Cats’ entire fan base was guilty of: being fooled by the team’s quick start to 2013 and blindsided by the collapse against the Badgers.

“I obviously let the team down, because I

Brian Lee/Daily Senior Staffer

LONG YEAR Northwestern has gone through much drama in the previous 12 months. Since Oct. 4, 2013, the team has undergone a sevengame losing streak, a contentious union debate, the departure of its star running back, two more losses and other grimace-worthy troubles.

didn’t see the signs that we weren’t ready to play,” Fitzgerald said Wednesday.

“Then we went up there and played terribly.”

At the time, that loss didn’t quite spark panic.

“It just looked like we didn’t execute very w e l l ,” Fitzgerald said after the game.

“All we have to do is make smart decisions and choices with the football and we win a football game,” he said after the following week’s loss.

The situation gradually became more dire.

Senior running back Venric Mark injured his ankle against the Badgers and didn’t play for the rest of the season. The offense stalled, going entire quarters with no more than a few first downs.

The Cats lost blowouts and they lost close games. They lost as favorites and as underdogs.

At home and on the road.

“We suck right now,” senior quarterback Kain Colter said after a fourth straight loss, to Iowa.

“We don’t have very good karma,” junior quarterback Trevor Siemian joked after a tripleovertime loss to Michigan.

“It’s pretty unbelievable,” senior kicker Jeff

Record in 17 games leading up to 10/4/13:

14-3

Record in 12 games since 10/4/13:

3-9

Infographic by Virginia Van Keuren

Budzien said the same day. “It’s shocking. It’s depressing. If you told me we were 4-6 at this point in the year I would’ve laughed at you.”

“It’s definitely been a rough experience,” senior defensive end Tyler Scott said after the seventh and final loss, against Michigan State.

“You never want to lose a game, but to lose seven in a row. It’s challenging.”

The season ended, mercifully, with a close win over Illinois, but the drama continued.

In January Colter announced his plan to form a players union at NU. The players’ offseason was in part spent learning about pros and cons of the proposed union and debating back and forth on its merits. Fitzgerald’s winter and spring included testifying at a National Labor Relations Board hearing and explaining

Brian Lee/Daily Senior Staffer

TRUST Coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats grew increasingly frustrated throughout their seven-game losing streak in 2013. Northwestern hopes last week’s win over Penn State is a sign of things to come, not an aberration.

to players why he thought they shouldn’t unionize.

Regardless of whether the union is a valid ambition and regardless of whether it affected any aspect of the team’s preparation for 2014, the process was certainly a headache.

Players repeatedly requested the focus return to football (“You can see that we want to move forward,” receiver Kyle Prater said in April. “We just want to keep playing ball.”), and Fitzgerald referred to the union as “that distraction.”

After a fairly peaceful summer, the Cats were ready to begin a fresh campaign when more trouble struck. Mark, healthy and ready to play, was suspended for the first two games of the season for an undisclosed violation of team policy. Five days later, he announced his intention to transfer, to be closer to his mother and grandmother in Texas, he said.

Still, hopes were fairly high for the 2014 season. Daily writers predicted seven or eight wins and a bowl appearance.

But two losses to start the season made nine in 10 games and inspired some heavy questions.

Was the program systemically flawed? Had Fitzgerald’s magic run up? Was 2012’s 10-win season an illusion? Would Evanston experience a day like Oct. 4, 2013 any time soon?

All of which made last week’s surprise victory over Penn State all the more meaningful.

Fair to say it was NU football’s first aggressively positive occurrence in a calendar year.

The Cats find themselves a long way from Oct. 4, 2013, when losses were occasional, unions were for steelworkers and mysterious suspensions were a problem for other schools.

In the coming weeks, the Cats can prove the previous year — not last week’s performance at Beaver Stadium — was an aberration.

“We’re getting tired of losing,” senior linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo said Wednesday. “We want to get back to our winning ways, how we were.” asputt@u.northwestern.edu