1st and
Ten – An Ohio sized chip on a little man’s shoulder –
After graduating as Mr. Football in Ohio in 2004, Tyrell Sutton
didn’t receive a well deserved overture from the Ohio State
University where a little man once ruled – Archie Griffin. But,
the game’s changed since the two time Heisman winner piled up
yardage on the Columbus campus. Or, has it? Well, Ohio State
passed on Sutton to the delight of Northwestern fans everywhere,
not to mention some very happy coaches and teammates. After the
Cats’ lead back Terrell Jordan went down with a bad hammy,
Sutton took the ball and kept running, and running, and running,
and running – all the way to one of the best freshman seasons in
college football history, actually. The star from Akron ran for
1,474 yards and 16 TDs, but also added 44 catches to display his
run/pass duality and versatility. In the Wildcats spread look,
there couldn’t be a more perfect fit than Sutton. He’s quicker
than a hiccup and has great vision. He anticipates where the
hole is going to be, and when it opens up, he’s gone. Sutton is
on to the second level so fast that linebackers have to scrape
so quickly to the hole that they often run past it or don’t even
get there. Just ask AJ Hawk from Ohio State who missed Sutton a
couple of times last year in Columbus – man, another Ohio
reference, sorry. With Jordan back healthy and Brandon Roberson
returning, Sutton will have an opportunity to get a little more
rest, but he also might have the opportunity to team with Jordan
or Roberson in the backfield to expand upon his versatility that
much more. Sutton is, arguably, the most electric runner that
Northwestern has seen in quite some time, and that does include
Darnell Autry and Damien Anderson. If he continues to run with
that passion and fire that he did last year, the Cats should be
just fine on offense in 2006.
2nd and Seven –
Two Years Ago… – After the 2003 season, did any
Northwestern fan, coach or player think that they would miss QB
Brett Basanez this much? All Basanez did in his final year was
turn himself into arguably the best QB in the Big Ten and left a
huge, gaping hole at this position in 2006. Basanez was in such
control of the Wildcat offense that it was easy to take his
pass/run ability for granted. But, uh, not now. So, the ball
gets handed to either C.J. Bacher, Andrew Brewer or Mike Kafka
and the hope is that one of the three will be a close facsimile
to Basanez. Perhaps not this year, but two years from now,
well, we’ll see.
3rd and Three –
Papa Roach – With the loss of Tim McGarigle in the
middle, the linebacking corps will have to rely upon will backer
Nick Roach, perhaps the best athlete on the Wildcat defense.
Roach flashed his athleticism as a sophomore and had a solid
year, but was slowed by nagging injuries last year as a junior.
He’s quick and explosive to the ball and could be a key guy in
blitz packages to be a factor in the backfield. At 6’2” and
245, Roach is a physical marvel who explodes through ball
carriers, but will have to take more of the leadership role this
year.
4th and One –
Welcome Back – Although the Wildcats had a fine season last
year and gained a great deal of respect nationally, it’ll still
be nice to get back two All-Big Ten candidates for this season –
Trevor Rees and Bryan Heinz. Although Rees started out the
spring as the number two center, it won’t take him much time to
get himself back in the lineup. He started for two years and
was the foundation of the offensive line in 2004, before being
knocked out last year due to academic problems. On defense,
Heinz provides a physical presence at strong safety. He missed
all of the 2005 regular season with an ACL, but did make it back
for the Sun Bowl. However, having the 6’2”, 215 pound back in
the lineup, for the full season, gives the Wildcat defense
another reason to be optimistic in 2006. Suffice it to say,
these two returns will bolster this team’s respective units this
season.