Iceland12
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Looks like we'll see a lot of Freshmen on that field Saturday.
http://www.insidenu.com/2014/10/7/6934889/northwestern-football-freshmen-helping-northwestern
Pat Fitzgerald always has the same response when asked about how he chooses whether or not a true freshman will be redshirted: "If we think he's ready, he'll play." This season, Fitzgerald has decided to let four of his 15 commits play, doing something that he hasn't done in years past..
With Justin Jackson, Solomon Vault, Xavier Washington and Garrett Dickerson, Northwestern has chosen four freshmen to burn their redshirts and their choices could not have been better.
It's clear from the selections that positional circumstance matters just as much to coaches as actual skill progression does.
For example, it makes sense for Northwestern to play Jackson and Vault at tailback due to a lack of depth at the position following Venric Mark's transfer. Washington bolstered a group of defensive ends that lost Tyler Scott and has seen its best player, Dean Lowry, have to move inside on a frequent basis to account for the struggles of the defensive tackles. Garrett Dickerson has allowed Northwestern to use three super backs (Dickerson, Dan Vitale and Jayme Taylor) in multiple roles, making the position even more versatile.
But then there are cases of players like Anthony Walker and Godwin Igwebuike, true freshmen who we heard a lot about during training camp in 2013, but who were also stuck behind entrenched starters and backups and redshirted. Fitzgerald and his staff have been making the right calls and its been paying off. Last week against Wisconsin was an example of both techniques working to perfection with Jackson's 162 rushing yards and Igwebuike's three interceptions.
Frankly, it makes sense that the freshmen Fitzgerald chooses to play would have major roles. If they didn't, it wouldn't make sense to play them. For instance, against Wisconsin, Jackson's 33 carries were 84.6 percent of the running back carriers Saturday..
http://www.insidenu.com/2014/10/7/6934889/northwestern-football-freshmen-helping-northwestern
Pat Fitzgerald always has the same response when asked about how he chooses whether or not a true freshman will be redshirted: "If we think he's ready, he'll play." This season, Fitzgerald has decided to let four of his 15 commits play, doing something that he hasn't done in years past..
With Justin Jackson, Solomon Vault, Xavier Washington and Garrett Dickerson, Northwestern has chosen four freshmen to burn their redshirts and their choices could not have been better.
It's clear from the selections that positional circumstance matters just as much to coaches as actual skill progression does.
For example, it makes sense for Northwestern to play Jackson and Vault at tailback due to a lack of depth at the position following Venric Mark's transfer. Washington bolstered a group of defensive ends that lost Tyler Scott and has seen its best player, Dean Lowry, have to move inside on a frequent basis to account for the struggles of the defensive tackles. Garrett Dickerson has allowed Northwestern to use three super backs (Dickerson, Dan Vitale and Jayme Taylor) in multiple roles, making the position even more versatile.
But then there are cases of players like Anthony Walker and Godwin Igwebuike, true freshmen who we heard a lot about during training camp in 2013, but who were also stuck behind entrenched starters and backups and redshirted. Fitzgerald and his staff have been making the right calls and its been paying off. Last week against Wisconsin was an example of both techniques working to perfection with Jackson's 162 rushing yards and Igwebuike's three interceptions.
Frankly, it makes sense that the freshmen Fitzgerald chooses to play would have major roles. If they didn't, it wouldn't make sense to play them. For instance, against Wisconsin, Jackson's 33 carries were 84.6 percent of the running back carriers Saturday..
