The offense helped answer questions about inexperience at the skill positions with an impressive performance in the annual Northwestern Spring football game Saturday at Ryan Field.
Question marks surround the running back position, with seniors Tyrell Sutton and Omar Conteh graduating. The trio of Alex Daniel, Stephen Simmons and Jeravin Matthews helped quell concerns by combining for 212 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries. All three running backs averaged at least six yards per carry. The running back corps will be further strengthened when sophomores Scott Concannon and Jacob Schmidt return from injuries.
Coach Pat Fitzgerald said that he was optimistic about the progression of the running back unit and identified it as one of the most pleasant surprises of the afternoon. He also said that he was thankful that the Wildcats came away without suffering another serious injury.
“I like what all three guys are doing. I think we’ve got a really good problem. We’ve got three guys currently right now who are healthy,” Fitzgerald said. “They’re capable of being Big Ten running backs. We’ve recruited well, Matt MacPherson’s done a good job developing those guys and the great thing for a coach is when you have competition.”
Fitzgerald also said that senior Mike Kafka “absolutely” will be the starter in the fall. Kafka completed 12-of-21 passing attempts for 134 yards and a touchdown. Although he was inconsistent, he showed signs of improvement with his throws and brilliance with his legs, managing to break a 22-yard run.
Kafka’s backup, sophomore Dan Persa, impressed by completing 8-of-9 passing attempts for 65 yards. Fitzgerald said that he is excited about having two dual-threat quarterbacks, identifying it as “a very good problem.”
Senior wide receiver Andrew Brewer, who has emerged as Kafka’s go-to guy after the Wildcats lost three seniors, caught a 55-yard pass from Kafka for a touchdown over the outstretched arms of cornerback Sherrick McManis. Brewer said that Kafka has worked with his new targets to develop chemistry and timing.
“We’re still working on the chemistry but it’s definitely gotten a lot better,” said Brewer. “We worked a lot in the winter, trying to get the timing down and steps down before the spring ball so we’re definitely improved and we have a lot of work to do still though in the summer.”
The team will enter the upcoming season without 23 graduated seniors. Quarterback C.J. Bacher, Sutton and the offense’s top three receivers will be sorely missed on the offensive side of the ball. While the team returns four of its five starting offensive linemen from last season, a lack of depth and experience in the skill positions poses a concern for the ‘Cats.
The defense, however, looks to be a strong point for the Wildcats. It returns eight starters, including All-Big Ten defensive end Corey Wootton and the entire secondary, which sports three more All-Big Ten stars and a Freshman All-American from last season. Injury concerns with the defense, though, may plague the unit’s development. Four projected starters sat out Saturday’s spring game with injuries, including All-Big Ten safety Brad Phillips and Wootton, who is coming off an ACL tear.
Redshirt freshmen Jared Carpenter and Stone Pinckney led the way on defense with six and five tackles respectively. Sophomore defensive end Vince Browne also impressed with four tackles.
Simmons and Brewer both identified leadership as an area for improvement. They said that the team follows a group leadership model rather than a single leader stepping up. With inexperience in the skill positions, there is a lack of entitlement to leadership positions.
“I don’t feel like I have the authority right now to do anything,” said Simmons. “I haven’t done anything to be honest with you. In my opinion, it’ll come eventually.”