Brisk practice for NU has players pumped
Junior receiver Andrew Brewer checked into the Ryan Field locker room at 5 a.m. Tuesday, even though Northwestern's first spring practice didn't begin until 7:30.
"I'm not much of a morning person," Brewer said. "But I think I'm becoming one."
Junior safety Brendan Smith didn't arrive quite so early.
But when the Wildcats' first spring practice was through - a brisk two-hour session conducted in 38-degree temperatures and a numbing wind - he volunteered to run through a wall.
Does their passion course through the rest of Pat Fitzgerald's third Northwestern squad?
Yes, but it might be fair to say Brewer and Smith are extreme cases. They're making up for lost time.
Brewer, expected to be the team's best deep threat in 2007, missed all of Northwestern's 6-6 season after breaking his left arm in preseason camp.
Smith, an all-Big Ten honorable mention pick in 2006, tore the labrum in his right shoulder diving for a ball in the preseason. He toughed it out for three games before deciding surgery and a redshirt year served everyone's purposes better.
"I was out there playing and I felt defenseless," Smith said. "If someone came to my side, I couldn't ward them off and I couldn't do anything about it."
Their healthy returns along with those of 15 other starters - though cornerback Sherrick McManis (pectoral surgery) and defensive tackle Adam Hahn are out for spring ball - have the Wildcats thinking big this fall.
But plenty needs to happen before the Aug. 30 opener against Syracuse if NU is to earn its first bowl bid in three seasons.
"Our guys need to get used to some things," Fitzgerald said. "They need to get used to working together. For the most part, for Day 1, I was very happy with the way that things went."
Tuesday's practice, for example, represented the first chance for new offensive coordinator Mick McCall and new defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz to work on the field with their charges.
The well-traveled and well-regarded Hankwitz, 60, who was fired by Wisconsin after last season, is installing an attacking 4-3 defense that bears little resemblance to the style favored by previous coordinator Greg Colby.
For those who've forgotten, the Wildcats finished 10th among Big Ten teams in virtually every defensive category last fall.
"It's more of a run-stopping defense first," Smith said. "Then, from there, it's an aggressive… kind of a man-to-man aspect for the defensive backs.
"That's what I like to do. Put me on an island. I want to do it. I want to survive. (This scheme) is more aggressive for the safeties. I should be able to make more plays, which I love."
On the other side of the ball, Northwestern retains quarterback C.J. Bacher, running backs Tyrell Sutton and Omar Conteh, and three of its top four receivers.
While that's statistically a good thing since Northwestern ranked second in the Big Ten with 427.7 total yards per game, the Wildcats finished just 10th in scoring with 25.8 points per game.
Brewer, a former quarterback, adds more dimensions to the offense because he can catch and run.
McCall, who came from Bowling Green, hopes to help the Wildcats become even more explosive with his plans to make their no-huddle attack go faster.
"I don't think we're doing anything that's earth-shattering or a big change or anything," McCall said. "It'll just be things with tempo. Doing things fast and slow and getting the ball to different people."