NU notes: Defense steps up
The young blood in Northwestern's defense is making a statement.
In a banner day for a defensive unit, which has bore the blame for many mistakes during the past three years, redshirt freshmen Vince Browne and Jordan Mabin proved to be rising stars during Saturday' 16-8 victory over Ohio University at Ryan Field.
Browne, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end from Lisbon, Ohio, often broke through two blockers and spent so much time in the Ohio backfield that he should have been given a Bobcats jersey. Of Browne' 7 tackles, 4 were for a loss (25 yards), including 3 sacks of elusive quarterback Boo Jackson. Browne also blocked a field goal and forced a fumble.
"He (Browne) has a great motor,'' said Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. "Every rep he has, he gains more and more experience. He gets to learn from special guys, like (senior) Kevin Mims and (junior) Corey Wootton, and he's doing a great job of learning. He has a relentless motor and it's fun to have him.''
"He only knows one speed, which is fast,'' says senior linebacker Malcolm Arrington, who led the Cats with 11 tackles. "He just had a great game today.''
"We were getting a great push up front and getting good penetration,'' Browne said. "I was lucky to get the opportunity and just took advantage of it.''
Mabin, a 5-11, 180-pounder from Northfield Center, Ohio, posted 7 tackles in his second start while also forcing a fumble at the Northwestern 18-yard line in the fourth quarter and coming up with the first interception of his career.
"We stressed turnovers all this week in practice,'' Mabin said. "After one practice was over, (defensive coordinator) Mike Hankwitz made us stay on the field and go through ripping drills. Once the first tackle was secure, the next guy in had to rip the ball out.''
Sutton milestone: With his first reception of the day, for 11 yards, senior running back Tyrell Sutton became the second player in Northwestern history to record more than 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in their careers. Sutton, who left the game at halftime with a left leg injury, has 3,383 yards rushing and 1,023 yards receiving. Ricky Edwards (1980-83) finished his career with 1,369 yards rushing and 1,056 receiving.
Extra points: After holding Ohio to 5 of 17 in third-down efficiency, Northwestern is 17 of 61 (27.9 percent) for the season. The Wildcats were ranked 20th nationally going into Saturday's game.
Perfect in three trips (2 field goals, 1 touchdown) to the red zone against Ohio, Northwestern is tied for the nation's lead in red-zone efficiency. The Wildcats are now 16-for-16. Senior kicker Amado Villareal, who connected for 3 field goals against the Bobcats, is 8-for-8 on the season.
With Saturday' victory over Ohio, coach Pat Fitzgerald brought his career record to .500 (14-14).