Fitzgerald, Cats wary of Kill’s Gophers
Coach Jerry Kill’s debut at Minnesota was extremely promising. The Golden Gophers nearly knocked off USC before losing their season opener 19-17 in Los Angeles.
But then came home losses to New Mexico State and North Dakota State, followed by a 58-0 thumping at Michigan. It looked like Kill had a long hill to climb at Minnesota.
Then suddenly, the Gophers upset Iowa on Oct. 29 and nearly knocked off division-leading Michigan State a week later. Kill, who won big at Southern and Northern Illinois, obviously knows how to quickly turn around a program.
Northwestern will host Minnesota on Saturday (11 a.m., BTN), needing 1 more win to become bowl eligible.
“He’s a great friend; outstanding football coach,” said NU coach Pat Fitzgerald, who struck up a friendship while Kill was at NIU. “Jerry’s personality is all over this team. They’re tough. They’re physical. In my opinion, this will be the best special teams unit we’ve faced this year.
“Early in the year, Jerry was talking about putting a camera on the sideline, wanting to see passion, wanting to see emotion (from his players). That kind of attention to detail is coach Kill.”
Kill left DeKalb last year after leading Northern Illinois to the MAC title game. Last week, the Gophers cooled off slightly, losing 42-13 at home to Wisconsin.
“They’re playing a lot of seniors,” Fitzgerald said. “Unlike Indiana, Jerry’s playing a lot of veterans. From our standpoint, we understand the opponent we’re playing, a very hungry team. We’re going to need to match that intensity, match that hunger and execute better than we did last Saturday, especially on offense.”
Championship reunion:Besides a game against Minnesota, Northwestern is hosting a reunion of the 1996 Big Ten co-champions. That was the year after the Wildcats went to the Rose Bowl and the season included several incredible endings capped by a trip to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.Former quarterback Steve Schnur will be honorary captain for Saturday#146;s game, while ex-coach Gary Barnett will be back in town with his wife, Mary.#147;I prefer not to talk about those guys. They#146;re all knuckleheads,#148; joked coach Pat Fitzgerald, a senior linebacker on that squad. #147;No, it was great. We went 15-1 in the Big Ten over two years. It was really special.#147;From a standpoint of camaraderie and chemistry, it#146;s like we never left the locker room. We relentlessly make fun of each other. I think that comes when, we just had a tremendous brotherhood. Not to see the kind of success that Steve and a lot of guys are having professionally, but more importantly from a family standpoint.#148;Ebert prepares well:Senior wide receiver Jeremy Ebert declined to talk about his NFL chances after producing a career-high 208 receiving yards, plus a 90-yard touchdown against Rice on Saturday.But coach Pat Fitzgerald didn#146;t mind sharing. He mentioned how Ebert#146;s improved blocking has caused his pro stock to rise.#147;When I talk to the scouts as they come by, in a position of high maintenance football players called wide receivers, he#146;s about as low-maintenance a guy as there is in the country,#148; Fitzgerald said. #147;I think that#146;s why the NFL is so excited about him.#147;In an era when guys just want the ball and they bellyache when they don#146;t have it, you#146;ve got a throwback guy like Jeremy that#146;s willing to do the dirty work #8212; go over the middle, block #8212; do whatever it takes to help us win.#148;