Expect to see Sutton on Saturday
It took an astute football observer to notice Tyrell Sutton on Friday night against Eastern Michigan.
The Northwestern junior running back appeared on only three plays. If you blinked, you missed Sutton's lone touch, as he quickly flipped the ball to wide receiver Eric Peterman on a 21-yard reverse.
But Sutton's injury-free return from a right ankle injury, coupled with another week of practice, likely will put him in the starting backfield Saturday when Northwestern visits Purdue (11 a.m., Big Ten Network).
Asked Monday who would start at running back, Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald said, "I would fully anticipate to see Tyrell and then Omar (Conteh) play quite a bit. Tyrell's not in a conditioning level to go 100 plays, so you're going to see them both."
Sutton has yet to absorb a hit in a game, but his ability to deliver one Friday eased concerns about his durability. Wildcats guard Adam Crum marveled at the lick Sutton put on an Eastern Michigan defensive end during Peterman's run.
"Not a lot of guys can do that coming off such a long layoff, just immediately be like, 'I'm back on the field and everybody knows it,' " Crum said. "He de-cleated the guy."
Conteh has accounted for 615 yards (416 rushing, 199 receiving) and 5 touchdowns in the last six games. But Fitzgerald reiterated that starters don't lose their jobs because of injury.
Bowl banter: Five Big Ten teams are bowl eligible and four more, including NU and Illinois, are 1 win away. With seven conference tie-in bowls and a slim chance of getting two teams to BCS games, the Wildcats probably need 2 wins in their last four games to secure a spot.
Getting passed over is always a concern for NU, but teams that finish 7-5 are assured of bowl spots before 6-6 teams can be selected. A 6-6 team can only go to a conference tie-in bowl unless no teams with winning records are available to fill vacant spots from other leagues.
"Definitely," Adam Crum said when asked if he's tracking NU's bowl prospects. "We're all very much aware that bowl-eligible might not even get us a bowl. You've got to get 6 before you get 7."
Empty feeling: The official attendance for Friday's game has been listed at 10,000, but a Ford Field official told two Detroit newspapers it was more like 4,000. The deserted stadium served as an odd backdrop for NU players, even guard Adam Crum, who grew up in Anchor Point, Alaska (population: 1,845)
"The next day I called one of my friends and I told him we had more people at my high school homecoming game than we did for that one," Crum said.
Inches to go: Eric Peterman and Ross Lane have replaced Rasheed Ward as NU's primary punt returners on this week's depth chart. … Redshirt freshman Stephen Simmons, who had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Ohio State, is back as a starting return man alongside Sherrick McManis. … Senior Eddie Simpson is listed ahead of junior Malcolm Arrington at starting weak-side linebacker. … NU's home game Nov. 3 against Iowa will kick off at 11 a.m. Television coverage will be announced this weekend.