[NU Sports] R-E-S-P-E-C-Tnwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com<nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com>

[Jonathan Hodges]

Hope this isn't too picky, but 2005 was Sutton's freshman season (in which
he set the NU freshman rushing record by a large margin) and that was NU's
last solid/consistent rushing year (it was also Walker's last year at the
helm and Dunbar's last season as OC).  The OL is experienced and know they
have to open some holes, while on the RB front, Trumpy will likely be the
primary threat with Smith being the #2 - both showed flashes last year,
especially late in the season - so I'd expect them to put together an
improved year on the ground.  (But, I wouldn't bet on a 1,000 yard rusher
given that they'll likely be splitting carries, along with Schmidt and the
QB).

While Colter (the likely #2) and (maybe) Watkins have improved over the end
of last season, Persa's ability to move around and make plays along with his
amazing completion percentage are key to the offense's success.  The problem
is, with the possession offense NU ran last year, it's not like they'll just
outscore someone in a shootout since NU routinely moved the ball
methodically down the field and took a long time to score.  In the end, a
lot still falls onto the shoulders of the D who will have to completely
reverse the trend we saw at the end of last season (particularly up front
where they couldn't apply pressure or plug holes).

In any case NU has a favorable schedule and definitely has the pieces in
place to win any game on the schedule, except for Nebraska (although I still
don't have confidence in Nebraska's offense).

Jonathan

On Fri, Aug 5, 2011 at 12:28 PM, <wildelk2 at aol.com> wrote:

>
>
> Jeff and List Friends,
>
>   Jeff makes good points; the last thing BC will be is intimidated.  I look
> for our rushing game to be the best its been since Herron (2005), made more
> important by Persa's questionable status.  Look for Colter to assume the
> "Wildcat" like Dan did 2 years ago, and he will run.
>   I'm on record of saying if Persa's not ready or gets hurt, its not the
> end of the world.  Of couuse, it would be better if he were playing, but
> Colter and Watkins will be light years ahead where they were last season.
>  As stated, we FINALLY run the ball with authority no matter who's
> quarterbacking.
>   We'll also find out about our run defense against Army. I'm looking
> forward to both; BC will be the tougher of the 2.  Let's see how Kenosha
> plays out.
>   One month to go...be still my beating heart...
>
>    GO CATS!!!               Eric
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Beamsley, Jeff <Jeff.Beamsley at covisint.com>
> To: Dennis W. Brandt <tbng at comcast.net>; nwu-sports <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
> Sent: Fri, Aug 5, 2011 9:54 am
> Subject: Re: [NU Sports] R-E-S-P-E-C-Tnwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com<
> nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com>
>
>
> BC game is going to tell us a lot.
> They are bringing back a strong defensive team who isn't going to be
> ntimidated by the fact that NU is part of the BT.
> We're going to have to be able to run the ball in order to win this game
> nd we haven't done that very well for a couple of years.  I also expect
> hat Persa won't be running the ball as much as he did last year, so the
>  Line and one of our backs is going to have to figure out how to take
> p the slack.
> I've got this game in my loss column in both the pessimistic and
> ptimistic projection.
> As I've said before, Persa is going to be the key to what happens this
> eason.  If he comes back strong, quick, and confident - this team will
> o well and he will be a Heisman candidate.  We've got a good set of
> eceivers for him to throw to.  Hopefully that will loosen up the
> efense enough to allow us to run the ball better too.  Optimistically
> ssuming that Persa returns strong and stays healthy, the difference
> etween a good season and a great season will depend on how the defense
> olds up.
> Jeff
>
> -----Original Message-----
> rom: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com]
> n Behalf Of Dennis W. Brandt
> ent: Thursday, August 04, 2011 5:38 PM
> o: nwu-sports at tssi.com
> ubject: Re: [NU Sports]
> -E-S-P-E-C-Tnwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com<nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com>
> I predict that we will surprise people this season as long as we can
> tay
> way from serious injuries.
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>


-- 
Jonathan W. Hodges
Contributor, HailToPurple
Web: http://www.hailtopurple.com/jhodges/
Twitter: @hailtopurple
Email: j-hodges at alumni.northwestern.edu