[NU Sports] may be a long time to break this streak
Jonathan Hodges
j-hodges at alumni.northwestern.edu
Sun Jan 1 18:34:19 CST 2012
Sutton's last season was 2008 (his last game was the Alamo Bowl, in which
he went over 100 yards on the ground, something no NU RB did again until
Mike Trumpy later in the 2010 season at Indiana).
I think the most applicable development regarding the running game was
losing OL coach Bret Ingalls to the NFL (Saints) after the 2008 season.
After that, production on the ground has been way down and pressure getting
to the QBs has gone way up. All this despite bringing in some highly
touted OL recruits and fielding a rather experienced OL (including 2 guys
starting every game for four straight years in Burkett & Netter, both of
whom have sported at least all-conference honorable mentions at some point
in their careers).
No, NU hasn't had a great RB since the departure of Sutton, but the OL
certainly hasn't done the running game any favors. Trumpy may be the best
RB option NU has had, but he's experienced two season ending injuries in
his first two seasons (wrist against Illinois last year and knee against
Illinois this year). I think overall McCall is doing a good job with the
team on the field and they've managed to get some offensive balance with
runs from the QB position.
In conclusion, getting a star RB in the lineage of
Autry/Anderson/Wright/Herron/Sutton would be nice, but I think Trumpy or
another RB already on the roster will do a decent job behind a line that
performs better. And it seems like the only option is to bring in a
different OL coach to hopefully help the line along better than they have
been the past three seasons.
Jonathan
--
Jonathan Hodges
Contributor, HailToPurple
Web: http://www.hailtopurple.com/jhodges/
Twitter: @hailtopurple
Email: j-hodges at alumni.northwestern.edu
On Sun, Jan 1, 2012 at 7:21 PM, Dennis W. Brandt <tbng at comcast.net> wrote:
> <I also believe facts are an important component for any reasonable
> discussion between thoughtful people.
>
> Yes, facts are wonderful things, but details are just as important. You
> didn't note that Darnell Autry only started one game in 1994 but ran for
> 140+ yards, and that it was his second 100 yard effort that freshman year.
> You failed to mention that Damien Anderson and Noah Herron played on
> terrible teams in 1998 and 2002, respectively, and that Anderson blossomed
> in the spread. You did not recollect that Otto Graham only played nine
> games in 1941 because that was all Northwestern had on its schedule.
>
> Facts are more wonderful yet when they are relevant to the discussion at
> hand. Yours aren't. I have never said that Kain Colter wasn't a good
> runner from the quarterback spot. Indeed he is (at least in a relief role;
> whether he can last a full season as a starter remains to be seen).
>
> This is what I have said:
>
> Fact: Kain Colter was our leading rusher this season.
>
> Fact: Kain Colter's principle role this season was backup quarterback.
>
> Fact: Our leading rusher was our backup quarterback. (Do I year a DUH?)
>
> Fact: An offense has problems when its backup quarterback is its best
> runner. I find it amazing that someone could disagree with that. In fact,
> gimme a DUH here as well.
>
> Fact: While we ranked a not-too-shabby seventh in the league this season
> in rushing yardage, that is a false stat because our hurry-up offense
> allowed us to run both the most rushing and passing plays. Our per-rush
> average tells a clearer story. It was the league's worst at 3.8 yards per
> carry. (I suppose, though, you can say we are getting better. It was 3.6
> last year and a dismal 2.9 in 2009. However, it was 3.8 in 2008 and a
> heady 5.0 in 2007, which, of course, was Sutton's last season. As I said,
> our running game hasn't been good since Tyrell Sutton left. How about
> another DUH?)
>
> But our biggest goal for next season is a significant improvement in our
> defense, especially pass defense. If we don't, we're no better than .500
> again and maybe worse.
>
>
>
> <As I said at the start of this year, this season depended on whether Dan
> Persa returned to 2010 form. Even though he probably worked harder at it
> than any other human on the planet, it didn't happen. Between his achilles
> and other injuries, he wasn't able to start the season, and he never
> regained the 2010 mobility that made him a dangerous QB to blitz. We had a
> 6-7 season and a consecutive bowl game losing streak that we now share with
> ND.
>
> I also agree with you that Autry, Anderson, Herron, and Sutton were great
> backs. Heck Otto Graham was a great back too. If any of those guys were on
> the field in their prime in 2011, I agree it would have made a difference.
> But wishes aren't horses.
>
> But lets compare Kain Colter's Sophomore season with the Sophmore seasons
> of each of these guys anyway and see how he ranks.
>
> 1994 - Darnell Autry
> 556 rushing - 4.6 yards/attempt
> 83 receiving - 11.9 yards/reception
> Team record - 3-7-1
>
> 1998 - Damien Anderson
> 537 rushing - 3.3 yards/attempt
> 79 receiving - 7.9 yards/reception
> Team record - 3-9
>
> 2002 - Noah Herron
> 365 rushing - 5.5 yards/attempt
> 184 receiving - 12.3 yards/reception
> Team record - 3-9
>
> 2006 - Tyrell Sutton
> 1000 rushing - 5.3 yards/attempt
> 261 receiving - 6.5 yards/reception
> Team record - 4-8
>
> 1941 - Otto Graham
> 359 rushing - 3.0 yards/attempt
> 0 receiving
> Team record - 5-3 Ranked 11th in the year-end AP
>
> 2011 - Kain Coulter
> 654 rushing - 4.8 yards/attempt
> 466 receiving - 10.8 yards/receiption
> Team record - 6-7 Lost to Texas A&M in the Meineke Car Care Bowl
>
> When you look at the facts, the only player on your list who had a better
> Sophmore season than Kain Colter was Sutton. It turned out to be Sutton's
> career season, and the team that year still won only 4 games. Sutton
> didn't throw any passes.
>
> It's hard to say what the future will hold for Colter, but clearly there
> is huge potential. If he stays healthy and motivated, Colter could easily
> join the pantheon of great NU players.
>
> We were all holding our breathe to see what the Sophomore run-mostly Persa
> (208 yrd/3.4 per attempt) would turn into when he became the starting QB.
> Colter beat Persa in efficiency rating this year and was significantly
> better than Persa's Sophmore year. If the NU coaches can help Colter
> mature in the same way that Persa did, 2012 will be a good year to be a
> Northwestern Wildcat football fan regardless of the color of the sky.
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Dennis W. Brandt [mailto:tbng at comcast.net]
> Sent: Sun 1/1/2012 9:41 AM
> To: Beamsley, Jeff; Scott Zeller, M.D.; NUSPORTS
> Subject: Re: [NU Sports] may be a long time to break this streak
>
>
>
> <That backup QB/WR that you seem to want to discount ended up gaining more
> yards on the ground this year than our top two rushers in 2009 combined.
> That didn't happen by accident and as far as I can see <represents a
> welcome
> improvement in our running game.
>
> I discount no one's skills, least of all Colter's - as a runner that is. I
> simply make the 100% obvious point that we have not had a good running back
> since Tyrell Sutton graduated. We are desperately in need of an Autry, an
> Anderson, a Herron, or a Sutton. (Not as much as a Fitz, a Castillo, a
> Bentley, a Cofield, a McManis, a Roach, a Wooten, etc. on defense, but a
> good RB would be welcom.) That absence and a weak offensive line are the
> reasons our quarterbacks ate so much grass yesterday and probably need
> hours
> in the whirlpool today.
>
> Brandt: The sky is a beautiful blue on a cloudless day.
> Beamsley: No, it's an ugly shade of red!
>
> That's what your argument boils down to.
>
>
>
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