orthwestern quarterback Zak Kustok made a surprise appearance on page two of the Chicago Tribune Tuesday, nestled between front-page coverage of the slumping economy and an article on airspace in Afghanistan.
In his column, John Kass praised Kustok’s leadership, mourned his transfer from Notre Dame – and labeled him “a possible Heisman Trophy candidate.”
While there has been plenty of Heisman hoopla at NU since the No. 14 Wildcats (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) snagged a share of the Big Ten championship last season, little of it has been attached to Kustok’s name. But the senior’s 231 yards in the air and 105 on the ground against Michigan State last Saturday stole some of running back Damien Anderson’s spotlight.
Anderson actually finished second to Kustok in rushing stats, with 75 yards and zero touchdowns. While Kustok finished with his first 100-plus yard ground game, Anderson saw the underside of that mark for the first time in his last eight games.
On Monday, NU coach Randy Walker was complaining about the mentality that allowed the Spartans to stop the run.
“I was a little frustrated Saturday, ” said Walker, as he apologized for an animated display of emotion. “But I don’t think it’s about the chalk and what circles we draw on the board.”
Anderson, however, has refused to get upset.
“My time will come and I know that,” he said. “Just with every opportunity, I’m running hard and something positive’s going to happen.”
The question is whether his time will come tomorrow night against Ohio State (2-1, 1-0), the Big Ten’s third-best rushing defense. Walker’s nerves probably won’t handle another week of low rushing stats and high blood pressure.
Anderson will encounter Buckeyes linebackers Joe Cooper and Matt Wilhelm, who have combined for 36 solo tackles in three games. But echoing Walker’s rant, he knows that his success shouldn’t be dependent on the guys in scarlet and gray across the line of scrimmage.
“You have to have an attitude and you can’t make any excuses,” he said. “Look at the guys in the NFL: Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith. They went against guys stacking the box forever.”
Despite last week’s performance, Anderson pointed out that it’s too early to dismiss his stats. His 377 yards are more than he totaled through the first three games last season. By the way, he went on to set a new school record of 2,063 yards last season.
And his numbers are still more impressive than Ohio State’s tailback Jonathan Wells, a senior with 235 yards and three touchdowns under his belt this season.
While Anderson is working out the kinks, Kustok has shown that he can carry the team, both on his shoulders and with his feet.
And as long as Kustok continues to carry the offense, his own numbers will keep inflating – and the Heisman references may start popping up more often.
“With this offense, if you take one thing away from us, you leave other aspects open,” Kustok said. “Teams are going to have to find a way to stop everything, and that’s going to be pretty difficult.”
