Saturday might be a nostalgic occasion for Northwestern defensive end Napoleon Harris, but he can be sure that none of his teammates are sorry about facing Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El for the last time.
“I wish he would have done us all a favor and gone into the (NFL),” Wildcats safety Sean Wieber said.
But for Harris — who grew up with Randle El in Chicago’s south suburbs and played high school football and basketball with him at Thornton Township High School — the game will be a little more sentimental.
“I’m not really looking at it as Napoleon Harris against Antwaan Randle El,” Harris said. “But I’m pretty sure we both want to win equally the same. This is the last time we’re going to play each other at the collegiate level, so it’s special.”
The Cats (4-3, 2-3 Big Ten) travel to Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday to face the the Hoosiers (1-5, 1-3), who are last in the conference. But after dropping a game to Penn State two weeks go, NU has learned not to underestimate a team camped out at the bottom of the standings.
They’ll have enough to worry about with Randle El anyway.
“He’s just one of those guys where you can’t explain how he does things,” NU coach Randy Walker said. “There’s no explanation. He’s just as instinctual, as crafty and as savvy as I’ve ever seen. The unconventional is conventional with him.”
The senior is the only player in Division I-A history to rack up 6,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing, making him a threat to drop back for a pass or sneak away on the option. Last year against the Cats, Randle El amassed 80 yards on the ground and 165 in the air.
NU had trouble simulating his speed in practice this week, placing freshman Jeff Backes in that unenviable role on the scout team.
“They scare you, no matter how good your scout team is, no matter how good a back you have playing that position,” Walker said.
Randle El leads the Big Ten’s top rushing offense, which has collected an average of 240 yards per game. Meanwhile, the Cats, who have limped through the season with a new starting defense almost every week, are the league’s second-worst rushing defense.
The matchup should certainly keep NU fans on their feet, even when Damien Anderson and Zak Kustok aren’t on the field.
With Wieber and strong safety Marvin Brown still banged up and starting the game from the sidelines, NU will continue its youth movement in the defensive backfield. Indiana’s first offensive series will be crucial as the green Cats defense adjusts to the Hoosiers’ varied attack.
But Walker is banking on linebackers Pat Durr, Billy Silva and Kevin Bentley to lead the defense against Randle El. After all, it will be their last opportunity to show up the star — and one of their few remaining chances to salvage a conference record that has dipped below .500 for the first time in two years.
“You’d like to think that, especially with some veteran linebackers, we could accommodate (Randle El),” Walker said. “But you’ve got to hold onto your hats a little bit.”
