Jeff Roehl made a move on Saturday.
And although he didn’t go far — just shifting along the offensive line from guard to tackle — he took a little something with him.
“I bring the mean spirit and passion from the inside,” Roehl said. “It’s a little bit more physical inside because you do have to go against 320-pound war daddies. On the outside you get a little bit smaller guys.”
The change made room for Carl Matejka, who has sat out the last three weeks with an ankle injury. Northwestern head coach Randy Walker said it was a relief to get one of his best linemen back on the field
“I’ve said all along, I like Carl Matejka,” Walker said. “I thought he was one of our best linemen coming back, and it was disappointing when he got hurt in the preseason.”
Matejka said his ankle is “all healed up,” but he is still wearing a protective brace.
“I like the makeup of our offensive line,” Walker said. “We kicked Roehl out to tackle and got Matejka going, and I liked that combination. I thought it played well for us, and I think it’s the direction we’re going to stay now.”
Out of the blocks: Walker was aware that the Spartans gained 276 yards on the ground Saturday, but he was unaware of just how easy it was for Michigan State — until he began reviewing the game footage.
Watching the action for a second time, Walker realized just how long his defensive linemen stayed blocked.
“It was hard for me to watch the defensive tape,” Walker said. “I thought we played better than that. Our front seven stayed blocked much too long.”
The play of left tackle Luis Castillo was the exception to the coaching staff’s dissatisfaction with the defensive line. Castillo, who was second on the team in tackles with six, had the line’s only “championship performance,” Walker said.
Walker also said the Cats’ defense will have to get off blocks faster and play more fundamentally sound football to stop Ohio State’s trifecta of outstanding running backs.
Cornerback Raheem Covington said it comes down to having the right mindset.
“I don’t know if we’re being aggressive enough,” Covington said. “Being a defensive player, you’ve got to be nasty and aggressive all the time.”
Carrying his weight: After the Air Force game, Walker decided his ground game was not going to be run by committee.
Since then, while Jason Wright has been the main back, Noah Herron has been a significant contributor in short-yardage situations. Additionally, at Michigan State, Herron and Wright were both used as pass blockers in several obvious passing situations.
An extremely physical back at 5-foot-11, 230 pounds, Herron has played in all five games, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
The sophomore averages 34 yards per game, but leads the team in touchdowns, having rushed for four scores this year, including three at Navy.
But Walker said it is unlikely that he will go to an alternating back situation with Wright’s continuing success. As the primary back, Wright is averaging 96 yards per game and has rushed for over 100 yards in each of NU’s last three contests.
“Don’t get me wrong, Noah’s doing well,” Walker said. “Jason Wright is doing better.”
