The spring game: a day when college football fans get their first glimpse of next year’s squad.
The glorified scrimmages are meant to showcase the new and returning talent on each team. For Northwestern, Saturday’s annual Spring Exhibition will also be another step in the learning process for this young team.
“We’d rather use the day as a productive day, so we put it into a situational scrimmage,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “We really try to get some things out of practice. It’s very physical and pretty demanding.”
For a rising senior like Brian Mulroe, spring practices can take a toll. However, he said the most important thing about spring ball is the constant improvement his teammates make even heading into their last season of play.
“It’s all about improvement,” the left guard said. “There’s 15 opportunities and then all the film you have to watch. Just looking for everyone to improve and just create chemistry.”
Fitzgerald said the spring game will not decide who will be starting when the Wildcats head to Syracuse, N.Y., on Sept. 1 to begin their 2012 campaign. With the season far away, Fitzgerald said he is hoping his players will build on the spring practices in the summer and be better prepared for training camp in August.
The coach said some players are starting to fit into certain positions, but the summer months will make a difference as to who will start the Cats’ opener.
“Guys are starting to solidify some roles,” Fitzgerald said. “The summer phase is so important. We’ve had guys come out of the spring, have great post-spring meeting with the coaches, realized a couple of things they didn’t see in the heat of the grind, and they go out and work on those things in the summer and they come out the first two weeks of fall camp and seize some opportunities. Vice versa, we see some guys that had good springs, maybe a little complacent, then come out in fall camp and have people breathing down their necks.”
A lot of the focus will be on the defense, which struggled last season, especially in the secondary. The Cats lose three starters in the defensive backfield, two of whom earned All-Big Ten honors. The biggest competition will be at cornerback, with five men competing for the two starters.
The defensive front seven was also an issue of concern for NU last season after finishing last in the Big Ten with 17 sacks in 2011. Fitzgerald has raved about the play of the defensive line this spring despite losing rising senior Quentin Williams, who started last season, to injury. The team returns all three starters at linebacker from last season in addition to the other two players that saw a significant chunk of playing time in 2011.
“We’re starting to put some pieces together,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re taking positive steps. Are we where we need to be? No, but we’re definitely improved and we’re definitely working hard.”
On offense, all eyes will be on a transfer from the University of Southern California, receiver Kyle Prater. The junior will be part of a dynamic receiving corps which includes rising sophomore Christian Jones and Tony Jones as well as rising junior Rashad Lawrence. All are 6 feet or taller and quick off the snap.
Running the offense will be rising junior Kain Colter, who started three games last season in place of injured starter Dan Persa. Colter said he has a new approach to spring practices this season, knowing he is a leader on this team and the likely starter at quarterback.
“(Last season) we were all really just competing for the backup job to Dan,” Colter said. “After I had a real successful year last season, I feel like I’ve earned some respect from my teammates and coaches. I feel like this spring I’ve tried to take on a leadership role and get these young guys…going.”
