ON THE TURF: Sutton and Sunshine on a Tuesday Morning

ROUNDUP
It was a gorgeous, sun-filled morning as the Cats took the field for practice, and it seemed like the team’s fortunes were as bright as the weather. Tailback Tyrell Sutton, who injured his left leg in NU’s 16-8 win over Ohio on Saturday, was working out on the sidelines while his teammates practiced on the field. While Sutton did not take the field, head coach Pat Fitzgerald was confident his star back would suit up for practice on Wednesday.

“We upgraded him from good to great,” he joked.

On the field, the Cats’ offense got a taste of Mick McCall’s wrath near the end of practice. After a series of lackluster plays, the offensive coordinator chewed out his squad on the sidelines. Considering the team’s anemic performance in the second half against Ohio, McCall should be lighting a fire under quarterback C.J. Bacher and the offense.


FIVE RANDOM THOUGHTS
-Redshirt freshman Vince Browne continues to make a name for himself just four games into his collegiate career. Browne was named the co-Defensive Player of the Week in the Big Ten after he recorded three sacks, a forced fumble, and a blocked field goal in Saturday’s victory over Ohio.

In practice, the player Fitzgerald said has “a motor that never stops” continued to play to the whistle, knocking down quarterback Dan Persa on the final play of practice.


-With a seating capacity of 70,585 and a horde of screaming Hawkeye fans, Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium is one of the Big Ten’s toughest road venues. The Cats are just 2-6 on the road in conference play the past two seasons, but one of those wins was a 21-7 victory at Kinnick in 2006. It’s a win senior safety Brendan Smith remembers well.

“Those fans are right on top of you,” he said. “I remember having a father with his son saying some ‘nice’ things to me sitting on the bench.”

Fitzgerald tried to prepare his players – particularly his offense – for the hostile environment by blasting simulated crowd noise from a golf cart on the field.

“It helps,” Bacher said of the pumped-in noise. “You’ve got to able to play through distractions.”

It may help a little. But you could hear players and coaches from across the field. That will not be the case on Saturday.


-It was back-to-school day for the players, who must now juggle classes and football. Smith explained his strategies for getting all his work done.

“It’s about managing your time,” he said. “Film is tougher to watch, so you’ve got to go through your notes and your playbook, reading it before you go to bed. Bring DVDs home with you so can watch them in your free time.”


-While injuries have plagued the Cats’ players recently, NU’s coaching staff has remained unharmed. After Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis tore his ACL when one his own players was tackled into him, staying safe on the sidelines is not a foregone conclusion, and Fitzgerald offered his strategies for staying out of the field.

“Somebody asked me: ‘Why do you move around so much on the sidelines?’” he said. “Because I’m getting the heck away from the ball. If the ball’s down there, I’ll be all the way down on the other end. I’ve had about three guys go for my legs, which has been fun. I had to jam some headgear down one time and play a cut like I was a linebacker.”


-Big Ten openers have not been kind to NU in recent years. The Cats last won their conference opener in 2001, when they beat Michigan State 27-26.


QUOTABLE:
"When the alarm goes off, the first thing in your head is. ‘Aww, really, it’s already that time?’ But the day is so much better. There’s something about waking up and going to play football."
-Senior safety Brendan Smith, on morning practices