Sept. 4, 2012
Franklin and Players Preview Northwestern Game
The page has turned on the South Carolina game and all of Vanderbilt’s focus is on Northwestern. The Wildcats are coming off a dramatic 42-41 victory at Syracuse on Saturday and will play their first home game of the season against the Commodores at 7 p.m. CT this upcoming Saturday (Big Ten Network).
For Vanderbilt, it will be the team’s first of six road games this fall and will begin a stretch in which the Commodores play three of their next four games on the road.
The trip to Northwestern, located just north of Chicago in Evanston, Ill., will be followed by a home game against Presbyterian and away games at Georgia and Missouri. Vanderbilt was 1-4 in road games last season, with its one win coming at Wake Forest. That win gave the Commodores an unblemished record in non-conference regular season games for the first time since 1997.
On Saturday, Vanderbilt will be bidding for five straight non-conference victories for the first time since the 1996 and 1997 seasons when the Commodores defeated North Texas and UAB in 1996 and North Texas, TCU and Northern Illinois in 1997.
No Letting Down
Following an emotional loss, it could be a concern for some teams to have a letdown. That won’t be the case on Saturday, according to Vanderbilt Head Coach James Franklin.
“We’ve had a bunch of emotional wins and a bunch of emotional losses,” Franklin said. “We haven’t had too many blowouts in either direction. For us and what we’re trying to build here, they’re all going to be emotional because we have to put so much into it to get where we want to go.”
Playing in close games is something the team has grown accustomed to. Dating back to the start of the 2011 season, seven of the 14 games have been decided by seven points or less. During that same time, five of Northwestern’s 14 games have been decided by seven points or less as well.
Playing at a Big Ten School
Vanderbilt last played Northwestern in 2010 at Vanderbilt Stadium (23-21 NU win), but the two haven’t met in Evanston since a 20-20 tie on Oct. 4, 1952. It’s been almost that long since Vanderbilt last won a road game in the Big Ten. That date was Oct. 19, 1957 when Coach Art Guepe and the Commodores defeated Penn State 32-20. Vanderbilt’s most recent road game in the Big Ten came at Michigan in 2006.
Hunkering Down on the Couch
Having a game on Thursday meant the team had the opportunity to relax and watch the rest of the country on Saturday. For the coaches, it also meant a bonus day with the family. “It was great for me to spend time with my wife and two daughters,” Franklin said.
Among the games Franklin watched was Northwestern’s game at Syracuse.
“Being able to sit there and watch the Northwestern-Syracuse game was interesting because I could sit there and watch the whole game because a lot of times you are watching a little bit while doing other things,” Franklin remarked.
Franklin also made sure to make the most of the opportunity by having his players pay close attention to the game as well.
“We sent a mass text out to the team for them to watch it and I think most of them did.”
Fitzgerald and Franklin have Maryland ties
Although the two never crossed paths at Maryland, Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald and Vanderbilt Head Coach James Franklin share ties with the Terrapins. Fitzgerald, a former first team All-American linebacker for the Wildcats, was a graduate assistant at Maryland in 1998. Franklin arrived at Maryland as a wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator in 2000.
“I’ve known (Northwestern Head Coach) Pat Fitzgerald for a while and I think he’s done a tremendous job there at a similar-like institution,” Franklin said. “It’s amazing that he’s already been there seven years.”
Back to a Regular Schedule
Following a Thursday game, Vanderbilt is back into its traditional practice routine heading into the Northwestern game. The Commodores practiced Friday, were off Saturday and then practiced again Sunday. As usual with Saturday games, the team was off on Monday and will practice the rest of this week before departing for Evanston, Ill., Friday morning.
Sightseeing in Second City
There is plenty to do in Chicago this weekend for Commodore fans making the trek north for the game. In addition to the usual attractions of the Magnificent Mile, Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), Navy Pier, Second City and Field Museum, those visiting Chicago will have even more options than usual this weekend.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be in concert Friday night at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. With Wrigleyville occupied by Springsteen concertgoers, you won’t be seeing any baseball at Wrigley. Fortunately, if you are looking for a baseball fix, you can hop on the Red Line train and head to the South Side of Chicago where the White Sox host the Kansas City Royals in a three-game set beginning Friday.
Also, if you plan on staying in the Windy City for an extra day, you can look for a ticket to watch the Chicago Bears open the 2012 season Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field. The Bears, of course, are home to former Commodores Earl Bennett, Jay Cutler, D.J. Moore and Chris Williams.
If you are looking for something besides sports, you are also in luck. Visitors will have a plethora of festivals as well as theater and performing arts performances to choose from.
No trip to Chicago would be complete without sinking your teeth into some of the city’s famous cuisine. Whether it is a Chicago-style hot dog from Portillo’s or deep-dish pizza from Giordano’s, there are plenty of options to keep your stomach full.
Vanderbilt fans will have much to see in Chicago, but they shouldn’t expect to see Vanderbilt’s football team anywhere but inside Northwestern’s Ryan Field.
“We’re going for a business trip for the game and the game only, but it should be a great weekend for our fans,” Franklin said.
Franklin prefaced his aforementioned statement by joking that the team plans on taking a trip to Wrigley Field, eating some Chicago-style hot dogs, shopping on Michigan Avenue, visiting Navy Pier and going to – what else – the Bruce Springsteen concert.
“Friday night, we are not going to do our normal meetings. We’re going to go to the Springsteen concert, put on some jeans, rock it out,” Franklin said, his tongue firmly planted in cheek. “Sunday, the Bears are playing so we will stay on Sunday. I’ll talk with Chancellor Zeppos to see if we can get out of school Monday and make a whole weekend.”
Airing it Out
Syracuse found a possible weakness in Northwestern’s defense and exploited it in a big way through the air. The Orange passed for 470 yards and racked up 41 points. Will that be a point of emphasis on Saturday?
“We want to take shots every single week and it doesn’t matter if anybody has struggled or not before we’ve played them,” Franklin said. “It’s how they are going to play against us. Every single week I want to make sure we get the ball down the field and challenge teams vertically. With the height we have at wide receiver, we should be able to do that every single week.”
For as successful as Syracuse was passing the ball, Franklin expects there to be some changes in the defensive schemes the Commodores will see from Northwestern.
“I don’t have any doubt that they’re emphasizing the passing game and I also think they’re going to do some things to help,” Franklin said. “I expect them to play a lot more Cover 2, which they haven’t really shown, but I would expect them to do that.”
Northwestern’s passing game will also present a challenge for Vanderbilt’s defense. Last week, the Commodores were not tested much through the air with quarterback Connor Shaw suffering a shoulder injury that limited his passing ability. That should not be the case this weekend against Northwestern. The Wildcats used two quarterbacks against Syracuse – Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian.
“We feel real confident going into this game,” safety Javon Marshall said. “We’ve been studying real hard, and as you saw Connor Shaw got hurt last game so he couldn’t throw the ball as much. So we’ve been focusing a lot on the quarterbacks and their pass patterns. We have a lot of confidence coming off the first game.”
The two quarterbacks present different challenges. Colter is a better runner, having gained 40 yards on 14 carries to go with his 135 yards passing against Syracuse. He also spent time at wide receiver a year ago and had six receptions on four occasions. On the other hand, Siemian is more strictly a pocket passer. Preparing for two styles can be difficult.
“I think it does create a challenge,” Franklin said of preparing for two quarterbacks. “A lot of times when people play multiple quarterbacks, they are still similar but those two guys are not. I think that is going to cause some challenges.
“I think Connor Shaw was a really good quarterback who managed the game well and could make plays with his feet, but this kid (Colter); I don’t think there are too many athletes in the country playing quarterback that would lead their team in rushing and receiving as well. He’s a unique guy.”
Norman and Seymour Updates
Franklin was asked during Monday’s press conference about running backs Warren Norman and Jerron Seymour, who did not play last week.
On Seymour:“Jerron is not on the depth chart and was not dressed last week. We don’t talk about anything else. Jerron is a great kid, he is doing great in school, we love him.”
On if he will travel:“We don’t decide anybody traveling on Monday. We do that either Wednesday night or Thursday morning. If Jerron is ready, he will travel. If he’s not, he won’t.”
On Norman:“If he has a good week of practice, he will get some carries. If he doesn’t, he won’t. I love Warren. He’s a great kid, good student.”
One Game at a Time
Coach Franklin has emphasized the importance of taking the season one week at a time and not looking ahead or behind. The philosophy has rubbed off on the players as well, who have moved on from the South Carolina game.
“We’re just taking it as this week we are 0-0 right now,” linebacker Archibald Barnes said. “This week is what is important. That loss is in the past, it’s not our focus anymore.”
Added offensive guard Josh Jelesky: “We’ll worry about our total record at the end of the year. Right now we’re studying Northwestern.”
