Northwestern came at Kansas early in last Saturday’s 20-17 victory with a no-huddle offense that met with some success, and the central figure in that scheme wouldn’t mind using it from time to time.
“I like it,” quarterback Brett Basanez said. “We ran it when I was a freshman. It keeps people on their heels and is something extra we can do.”
It works better against some teams than others.
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“I think a lot of time no-huddle is used if you think the other team is not conditioned enough,” defensive end Barry Cofield said. “That’s certainly not the case here. Coach [Randy] Walker puts an emphasis on being the best-conditioned team on the field, whether we’re the most talented or not.”
Conditioned or not, coaches have dialed back the tempo of practices to conserve the energy, legs and health of players, particularly on the defensive line, where injuries have cut into the depth and added reps to those remaining.
– Next: Saturday at Minnesota, 8 p.m., ESPN2