With a brawl on tap against Minnesota — Wisconsin’s equally physical twin brother — the Northwestern players are looking ahead.
The rest of us can’t get over how the Wildcats transformed from a listless 0-2 to a powerful 3-2 team that has as good a chance as any to win the Big Ten West.
Linebacker Collin Ellis revealed Monday that the players gathered days after the loss to NIU and “we hashed it out. Guys who have never spoken before stood up.”
The result, he said, was a new beginning: “It’s Week 1 of camp. We have to take this approach — all spots are open. That’s how we have operated since then. We’re out there hitting every day in practice, even on Thursday. We’re getting great looks from the (scout team). Our mentality is: If you’re practicing the way you play, you’ll play great. Watch our practice. It’s like a game out there.”
Said receiver Kyle Prater: “When you have guys who never speak up, speak up, it’s big. From that meeting to right now, we’ve had a great turnaround. Everything has changed and intensified in practice. Guys understand and know what the goal is — 1-0 every week.”
Later in an interview, Ellis downplayed the meeting, saying it was “not life-changing. But that was a start (of a new season), from a players’ perspective. We were fed up with losing and said, ‘What do we have to do?’ Practices are different now, and we love it.”
Chalkboard: After intercepting three passes against Wisconsin, Godwin Igwebuike became the first NU player to be namedBig Ten Defensive Player of the Week since Ellis after last season’s Cal game.
NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said safety Ibraheim Campbell, whose hamstring injury will sideline him at Minnesota, deserves an assist.
“He’s learning from one of the best — Ibraheim,” Fitzgerald said. “Ibs prepares as well as or better than anybody we’ve ever had, and he’s done that his entire career. I believe he was playing at All-Big Ten level when he got dinged up.”
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Fasten your seat belts: Fitzgerald said he wants to give NU students “more reasons to party” but wishes they had not rushed the field after the Wisconsin victory, saying, “I don’t think that’s safe for anybody. Let us come to you and sing the fight song.”
Ellis said his mother “got stampeded” and ended up with a cut on her chin.
Said tailback Treyvon Green: “The bum rush of students hit me. I don’t know if it was dangerous or not, but I was shocked.”
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein