Sunday’s loss to the Packers may have been disheartening to Bears fans, but it proved instructional for Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson.
“Watching Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers … Rodgers is just a specialist. He really picks apart the defense and he is the reason the Bears lost,” said Thorson, a redshirt freshman who is preparing to lead the No. 23 Wildcats at Duke on Saturday.
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“So I definitely take things away from them. You see (Rodgers’) attention to detail. The Bears can try to confuse him, but he still throws back shoulder, 35 yards down the field, and that is deflating for defenses. Hopefully, at some point, I can do that too.”
Thorson helped the Wildcats earn wins over Stanford and Eastern Illinois by basically managing the offense, not taking many risks. Gradually, however, the coaching staff will expand the playbook and allow Thorson more opportunities to make big plays with his arm and quick feet.
“We typically have a plan for young players on how we want to bring them along, and Clayton falls under that,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “Unfortunately for him, though, he is in a unique position. If he was a running back or a linebacker or even a wide receiver, we could package some things for him.
“He’s got a great grasp of the entire offense. We will continue to try to play to his strengths, bring him along as we have in previous years when we have a first-time starter at quarterback.”
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Thorson completed 23 of 40 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown in his first two games. He also ran for a 42-yard touchdown against Stanford.
“I feel really comfortable with the playbook,” said Thorson, who has not thrown an interception. “We did a good job of installing in the spring and even last fall, so I have had it installed probably four times by now. It’s just a matter of repping it during practice and getting more comfortable.”
Offensive coordinator Mick McCall said Thorson’s poise and patience have impressed him.
“He has done the things he needs to do as far as just staying in the moment, being really steady Eddie. Not too high, not too low,” McCall said. “There are going to be times when there are mistakes. He has done a really good job as far as getting rid of the football. That’s a huge thing for him right now.”
Duke has a fast defense that will try to confuse Thorson. The Blue Devils have allowed only one touchdown in their first two games and have six sacks.
“I am sure they are going to do things that are a little bit different,” McCall said. “They are a very aggressive defense. They play really, really hard … they blitz. Our system is built to take care of that stuff, and Clayton is well aware of it. He’s got some things in his back pocket that he can go to.”
Thorson also can lean on a running game that is averaging 284.5 yards, 12th in the country.
“That takes a lot of pressure off me,” Thorson said. “When it is first down and they get 6 yards … on second down we can take a shot (downfield) or we can run the ball. We can do whatever.
“We’ve got a lot of people we can score with, and that’s awesome for a quarterback.”
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