April 26, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern wrapped up its 2003 spring practice with an extended scrimmage Saturday afternoon on the team's north practice field. NU ran approximately 80 live plays, which included special teams plays.
NU's offense controlled the early part of the scrimmage, notching a touchdown and field goal on its first two possessions. But the defense struck back, finishing the day on a high note. The defense held the offense without a first down on a pair of two-minute drills to close the scrimmage, and finished with eight sacks on the afternoon.
"I thought the defense played well," said head coach Randy Walker. "The experience we developed last year is beginning to take hold and we are seeing guys play with more confidence and more maturity. I thought the offense made some plays, too, and scored a couple of touchdowns."
Senior wide receiver Roger Jordan (League City, Texas/Clear Creek) turned in an impressive performance, catching two touchdowns early in the workout. Jordan made a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone on an 18-yard strike from freshman quarterback Alexander Webb (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) for the day's top offensive play. He finished with team bests of six grabs and 70 receiving yards to go along with the two scores.
Sophomore running back Terrell Jordan (Clarkston, Ga./Tucker) and sophomore wideout Mark Philmore (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) also found paydirt for the offense. Terrell Jordan scored from seven yards out during a red zone drill, while Webb and Philmore hooked up on a 16-yard touchdown to wrap up the day's scoring.
Webb and sophomore Brett Basanez (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) shared time at quarterback during the workout. Webb connected on 10-of-17 passes for 118 yards and two TDs, while Basanez finished 8-of-17 for 83 yards and a score. NU's offense did not turn the ball over during the scrimmage.
"Over the course of the spring, Brett has continued to grow," Walker said. "I have seen good things out of Alexander as well. With his injury last year, he missed a lot of practices. He has fewer practices than your average freshman quarterback would have at this point. But he's making big strides. We have a great (quarterback) situation--the best I've had since coming to Northwestern."
Junior running back Noah Herron (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) led all rushers with 51 yards on just five carries. Herron recorded the longest play of the day with a 32-yard run on his first carry.
Senior tailback Jason Wright (Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Bar), an honorable mention All-Big Ten performer in 2002, was cleared to participate in the scrimmage, but NU coaches opted to keep him off the field.
Session 15 Notes
NU's place-kickers combined to make 4-of-6 field goal attempts. Freshman Slade Larscheid (Spearfish, S.D./Spearfish) connected from 32 and 27 yards, while classmate Joel Howells (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) hit from 43 and 35 ... Defensive end Loren Howard (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) and linebacker Braden Jones (Harrisburg, Ill./Harrisburg) each recorded a pair of sacks. Howard also notched one of NU's three pass breakups ... Walker was impressed with sophomore Derell Jenkins (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook), who handled the majority of the punt returns in the scrimmage. Jenkins, who played quarterback in 2002, also saw time as a running back Saturday ... Sophomore offensive tackle Zach Strief (Milford, Ohio/Milford) suffered an injury to his lower left leg late in the scrimmage. He was being examined for a possible fracture by NU's medical staff.