Aug. 28, 2006
Football
Our football team opens the season Thursday night at Miami University in what should be a very emotional game. Given Randy Walker's ties to Miami, the game was going to have special meaning even before he passed away earlier this summer. Now, the entire evening promises to be an emotionally charged event that will be a wonderful tribute to Randy. We have worked closely with Miami's athletic department in planning the events of the evening. There will be a special ceremony to honor Randy at 6 p.m. in the Cradle of Coaches Plaza. This event is open to all people with a game ticket. In addition, players from both teams will wear a 41WALK sticker on their helmets (41 was Randy's number at Miami), and there will be a moment of silence before the game, a flyover, special coin flip with the Walker family and a video tribute with Randy's playing and coaching highlights at Miami.
We also will have a number of events before our home opener against New Hampshire, to pay tribute to Randy. The first 5,000 fans will receive a commemorative visor, we will observe a moment of silence, have a special coin flip with Tammy Walker and show some of the video tribute produced for Randy's memorial service. In addition we will have a WALK logo on the field for all our home games this year, and our coaches will have WALK on their shirts and hats. The players will also have a WALK patch on their jerseys all season.
The game against Miami promises to be a very interesting affair. Both teams have many questions heading into the season. Miami must replace 18 starters, but has a strong tradition and has done well against us over the years. Although we return numerous starters, we also begin the season with many new faces -- including a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator, a new offensive line coach and a new quarterback. With all these changes, I think there is more interest in our team this year than in many years. It should be another exciting season. I have been very impressed with the way Pat Fitzgerald has handled the transition to head coach, and am confident that he will do a great job for us this year.
Rule Changes
The NCAA has instituted a number of rule changes this year. The change that has received the most publicity is a change related to instant replay. Although the replay system is still controlled by the replay official in the booth, coaches will be able to make one challenge per game this year. If a coach's challenge is not successful, his team will be charged a timeout. It will be interesting to see how coaches use the challenge. Since they only have one challenge, most coaches will probably save their challenge for end-of-game situations. The other major changes are part of an effort to shorten the length of games. The average game time is now approximately three and a half hours. With the increased emphasis on the passing game, games are considerably longer than they were even 10 years ago. The changes include starting the clock when the ball is kicked on kickoffs and starting the clock sooner after changes of possessions and first downs. The NFL made similar changes a number of years ago, and they were successful in shortening the games. The downside is that there are fewer plays.
Luke Donald
This year's PGA had a definite Northwestern flavor to it. The tournament was held in the Chicago area at Medinah Country Club, and former Northwestern golfer Luke Donald led for most of the tournament before finishing in a third-place tie. He was matched up with Tiger Woods on Sunday. Many fans wore purple, and "Go Luke, Go Cats" cheers were heard throughout the tournament. It is very interesting to note how often commentators mention Northwestern when talking about Luke. He is more closely aligned with his college than any other golfer. This is a tribute to Luke's loyalty to Northwestern, and the fact that he stayed all four years and graduated. Congratulations, Luke, on a great performance in the P.G.A.
Lakeside Classic
Our men's soccer team got off to a fast start, winning our Lakeside Classic for the fourth straight year. The team won two one-goal games against Hofstra and Dayton. In a positive sign for the future, freshman Mark Blades was named tournament MVP with a dominating defensive performance. Head coach Tim Lenahan has built our team into a consistent winner, and they hope to get back to the NCAA tournament this year.