By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
It is called The Pit and it is called The Trenches, but no matter its handle it is not a pretty place. It is instead a crescendo of crashing bodies, a cacophony of grunts and groans, a maelstrom of Brobdingnagian bodies strugglin' and scufflin' and snortin' and snarlin'. "Nasty," Jordan Thompson says when asked to describe this place.
"It's heavy," says Alex Miller, who is standing next to him.
"Yeah. Heavy. Hard. It's just hard," says Thompson.
It is also where they earn their scholarships as defensive tackles, the most anonymous performers on that side of the ball. (Miller also puts in time at D end.) The DBs and linebackers and D ends all operate in space, and with that there is always the chance for the spectacular that attracts eyeballs and shows up on highlight reels. But that opportunity is rare for the defensive tackle, who is frequently double-teamed and always asked to keep the linebackers clean. "If I could compare it to a job in the real world, maybe a construction worker," Thompson says when asked to define his occupation.
"We do all the dirty work," says Miller.
"Brick masons. Or a carpenter. A person who's in it everyday," says Thompson. "Whether they're feeling good or feeling under the weather, every day they work at it."
You're like offensive linemen, who are also unnoticed and under-appreciated, The Scribbler suggests.
"I don't think so because—" Thompson begins.
You don't like offensive linemen, The Scribbler quickly interrupts, realizing his rookie mistake.
"Nah. We don't like offensive linemen," says Thompson.
"I guess you could say we block for the linebackers. But I don't feel like that," says Miller. "Someone could. But I don't see it like that."
"Nah," says Thompson. "Offensive linemen, they double team. D linemen get double-teamed and still have to make plays. Offensive linemen can gang up on people. That just shows you how tough defensive tackles are."
What do they get off on?
"If it's man on man, I get off, punch, lock out and I see the running back cut to my gap," says Thompson. "He's looking for an open spot and he has nowhere else to go, so he has to run to me and you get a TFL (tackle for loss). That's a really good feeling." (That also recalls this memorable job description once proffered by Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, a great D tackle for the Baltimore Colts back in the '50s: "I just wrap my arms around the whole backfield and peel 'em one by one until I get to the ball carrier. Him I keep.")
"Whenever the running back has to come to you, that's a really good feeling," says Miller. "We're not going to get 50 tackles a game. If we get two or three a game, that's good. If you're double-teamed on a pass, you're probably not going to get there. But if you can get a tip, that's good. That gets me going."
Do you grow up wanting to be a D tackle or do you grow into being one?
"You grow into being one," says Thompson. "A lot of guys growing up, they play running back or tight end—"
"Linebacker," says Miller.
"Yeah, linebacker," says Thompson. "Then they just got bigger and found their place on the D line."
That was the case very early (like first grade) with both these 'Cats, but they grew quick and so had already found their place by middle school. "My dad played D end, so I wanted to play D end or D line somewhere," says Miller. "Once I started playing D line, I started liking it a lot. I like being physical and that's a big part of the D line."
"It's always been a part of me," Jordan Thompson finally says. "I was a defensive lineman and whatever you want to put in. It always was my core. It's a part of me. I'm happy to be a defensive lineman. I enjoy playing and struggling with the guys next to me. Practice will be hard, games will be hard. But I look over and I see Lanny (D tackle Tyler Lancaster), or I see Fred (Wyatt, another D tackle), or I see Alex, I sometimes even see C.J. (Robbins, a D end), it just lights something up inside of me. I'm ready. Let's do this. It's great. It's a great feeling."
"You can't be just like everybody and play the D line," Alex Miller then concludes. "You have to have a certain mentality. It gives you a certain pride to know that you can go against two guys whose combined weight is probably two-and-a-half time yours. You definitely have to be a tough guy."
QUICKLY NOTED: On Saturday the 'Cats visit Minnesota, which is 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten. Its conference wins are over Maryland, Rutgers, Illinois and Purdue, which are a combined 5-23 in league play. . . . The Gophs' offense is choreographed by the experienced Mitch Leidner, who will be making the 39th start of his career on Saturday. During it he has rushed for 31 touchdowns and thrown for 33. But their most-potent weapon is running back Rodney Smith. He has scored a conference-best 15 touchdowns; has averaged 34.3 yards on his kickoff returns, including one for 94 yards and a score; and has rolled up an average of 100.7 rushing yards a game, fourth best in the conference. . . . Goph coach Tracy Claeys left little doubt about his defense's intentions come Saturday. At different times during his weekly press conference he said: "We got to make sure they don't have a big day running the football"; and when asked about Clayton Thorson, "He's definitely better here as the season went on, but it all starts with the running back"; and at the end of an answer talking about Austin Carr, "Stop the running back. That's where we'll concentrate first"; and near the end of that presser, just to be perfectly clear, "It all starts with the running back and we got to take him away.". . . The 'Cats are one win away from being bowl eligible. "Absolutely," right guard Tommy Doles said when asked if that was motivation. "You look at where we were earlier in the season, it was tough. It takes some mental toughness after that 0-2 start to say, 'Hey, each week we're going to go 1-0 and we're going to focus on getting this win' without looking at the big picture or wondering. 'Wow, what's going to happen?' We've still got goals in front of us. Making a bowl and the post-season, that's pretty special, especially for the seniors. We've got a terrific group of seniors, and we want to see them go out the right way. So us, as underclassmen, we have to be fighting as if we were seniors. Danny Vitale (the former superback) said last year, 'Freshmen, you've got to play as if you're seniors so there's a sense of urgency, as if this might be the last time you play football.' We're looking forward to the post-season, but we've got to get a win this week. So it's taking the same mentality that we've taken all season. It's one-and-oh. It might sound cliche, something the coaches say. But it's a real thing. That's a very important facet of the mental toughness that we have to have here."
AND FINALLY, Fitzgerald, on learning that wide out and grad student Austin Carr majored in philosophy as an undergrad: "I'm not shocked at all that he was a philosophy major. 'Deep Thoughts With Austin Carr.' That would be a great Saturday Night Live skit."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
It is called The Pit and it is called The Trenches, but no matter its handle it is not a pretty place. It is instead a crescendo of crashing bodies, a cacophony of grunts and groans, a maelstrom of Brobdingnagian bodies strugglin' and scufflin' and snortin' and snarlin'. "Nasty," Jordan Thompson says when asked to describe this place.
"It's heavy," says Alex Miller, who is standing next to him.
"Yeah. Heavy. Hard. It's just hard," says Thompson.
It is also where they earn their scholarships as defensive tackles, the most anonymous performers on that side of the ball. (Miller also puts in time at D end.) The DBs and linebackers and D ends all operate in space, and with that there is always the chance for the spectacular that attracts eyeballs and shows up on highlight reels. But that opportunity is rare for the defensive tackle, who is frequently double-teamed and always asked to keep the linebackers clean. "If I could compare it to a job in the real world, maybe a construction worker," Thompson says when asked to define his occupation.
"We do all the dirty work," says Miller.
"Brick masons. Or a carpenter. A person who's in it everyday," says Thompson. "Whether they're feeling good or feeling under the weather, every day they work at it."
You're like offensive linemen, who are also unnoticed and under-appreciated, The Scribbler suggests.
"I don't think so because—" Thompson begins.
You don't like offensive linemen, The Scribbler quickly interrupts, realizing his rookie mistake.
"Nah. We don't like offensive linemen," says Thompson.
"I guess you could say we block for the linebackers. But I don't feel like that," says Miller. "Someone could. But I don't see it like that."
"Nah," says Thompson. "Offensive linemen, they double team. D linemen get double-teamed and still have to make plays. Offensive linemen can gang up on people. That just shows you how tough defensive tackles are."
What do they get off on?
"If it's man on man, I get off, punch, lock out and I see the running back cut to my gap," says Thompson. "He's looking for an open spot and he has nowhere else to go, so he has to run to me and you get a TFL (tackle for loss). That's a really good feeling." (That also recalls this memorable job description once proffered by Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, a great D tackle for the Baltimore Colts back in the '50s: "I just wrap my arms around the whole backfield and peel 'em one by one until I get to the ball carrier. Him I keep.")
"Whenever the running back has to come to you, that's a really good feeling," says Miller. "We're not going to get 50 tackles a game. If we get two or three a game, that's good. If you're double-teamed on a pass, you're probably not going to get there. But if you can get a tip, that's good. That gets me going."
Do you grow up wanting to be a D tackle or do you grow into being one?
"You grow into being one," says Thompson. "A lot of guys growing up, they play running back or tight end—"
"Linebacker," says Miller.
"Yeah, linebacker," says Thompson. "Then they just got bigger and found their place on the D line."
That was the case very early (like first grade) with both these 'Cats, but they grew quick and so had already found their place by middle school. "My dad played D end, so I wanted to play D end or D line somewhere," says Miller. "Once I started playing D line, I started liking it a lot. I like being physical and that's a big part of the D line."
"It's always been a part of me," Jordan Thompson finally says. "I was a defensive lineman and whatever you want to put in. It always was my core. It's a part of me. I'm happy to be a defensive lineman. I enjoy playing and struggling with the guys next to me. Practice will be hard, games will be hard. But I look over and I see Lanny (D tackle Tyler Lancaster), or I see Fred (Wyatt, another D tackle), or I see Alex, I sometimes even see C.J. (Robbins, a D end), it just lights something up inside of me. I'm ready. Let's do this. It's great. It's a great feeling."
"You can't be just like everybody and play the D line," Alex Miller then concludes. "You have to have a certain mentality. It gives you a certain pride to know that you can go against two guys whose combined weight is probably two-and-a-half time yours. You definitely have to be a tough guy."
QUICKLY NOTED: On Saturday the 'Cats visit Minnesota, which is 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten. Its conference wins are over Maryland, Rutgers, Illinois and Purdue, which are a combined 5-23 in league play. . . . The Gophs' offense is choreographed by the experienced Mitch Leidner, who will be making the 39th start of his career on Saturday. During it he has rushed for 31 touchdowns and thrown for 33. But their most-potent weapon is running back Rodney Smith. He has scored a conference-best 15 touchdowns; has averaged 34.3 yards on his kickoff returns, including one for 94 yards and a score; and has rolled up an average of 100.7 rushing yards a game, fourth best in the conference. . . . Goph coach Tracy Claeys left little doubt about his defense's intentions come Saturday. At different times during his weekly press conference he said: "We got to make sure they don't have a big day running the football"; and when asked about Clayton Thorson, "He's definitely better here as the season went on, but it all starts with the running back"; and at the end of an answer talking about Austin Carr, "Stop the running back. That's where we'll concentrate first"; and near the end of that presser, just to be perfectly clear, "It all starts with the running back and we got to take him away.". . . The 'Cats are one win away from being bowl eligible. "Absolutely," right guard Tommy Doles said when asked if that was motivation. "You look at where we were earlier in the season, it was tough. It takes some mental toughness after that 0-2 start to say, 'Hey, each week we're going to go 1-0 and we're going to focus on getting this win' without looking at the big picture or wondering. 'Wow, what's going to happen?' We've still got goals in front of us. Making a bowl and the post-season, that's pretty special, especially for the seniors. We've got a terrific group of seniors, and we want to see them go out the right way. So us, as underclassmen, we have to be fighting as if we were seniors. Danny Vitale (the former superback) said last year, 'Freshmen, you've got to play as if you're seniors so there's a sense of urgency, as if this might be the last time you play football.' We're looking forward to the post-season, but we've got to get a win this week. So it's taking the same mentality that we've taken all season. It's one-and-oh. It might sound cliche, something the coaches say. But it's a real thing. That's a very important facet of the mental toughness that we have to have here."
AND FINALLY, Fitzgerald, on learning that wide out and grad student Austin Carr majored in philosophy as an undergrad: "I'm not shocked at all that he was a philosophy major. 'Deep Thoughts With Austin Carr.' That would be a great Saturday Night Live skit."