The 2011 Scouting Report: Former walk-on who plays a major role in both the running game and with special teams (earned a scholarship in September, 2009) ... One of the program's toughest guys ... Diligent, hard-working player ... Dependable and reliable running back who excels in short-yardage situations ... Also a very able receiver out of the backfield ... Begins preseason camp healthy after dealing with an injured foot for the second half of the 2010 season.

2011: Former walk-on ... Team's second-leading rusher with 471 yards (4.4 ypc) and six TD's ... Named a Capital One second-team Academic All-American ... Closed October with his first 100-yard rushing performance: 110 yards on 15 carries (7.3 ypc) and two touchdowns at Indiana ... Also added a 20-yard reception against the Hoosiers and finished the game with 144 all-purpose yards ... Tabbed the team's offensive big playmaker against the Hoosiers ... Totaled 11 rushing yards (three carries) and 13 receiving yards in season-opening win at Boston College ... Ran for 57 yards (5.2 ypc), a touchdown and added a 10-yard reception in win over Eastern Illinois ... Had 28 total yards (24 rushing) at Army ... Totaled 14 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards (three receptions) at Illinois ... Scored NU's go-ahead TD (6-yard run) at Illinois with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter ... Earned team's offensive big playmaker honors for his efforts against the Illini ... Led team in rushing with 31 yards (five carries) and added a career-high 51 receiving yards (five catches) vs. Michigan ... Four rushing yards and a 5-yard reception at Iowa ... Totaled 47 all-purpose yards (25 rushing, 22 receiving) vs. Penn State ... Ran for 54 yards (4.2 ypc) and a TD at Nebraska ... Finished with 27 rushing yards and 20 receiving yards in win over Rice ... Tabbed team's offensive player of the week for his performance against Minnesota: 69 rushing yards (5.3 ypc average) and a TD vs. the Gophers ... Led NU with 39 rushing yards and an 8-yard reception vs. Michigan State ... Had 38 total yards (32 receiving, 6 rushing) vs. Texas A&M ... Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

2010: Played in eight games with four starts ... Former walk-on who earned a scholarship in September, 2009 ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Five career starts at running back ... One reception for seven yards in TicketCity Bowl ... Dressed for Indiana game but did not play (ankle) ... Three carries for three yards vs. Michigan State before leaving the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury ... Did not see action again until the bowl game ... Gained 32 yards on 12 carries, including one touchdown, vs. Purdue ... Scored his second touchdown at Minnesota and finished with eight rushing attempts for 25 yards ... First career two-touchdown game vs. Central Michigan, scoring on runs of one and 13 yards and finishing with 32 yards on six attempts ... Named team's Offensive Player of the Game against CMU ... Carried three times for 11 yards and caught one pass for four yards at Rice ... Four carries for 14 yards vs. Illinois State ... Rushed 13 times for 44 yards at Vanderbilt and made three catches for 21 yards.

2009: Played in 12 of 13 games and made first two career starts ... Two starts (vs. Syracuse and Minnesota) at running back this season (181 yards on 56 carries) ... Named team's special teams player of the week vs. Miami (Ohio) and co-special teams player of the week vs. Iowa and Wisconsin ... Led NU with 36 rushing yards (4.5 ypc) in Outback Bowl vs. Auburn ... Three tackles in win over the Badgers ... Five carries for 10 yards and one catch for 12 yards at Illinois ... One catch for seven yards and two special teams tackles at Iowa ... Two carries for seven yards to go with one catch for 10 yards vs. Penn State ... Against Miami, carried 10 times for 29 yards and caught a career-long 25-yard pass from Mike Kafka ... At Purdue, caught two passes for 37 yards -- including a long reception of 17 yards -- and carried the ball twice for two yards ... Six carries for 20 yards vs. Minnesota ... Started for the first time in his career at Syracuse, rushing 10 times for 30 yards and catching a career-best four passes for 46 yards ... Set career highs for carries (13) and yards (61) against Eastern Michigan ... Carried four times for 18 yards vs. Towson and scored the first touchdown of his career on a 2-yard run in the first quarter ... Academic All-Big Ten.

2008: Played in all 13 games in 2008, including the Alamo Bowl vs. Missouri where he registered one tackle ... Contributed primarily on special teams ... Two tackles at Minnesota, earning the team's special teams player of the week honor ... Rushed one time against Purdue for three yards ... Against Southern Illinois, blocked a punt in the third quarter and recovered the ball on SIU's 5-yard line, setting up a field goal ... Named special teams player of the week vs. SIU ... Also had his first career carry on offense, a 1-yard gain in the fourth quarter ... Collected two tackles against Ohio ... One special teams hit at Iowa.

2007: Did not see action ... Named team's offensive practice player of the week vs. Northeastern and team's special teams practice player of the week vs. Ohio State.

High School: Two-time All-Wisconsin Valley Conference selection at running back and cornerback (2005-06) ... Two-time team MVP and team captain (2005-06) ... Rushed for 2,150 career yards and piled up over 3,000 yards of total offense ... On defense, totaled 85 tackles and 7 interceptions ... Rushed for 148 yards on 18 carries and scored 3 TD's vs. Lakeland ... Also had a 138 rushing yards, 3 TD's and 3 interceptions vs. Merrill ... Earned 11 varsity letters in four sports -- three in football, four in baseball, two in basketball and two in hockey ... All-conference honoree in baseball (team's leading hitter and RBI leader) and a two-year captain ... Hit three grand slams his senior season ... NHS member for three years ... Honor Roll all four years ... Coached by Jim Moore.

Personal: Born Jacob Andrew Schmidt ... Son of Ken and Kerri Schmidt ... Attended same high school that produced Steelers' Hall of Fame center Mike Webster ... Human development and psychological services major.

The Schmidt File

Q: Name five favorite songs (and artist) on your I-Pod:
A: 1. Boot Scootin' Boogie (Brooks & Dunn); 2. Summer Nights (Rascal Flatts); 3. Something Like That (Tim McGraw); 4. Kiss a Girl (Keith Urban); 5. Rain is a Good Thing (Luke Bryan)
Q: If you could dine with anyone from any period in history, who would it be and why?
A: Kobe Bryant
Q: What is the greatest lesson in life that you have learned?
A: There is always someone working harder than you.
Q: A song that best describes you and why?
A: Go Getta by Young Jeezy, because I work hard to attain my goals.
Q: Something people would be surprised to know about me is:
A: I enjoy playing the piano
Q: My favorite place to visit is and why?
A: My home in beautiful Pine Lake, Wis.
Q: Which current NU football player is the biggest jokester on the team and why?
A: Scott Concannon because he always has me laughing
Q: My favorite thing about NU is and why?
A: Blend of Big Ten athletics with top-tier academics
Q: Best part about being a Northwestern football player is:
A: Playing in the Big Ten
Q: Describe Coach Fitzgerald in five words or less:
A: Intense, Passionate, Committed
Q: Describe your position coach in five words or less:
A: Passionate, Determined
Q: Most humbling experience:
A: Freshman year at Camp Kenosha
Q: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement and why?
A: Earning a full athletic scholarship as a walk-on
Q: The best book I have ever read is and why?
A: Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Q: The person that inspires me the most is:
A: My Grandpa Lloyd
Q: When I played football as a kid, I pretended to be:
A: Barry Sanders
Q: My favorite pregame ritual is:
A: I eat the same pregame meal every Friday night.
Q: If you could have a starring role in any film already made, which movie would you pick and why?
A: 21, because I love Blackjack
Q: My favorite food is:
A: My mom's lasagna
Q: My favorite thing about playing at Ryan Field is:
A: The game-day atmosphere
Q: Best thing about Northwestern is:
A: Its academic reputation
Q: My ultimate SportsCenter highlight would be:
A: Scoring the game-winning touchdown as time expired
Q: My favorite television show is and why?
A: Entourage
Q: If I were not playing football, I would be:
A: Playing college baseball
Q: The three words that best describe me:
A: Competitive, Honest, Determined
Q: My football-related superstition is:
A: I listen to the same music prior to every game
Q: Which FORMER NU football student-athlete has had the most impact on your Wildcat career and why?
A: Mark Woodsum. Woody was the first player I met when I visited NU. Being a former walk-on himself, he was proof that hard work pays off. It was only fitting that he was my Big Brother freshman year: helping me transition from high school to college life. Mark has definitely had a positive impact on my career at NU.

RUSHING
Season	Games	ATT	Yards	TD	Long	Avg/C	Avg/G
2008	13	2	4	0	3	2.0	0.3
2009	12	64	217	1	13	3.4	18.1
2010	8	49	161	4	13	3.3	20.1
2011	13	107	471	6	32	4.4	36.2
Career	46	222	853	11	32	3.8	18.5

RECEIVING
Season	Games	Rec	Yards	TD	Long	Rec/G	Avg/C	Avg/G
2008	13	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2009	12	14	147	0	29	1.2	10.5	12.2
2010	8	14	114	0	17	1.8	8.1	14.2
2011	13	24	230	0	20	1.8	9.6	17.7
Career	46	52	491	0	29	1.1	9.4	10.7

ALL PURPOSE
Season	Games	Rush	RCV	PR	KR	IR	Total	Avg/G
2008	13	4	0	29	0	0	33	2.5
2009	12	217	147	0	12	0	376	31.3
2010	8	161	114	0	0	0	275	34.4
2011	13	471	230	0	101	0	802	61.7
Career	46	853	491	29	113	0	1486	32.3

DEFENSE
Season	Games	UA	A	Total	TFL	Sacks	PD	INT	FF	FR	BLK
2008	13	5	4	9	0.0-0	0.0-0	0	0	0	0	1
2009	12	5	5	10	0.0-0	0.0-0	0	0	0	0	0
2010	8	0	1	1	0.0-0	0.0-0	0	0	0	0	0
2011	13	2	2	4	0.0-0	0.0-0	0	0	0	0	0
Career	46	12	12	24	0.0-0	0.0-0	0	0	0	0	1