Northwestern FB (urin)alysis

So it turns out Northwestern true freshman running back Arby Fields (no, his name isn’t Arby because it sounds like RB; it's his father's name as well) is catching grief from his teammates and coaches for not hydrating properly before his college debut.

Fields played just 11 snaps against Towson -- and rushed 6 times for 48 yards and 2 touchdowns -- before cramping up and calling it a day. He told reporters afterward that he only drank 1 or 2 Gatorades the night before the game.

“He needs to do a much better job of preparing himself to play,” said NU coach Pat Fitzgerald. “That’s completely and totally unacceptable. But I like the way he looked when he had the ball in his hands. I thought he executed his responsibilities, did his job the way he’s capable of. But a lot of room for growth in his preparation; getting ready to play Big Ten football.”

This got us to wondering during Monday’s media date with four NU veterans: Is there a magic number of Gatorades you need to drink before a game? It turns out the answer is a lot more personal than anyone expected.

“The magic term is, ‘Clear (urine), you’re in the clear,’ ” said senior safety Brad Phillips, relating the magic words from Tory Lindley, the school’s Director of Athletic Training Services, while everyone cracked up. “He always says, ‘Apple juice is bad, but clear (and) you’re in the clear.’ ”

So let that be a lesson to all you youngsters out there: Your bodily fluids will tell you when you’re not getting the proper fluids in your body. But that’s not the only helpful lesson for those who compete.

“Coach Fitz always talks about, ‘What you eat on Thursday is what you play on on Saturday,’ ” said junior linebacker Quentin Davie. “Basically the whole week you need to be preparing for game day.”

OK, on to this week’s honorees. When Northwestern wins, the coaches hand out multiple awards for each aspect of football (offense, defense, special teams). Here are the winners from Towson week:

OFFENSIVE: Fifth-year senior right tackle Kurt Mattes, who happens to be a graduate student studying public policy administration.
OFFENSIVE BIG PLAYMAKER: Fifth-year senior flanker Andrew Brewer. He caught a career-high-tying 6 passes for a career-high 145 yards and his first career TD reception. Brewer, too, is a grad student. He’s working on communication studies.
OFFENSIVE PRACTICE PLAYER: Backup center Colin Armstrong, a redshirt sophomore from Benet Academy.
DEFENSIVE: Redshirt sophomore DE Vince Browne, who posted 1 tackle in his first career start.
DEFENSIVE BIG PLAYMAKER: Redshirt freshman DE Quentin Williams, who intercepted a pass and made 2 tackles in his college debut.
DEFENSIVE PRACTICE PLAYER: Redshirt freshman safety Jared Carpenter.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Redshirt junior RB/KR Stephen Simmons, who returned 3 kicks for 82 yards when he wasn’t busy rushing for a team-high 77 yards in 18 attempts.
SPECIAL TEAMS PRACTICE PLAYER: Freshman walk-on Mike Jensen.

Other stuff:
--Fitz plans to continue to give time to backup QB Dan Persa in the middle of games when it’s appropriate. Persa jumped into Saturday’s game with a 21-0 lead and promptly fired a 72-yard touchdown pass to Brewer. Not bad for the first pass of the redshirt sophomore’s career. Fitz also reassured everyone that Mike Kafka is the starter.
--Sophomore RB Jeravin Matthews is currently “probable” after hurting his left ankle against Towson.
--No changes on the depth chart, though there is a misnomer. Quentin Davie, who played strong-side linebacker last year, has moved to the weak-side even though he's still listed as the SAM. Davie led the Cats with 9 tackles against Towson.

LW