Northwestern looking for right spots to get young players experience

Sitting at 1-8, Northwestern's season is over, for all intents and purposes. Gone is any slim hope of even sneaking into a bowl game at 5-7, so they know their season will end on Nov. 26, against Illinois.

That doesn't mean there's nothing to be gained from the final three games of the season, however.

At his weekly Monday press conference, head coach Pat Fitzgerald talked about his desire to "get the roster older" as the program heads into an uncertain future. One way to do that is getting the freshmen on the roster some game reps as the season winds down.

So Fitzgerald will be doing a balancing act for these last three weeks of the season. He made it clear that his priority is still winning games. But he is also trying to get some game reps for players who will be contributors in the future.

Fitzgerald pointed out that an important consideration in getting freshmen into the game is finding the right spots. It wouldn't necessarily be fair to a young player to throw him into the deep end just because the season has gone poorly.

"We've sprinkled guys in," Fitzgerald said. "We're going to do the best job we can getting guys experience."

NU has already started to sprinkle in some freshmen; the most notable move being the switch to Brendan Sullivan at quarterback.

Some true freshmen have gotten game action too. Safety Devin Turner has been heavily involved in the defense dating back to the Wisconsin game, and defensive tackle Austin Firestone has gotten several reps, as well. A few true freshmen got their first taste of college action on Saturday against Ohio State. Fitzgerald said that offensive lineman Nick Herzog and tight end Chris Petrucci got in on the extra point team, while safety Robert Fitzgerald played on kick coverage.

Finding ways to get more guys involved will be a focus of the coaching staff to close out the season.

"We're trying to be smart," Fitzgerald said. "Trying to get guys experience while also playing the four-game redshirt game that we're allowed to play in college football now is kind of where we're at."

Before the 2019 season, the NCAA added a rule that players can play up to four games and still retain that year of eligibility. With only three games left, Fitzgerald and his staff have full access to players who have yet to play without fear of burning any redshirts down the line.

But don't expect any wholesale changes. "We're rolling with the guys we've been rolling with all season," said Fitzgerald. He's proud of the way his veteran players have continued to fight through a disastrous season, and he feels like he owes it to them to continue to "do everything we can to win."

Fitzgerald has harped on inexperience as a major reason for Northwestern's struggles over the last two seasons. In the short term, playing even younger players obviously won't help that.

But with no hope of the postseason in 2022 left, Northwestern's coaches know it's time to start looking towards the future, even if their feet continue to be firmly planted in the present.

It's a delicate balance to find ways to build for the future, while also making sure players aren't set up to fail in their first experience. That's why a handful of guys got their first taste of action on special teams.

"We'll pick and choose where we can get guys in," Fitzgerald said. "Give them the best opportunity to be successful, while gaining experience, and giving us the best opportunity to win games."

As Northwestern closes out a second consecutive losing season, and the third in the last four years, there will be new faces mixed into the rotations. Faces that NU coaches hope will be leading the charge when the program gets back to winning.