Great article in The Athletic on how the 2000 NU offense behind Walk and Wilson changed college football and influenced Urban Meyer. Great photos of the 2000 players. Some excerpts:
Wilson was in Ohio State’s offensive staff meeting room last Tuesday after a bye-week practice, replaying a scene from back in 2000 when he, Walker and the rest of the staff were in Northwestern’s meeting room, trying to piece together what would become their spread offense attack that year.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Walker said, before slamming the door and leaving the rest of his staff to wonder if they’d made the wrong decision.
In Northwestern’s first scrimmage, the offense ran 48 plays and scored six touchdowns. It worked quickly because the team had smart players and, it turns out, the right personnel to run the offense. Quarterback Zak Kustok, a transfer from Notre Dame, was somewhat limited as a thrower, but smart and athletic enough to make the quarterback run element work. Running back Damien Anderson became a revelation in that offense, rushing for 2,063 yards during that 2000 season. Northwestern had good receivers, including slot Sam Simmons, and an offensive line that took to the new offense immediately.
“We didn’t have any depth,” Wilson said, “but we had five good ones.”
That 2000 Northwestern team went from one of the worst offenses in college football the previous season to averaging 38.6 points per game while ranking No. 8 in the country in rushing (257 yards per game), No. 51 in passing (218 yards per game) and No. 3 in total offense. It finished the season 8-4, including three wins by one possession, and earned a share of the Big Ten title.
https://theathletic.com/1293414/201...nced-urban-meyer-ryan-day-and-so-many-others/
Wilson was in Ohio State’s offensive staff meeting room last Tuesday after a bye-week practice, replaying a scene from back in 2000 when he, Walker and the rest of the staff were in Northwestern’s meeting room, trying to piece together what would become their spread offense attack that year.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Walker said, before slamming the door and leaving the rest of his staff to wonder if they’d made the wrong decision.
In Northwestern’s first scrimmage, the offense ran 48 plays and scored six touchdowns. It worked quickly because the team had smart players and, it turns out, the right personnel to run the offense. Quarterback Zak Kustok, a transfer from Notre Dame, was somewhat limited as a thrower, but smart and athletic enough to make the quarterback run element work. Running back Damien Anderson became a revelation in that offense, rushing for 2,063 yards during that 2000 season. Northwestern had good receivers, including slot Sam Simmons, and an offensive line that took to the new offense immediately.
“We didn’t have any depth,” Wilson said, “but we had five good ones.”
That 2000 Northwestern team went from one of the worst offenses in college football the previous season to averaging 38.6 points per game while ranking No. 8 in the country in rushing (257 yards per game), No. 51 in passing (218 yards per game) and No. 3 in total offense. It finished the season 8-4, including three wins by one possession, and earned a share of the Big Ten title.
https://theathletic.com/1293414/201...nced-urban-meyer-ryan-day-and-so-many-others/