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Football practice starts today! Wooo! That doesn't mean much for us as fans - except people will be able to write stories from practice that tells us stuff, so that's cool - however, it is another reminder that football is coming. Football nerds, read MountainTiger's post from earlier about football and stuff - it has football in it.
We have two players coming up today, so let's talk about football.
No. 27, Mike Panico, freshman, running back
Who he be: Mike ran for 1,600 yards and 32 touchdowns his senior year at Carmel Catholic in Libertyville, but he's only 5-foot-8, so he didn't get hisself a scholarship. He's a walk-on.
Panico! at the Disco: Mike Panico: Hey, is my name on the list?
Bouncer: No.
MP: Okay. (walks away sullenly)
Looking forward: There's not much room in the backfield for a walkon right off the bat, so Northwestrern will have to wait a little bit to unleash the Panico.
No. 27, Jared Carpenter, senior, safety
Who he be: Jared came to Northwestern as a 6-foot-nothing linebacker from Bowling Green, Kentucky, but moved to safety, playing as a redshirt freshman and worked into a starting role as a sophomore. But between injuries and the onset of Ibraheim Campbell, Carpenter only played sparingly in 2011 as a junior.
Looking forward: Northwestern's secondary, as you might expect, is somewhat weak, and Brian Peters and David Arnold have now graduated, leaving NU without some of the more important players from last year. That still doesn't ensure Carpenter of heavy playing time: one safety spot definitely belongs to Campbell, the other... not sure. Carpenter will fight for playing time amongst Jimmy Hall, Hunter Bates, and Davion Fleming. Camp will reveal who earns the spot: Carpenter and Bates are the most experienced, but that doesn't mean much, as they aren't really that experienced, when it comes down to it. At the very least, he figures to play a reserve role in the defensive backfield