Nov. 29--Offensive lineman Matt Frazier went to bed Monday night without seeing apartment-mate Zack Oliver. Same thing happened Tuesday.
Oliver burned the midnight oil cramming for a test. And that test will come Saturday against Illinois when he makes his first career start.
"He has been here late studying film," Frazier said. "He is un-turning every stone."
Tough to blame Oliver, Northwestern's fourth-year quarterback, for putting all of his heart and mind into this game. Not only will the outcome determine whether Northwestern's season ends or extends to a bowl game, but Oliver's performance also will help determine whether he starts in 2015.
Oliver will duel it out in spring ball and fall camp with Matt Alviti, the redshirt freshman who might get an extended look against the Illini, and freshman Clayton Thorson, who redshirted this fall.
"He is handling it really well," Frazier said of Oliver. "I don't see him too tense, too nervous. He has been mentally preparing for the last four years. He is ready for it."
Entering the second half of last Saturday's game at Purdue, Oliver had done little to inspire confidence.
His career stats: three completions in 12 attempts for 70 yards. The lone highlight was a 54-yard strike to Pierre Youngblood-Ary late in the Northern Illinois game after Trevor Siemian was injured.
After Siemian tore his left ACL at Purdue, Oliver commanded the huddle but did little else. He started making plays after the intermission, using his rifle of an arm to connect mainly with Kyle Prater.
At 6-feet-4 and 240 pounds, Oliver is a little bigger than Siemian. He throws with a bit more velocity and is a tad more mobile, having netted 23 rush yards in West Lafayette, Ind.
But both Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald and offensive coordinator Mick McCall see way more similarities than differences in Siemian and Oliver, so the offense should look about the same.
"We don't need Zack to do anything other than just be him," Fitzgerald said. "Don't try to do too much. Don't force things. And he'll be fine.
"Zack's a lot like Trevor, pretty laid-back guys. I think he'll be poised and ready to go."
Alviti, meanwhile, had a tough moment at Purdue. Fighting for yardage on a fourth-and-1, he allowed linebacker Danny Ezechukwu to strip him of the ball.
Fitzgerald called that "inexcusable" and said that Alviti should have covered the ball with both hands while getting hit: "When in trouble, double."
He also said of Alviti: "Matt's like a lot of young players -- excited to a fault. Just chill out, relax and go play. He finally settled down after he turned the ball over. As a young guy, you always try to do too much. Stay within the framework of the offense; it's really not complicated."
Oliver has had nearly four seasons' worth of practice to prepare for Saturday's game. He also has the support of teammates such as Frazier, who hosted Oliver for Thanksgiving at his family's home in Bourbonnais.
Frazier said he would chat with Oliver one more time before they step onto Ryan Field.
"I'll just reassure him that he has this," Frazier said. "He knows what he's doing."
Injury update: Northwestern's secondary is ravaged, with safeties Traveon Henry and Godwin Igwebuike and cornerback Marcus McShepard ruled out. Ace cornerback Nick VanHoose is questionable, and receiver Kyle Prater is doubtful.
tgreenstein@tribune.com
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein
