Nov. 20--He is Northwestern's closest thing to Deion Sanders. Chuckle if you want at the comparison, but after what transpired Saturday evening at Notre Dame, there is no disputing that Jack Mitchell is "Prime Time."
He nailed a 45-yarder to send the game to overtime. And piped a 41-yard field goal to end it.
"To see him step up and handle the pressure, he did the Northwestern family proud," said Wildcats baseball coach Paul Stevens.
Mitchell played outfield for Stevens last season.
So the natural question: Could Mitchell ever have a moment this big on the diamond?
"Unless he hits a walk-off homer in Omaha (at the College World Series), I don't know if there is a scenario," Stevens said. "How do you duplicate a storybook finish like that, with the entire nation watching? It's a Derek Jeter-type of story. Or (Mike) Eruzione against the Russians."
Mitchell said things have gotten back to normal for him, thanks to the daily grind of classes, meetings and practices. Here's what also helps: Mitchell is as excitable as a hibernating bear.
"Nothing fazes him," said Northwestern holder Christian Salem. "He's just a chill dude living life."
Both Salem and Mitchell are southern California natives who didn't let the South Bend chill bother them. After measuring off seven yards and then subtracting six inches, Salem received Chris Fitzpatrick's snaps and spun the football to get the laces to face out.
Notre Dame's Malik Zaire, in his first game as a holder, didn't rotate the football on Kyle Brindza's overtime miss from 42 yards.
"As I said in the team meeting, 'Our holder outplayed their holder,'" coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "That was the difference in the game. And the guys upfront (the line) being selfless ... you're a wall, getting run into. Jack gets his name in the book with the points, but it's the 11-man operation."
Fitzgerald invited Mitchell to walk on because of his 4.0 GPA and stellar football career at Torrey Pines High School, where he kicked, punted and caught 11 passes as a senior.
"He had a big leg," Fitzgerald said, "so we thought he'd be a kickoff specialist."
He beat out scholarship kicker Hunter Niswander in fall camp but had not made anything longer than a 29-yard field goal until Saturday, missing from 44 at Penn State and 36 against Michigan.
What perhaps made the task harder is that the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Mitchell is a part-time kicker who spent last spring playing baseball.
"He's an adequate outfielder," Stevens said, "but the kid can hit. At the end of last season, he was just crushing the baseball."
Mitchell hit safely in Northwestern's final seven games, batting .346 (9-for-26) with two doubles, two homers and nine RBIs against UIC, SIU-Edwardsville and Ohio State.
Mitchell doesn't have a preferred sport, saying he enjoys not being "immersed" in kicking year-round.
"But I can also see the advantage of getting all the offseason workouts in," he said.
Mitchell, needless to say, is a strong candidate to be awarded a football scholarship after the season. He's 12-for-15 in field goals with 12 touchbacks in 42 kickoffs.
Fitzgerald is fine with him continuing to play baseball -- on one condition.
"If you're going to play two sports, you better play," he said. "You better not be sitting the pine, otherwise it doesn't make any sense. He didn't kick one rep in the spring."
Stevens said Mitchell would be in the mix for an outfield or designated spot if he continues to play baseball. Along with his bat, Stevens loved Mitchell's demeanor, saying: "He doesn't get rattled."
Every Northwestern fan saw that Saturday.
As Mitchell mentally prepared to attempt the game-tying field goal, Salem recalled telling him: "No matter what happens, I'm still going to love ya, man."
"I knew he was going to make it," Salem said. "I could see the look in his eyes."
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein
