Oct. 07--Clayton Thorson has heard all about the challenges visiting teams face in the "Big House."
So has sophomore running back Justin Jackson.
But neither Northwestern underclassman seems intimidated as the unbeaten Wildcats (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) prepare to travel to Michigan (4-1, 1-0) Saturday for a battle of Top 25 teams.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald cited the Wolverines' veteran, quality depth during Tuesday's Big Ten teleconference. Will that become a factor Saturday?
"They have a ton of returning starters. You look at their front and that's what jumps out to me," Fitzgerald said as he rattled off the juniors and seniors by position. "This is a veteran defense that was outstanding over the last few years and they just continue that with a new defensive mindset and a new defensive scheme. It's very impressive to watch."
Thorson, a red-shirt freshman who had one of his best overall games in last Saturday's 27-0 victory over Minnesota, says he is looking forward to the challenge of facing a Michigan defense that has registered back-to-back shutouts over Maryland and BYU and ranks second nationally to Northwestern in points allowed per game.
"It comes down to focusing on the play at hand," said Thorson. "You can't really think about the crowd. There are going to be a lot of people there; it's a big game. But you just have to focus on the task and that will drown out the other noise."
Thorson's apparently cavalier attitude about playing in Ann Arbor, Mich., does not diminish his respect for the proud Wolverines' tradition. Michigan is 34-6-2 all-time in games against Northwestern at home, 30-6-2 at Michigan Stadium.
"They are one of the all-time winningest teams in college football ...," Thorson said. "You grow up watching them on Saturday mornings, watching them versus Ohio State. But they are just another team on our schedule. Right now they are just another team in our path. And they would say the same thing about us."
Jackson had his 10th career 100-yard rushing game against the Gophers and also is looking forward to playing a challenging Big Ten opponent that edged Northwestern 10-9 last season in Evanston.
"It's going to be an awesome environment with 100,000-plus people," Jackson said. "We just have to not let the crowd affect how we play."
fmitchell@tribpub.com
