Northwestern laying down law
The Northwestern Wildcats aren’t about to let a measly bowl game get in the way of the program’s academic reputation.
The Wildcats have suspended three players for the Dec. 30 Sun Bowl against the No. 17 UCLA Bruins. The three who won’t appear in El Paso, Texas are defensive tackle Trevor Schultz (who started six games this year), cornerback Deante Battle (five) and receiver Kim Thompson (six). Schultz and Battle were suspended for academic violations, Thompson for an undisclosed violation of athletic department policy.
The suspensions had yet to affect the betting line at the time of this writing, which had the Bruins as 3-point favorites with a total of 74 ?. Northwestern coach Randy Walker admitted to reporters the Wildcats will suffer in the depth department, but otherwise shrugged off the impact the suspensions will have on the Sun Bowl itself.
The important thing as far as Walker and the school are concerned is that the three players in question graduate. Northwestern ranks first among all 56 bowl teams with a graduation rate of 83 percent, according to a study by the UCF Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. Schultz and Battle are no longer taking classes; Walker hopes that will be rectified in time for both to return to the team in 2006 after spring practice. Battle had already been missed the last game of the regular season, a 38-21 triumph over Illinois. Thompson is still with the school.
The biggest loss of the three could prove to be Schultz. His 45 tackles were second only to All-Big Ten behemoth Barry Cofield on the defensive line. Freshman John Gill will take Schultz’ place. At least Gill won’t suffer the burden of expectations, since Northwestern’s defense has already disappointed this season. Neither the Wildcats nor the Bruins have been effective at keeping points off the scoreboard; offense is the name of the game for both sides, which explains the high total.
The Sun Bowl could very well end up being Wildcats running back Tyrell Sutton’s showcase. Sutton was named national freshman of the year by The Sporting News after racking up 1,390 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns. Expect Sutton to get plenty of carries in Northwestern’s spread offense – UCLA is abysmal at stopping the run (238.6 yards per game), and the Wildcats can best help their depleted defense by chewing up the clock.
by Shawn Sillinger 
