Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1177122
n o r t h w e s t e r n f o o t b a l l • D I G I T A L P R O G R A M • N O R T H W E S T E R N v s . O h i o S t a t e 21 MO: I want to talk a little bit about last season. You had that big game against Arizona in Week 12, rushing for 57 yards on just seven carries. One week later, you went for 63 yards and a touchdown on Sunday Night Football in a win at Pittsburgh. What was that like? JJ: It was definitely cool. Obviously, I had prepared that whole season and finally got an opportunity towards the end. I wasn't getting any carries but was playing a little bit of special teams, just trying to do my part. I remember telling my brother a few weeks before that Pittsburgh game that it was just weird being in the role I was in and not feeling like I affected the game much. I just had a few plays a game. He told just to me stay up, stay ready and all that good stuff. And I did. I finally got my opportunity and just went out there and played. I didn't think too much, I was glad to just be out there and let my instincts take over really. It was a good game and two weeks later we played Kansas City and that was a good game too. So I'm just trying to build off that, and build off this offseason and strength camp and bring it into this next year as another opportunity to step up and help the team out. MO: How did your time at Northwestern prepare you for the NFL? JJ: You're obviously competing in the Big Ten, and every single week you're going against one of the best defenses in the country. Honestly, it's physically on that level [of the NFL]. You're going against some of the best players in the country and it prepares you for the NFL because that really is the best players in the world. Also, mentally, Northwestern prepared me well because we did a lot of conceptual teaching and learning. So when we would learn concepts and be able break stuff down, that translates well for NFL playbooks because it's all concepts, whether it's routes, run concepts or pass protection. So if you can learn concepts as opposed to learning what you're supposed to do on every single play, it can help you just be quicker out there on the field and on your reads. That definitely helped. MO: Were you able to keep tabs on the team last season? JJ: The games are on Saturday's so I try to watch if I can and we're not flying. I was definitely super proud of the guys. They made big plays in big moments and that's the reason they were able to make the Big Ten Championship. It was awesome watching it as a fan and obviously still knowing pretty much three- fourths of the team. It was fun man, it was fun to watch. MO: You've gotten to play against former teammates, are you able to follow them in the NFL? And what's it like being able to go up against those guys at the next level? JJ: It's really cool, obviously getting to talk to Austin [Carr] during practice and after the game [in Week 3 of the preseason], and also just all the other guys. There's actually a lot of us now, as opposed to when we got to college and there weren't that many in the league unless they were older. It's kind of cool that we have a brotherhood of guys in the league now. I'm always looking out for how they're doing and I know a lot of them are doing really well, so just really happy for them. We're always talking, laughing, and sharing stories, so it's an awesome thing and I'm not surprised we have a lot of guys in the league because I know we had a lot of talent. MO: Do you have a favorite memory or highlight from Northwestern? JJ: Not really anything specifically. Most of my best memories are memories that are more private with the team off the field. Just the dog days of camp, chilling in those dorms or after the game, just stuff in the locker room or going out