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 . U M A S S
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And if he had to sum all that up?
"We're tough."
HE'LL SECOND THAT MOTION: A day later the first-year running back Evan Hull is asked what
he sees when he looks at the offensive line in front of him. "A bunch of monsters," he says with an
appreciative chuckle. "They love to get it done. They love to get it done. I love those guys. We have
a great relationship too. They work hard and we (the running backs) work hard with them, and we're
always on the same page."
NEXT MAN UP: His room, the running back room, has resembled a M*A*S*H unit this season, injuries
befalling Isaiah Bowser and Jesse Brown and (after his switch from wide out) Kyric McGowan. Hull
is expected to have an expanded role Saturday when the 'Cats host Massachusetts. "Honestly, I
didn't have a lot of expectations," he says when asked if he thought he would have this opportunity
so soon. "What I would say is that I always tried to prepare to be the starter. That preparation got
me to here today. So I was never expecting to get anything, I guess. But I was prepared to work for
everything."
BUT IT AIN'T HEAVY: Last December, when the early signing period arrived, Hull had a number of
offers from the Ivies and FCS schools, but just one from a Power Five institution (Kansas State). He
didn't jump for the pen. He instead waited and, in late January, got what he wanted, an offer from the
'Cats. "Honestly I just had faith things would work out in the long run," he says when asked about that
time. "I knew Coach Lou (Ayeni, the running backs coach) was still fighting for me to be here, and
that there were still a lot of things in the works. I just knew I would end up in the right place. Maybe it
was an intuitive thing. But also I had a lot of support from my mom to help me stay on track and stay
focused and stay hopeful and have faith, really."
Did that experience leave him with a proverbial chip?