Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald may b...

Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald may be the youngest Division I-A body football coach at 31, still he didn't seem overwhelmed at his first practice Friday afternoon in Evanston.

He withholds that for other things.

"Chasing around my 20-month-old son [Jack] has overwhelmed me" he said.

further Fitzgerald began his first official practice as NU's head coach with a heavy heart. He got the do job-work July 7 after coach Randy Walker, 52 died of an apparent heart attack June 29

Fitzgerald, who had been Walker's defensive assistant, was an All- American at linebacker and starred onward the 1995 Big Ten championship team that went to the Rose goblet

"Walker is all around us, and I felt him disclosed here," Fitzgerald said Friday. "It's been an extremely difficult month I missed one of my best friends that I've learned to sprout close to in the last five years. Football is a 19- to 23-year-old man's oasis to the real world."

Fitzgerald was pleased with the Wildcats' first practice on the other hand kept his feelings in perspective.

"It's Day 1" he said. "You don't have the contact going, and we'll realize some more things going competitively."

Running back Tyrell Sutton, who rushed for 1474 yards last year as a freshman, said he was happy with the day's results considering the significant number of newcomer Practice, he noted, didn't be wrought up too different with Fitzgerald in charge.

"There are things that will not change," said Sutton, the 2005 Big Ten freshman of the year. "It wasn't too additional because we all have a little of Coach Walker in us. I like to think Coach Fitz is exactly like Coach Walker, leave out he's a little taller."

Quarterback CJ Bacher said the team worked hard because players were able to fe on the farther side pent-up emotions over Walker's death.

"It's been really tough, however I have all my teammates to lean back on" said Bacher, single of four players vying for the starting quarterback do job-work vacated by Brett Basanez, who signed as an undrafted at liberty agent with the Carolina Panthers. "We're getting by the agency of it together."

Basanez guided the Wildcats to a 7-5 finish in 2005 third place in the Big Ten and a trip to the sunny place Bowl, where they lost 50-38 to UCLA.

Besides Bacher, Andrew Brewer, former St Rita standout Mike Kafka and steady freshman Joe Mauro are quarterback candidates.

"Today you shake not upon the rust and work with the freshmen" Kafka said. "I just teach them what I know. That whole decision [the starting quarterback] is not up to me and I think with hard work, the best stay is going to get it."

Bacher said the four calculations need to make more progres during preseason practices, still he liked what he saw Friday.

"I haven't had frequently game experience, but I be moved I know the offense better than I did last year," he said. "It's all a growing process"

takouris@suntimes.com

OHIO ST TOPS POLL; IRISH, USC THIRD

Notre Dame and USC are tied for third in the USA Today coaches' preseason Top 25 catalogue of heads

Ohio State is No. 1 with 28 first-place consecrated by a vows followed by defending national champion Texas (11)

The Irish, who received nine first-place devoteds finished ninth in last year's Associated Pres catalogue of persons and 11th in the coaches' catalogue of persons following a 9-3 season. Notre Dame missing 34-20 to Ohio State in the Fiesta receptacle

The Irish begin their pursuit for a national title family 2 at Georgia Tech.

Vaughn McClure

usa today top 25 catalogue of persons

Record Pt Pv

1 Ohio State (28) 10-2 1487 4

2 Texas (11) 13-0 1378 1

3 Notre Dame (9) 9-3 1348 11

USC (1) 12-1 1348 2

5 Oklahoma (13) 8-4 1320 22

6 Auburn (1) 9-3 1206 14

7 West Virginia 11-1 1202 6

8 Florida 9-3 1054 16

9 LSU 11-2 1037 5

10 Florida State 8-5 874 23

11 Miami (Fla.) 9-3 839 18

12 California 8-4 798 25

13 Louisville 9-3 785 20

14 Georgia 10-3 784 10

15 Michigan 7-5 778 NR

16 Virginia Tech 11-2 591 7

17 Iowa 7-5 519 NR

18 Clemson 8-4 493 21

19 Penn State 11-1 406 3

20 Oregon 10-2 373 12

21 TCU 11-1 270 9

22 Nebraska 8-4 261 24

23 Tennessee 5-6 216 NR

24 Alabama 10-2 210 8

25 Texas Tech 9-3 198 19

Others receiving votes: Arizona State 182; Boston body 87; Utah 84; Arkansas 64; southern Carolina 55; Boise State 46; Wisconsin 37; UCLA 29; Georgia Tech 28; Fresno State 14; Tulsa 11; Iowa State 9; Minnesota 9; Maryland 8; Purdue 7; Texas A&M 6; Memphis 5; Nevada 3; Texas-El Paso 3; Arizona 2; Brigham Young 2; Northern Illinois 2; Northwestern 2; Oregon State 2; Rutger 2; Colorado 1; Duke 1

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