Probably the best quote I got during the 2010 football season was from NU
safety Brian Peters after the TicketCity Bowl. I asked him how the Wildcats’
can cut down on penalties like the personal fouls that NU’s defense picked up
against Texas Tech in the first half:
“We have to control our violence,” he said.
So fast forward eight months. I asked senior cornerback
Jordan Mabin about Peters’ quote. How can football players reel in their
aggressiveness during games so they don’t pick up that personal foul — or two,
or three.
“It’s having poise and awareness and focus on your mental
and physical and everything that is on the field,” Mabin said. “Football is a
fun game, but it’s also a dynamic game so you have to focus on every little
aspect and try not to overdo it. That’s when mistakes happen.”
During Day 2 of Big Ten Media Days at McCormick Place, Mabin
said he graduated in June and is pursuing a master’s degree in sports
administration. He also divulged some dirt on some of his teammates, who also
happen to be his roommates.
Nine Wildcats share a three-story house in Evanston. Mabin
may take some heat for this but out of the group the messiest guy is safety
David Arnold and the neatest is linebacker Bryce McNaul. And Mabin says, “I’m
right in the middle.”
