Abdullah stepping up

Ameer Abdullah gets better by the week. He’s an All-Big Ten level back now. He had a couple of really tough runs inside, and though Arkansas State’s defense isn’t Michigan, it was impressive. The only thing cooler than watching Abdullah emerge was seeing King Rex Burkhead on the field, an hour after the game was over, playing catch with a bunch of young kids. All wearing No. 22 jerseys, of course.

Kudos to NU defense

Give the defense credit. Kudos, too. This was a tough assignment. Arkansas State snapped the ball once with 29 seconds left on the play clock. The Red Wolves were trying to go when NU was still sending personnel on the field. Most of their plays looked like goofy trick plays. Execution won the day. NU tackled better, especially in the secondary. Eric Martin came to play. They won’t be winning their black shirts anytime soon, but this was a good step on a tough day to play defense.