By Dave Price, "Demon Dust" guest columnist
Only someone who has played the game truly appreciates just how special it is to experience the atmosphere of college football on Saturdays, and knows how much work is put in before running out on that field in the first place. It’s a challenge to say the least, especially for a player who runs out on that field as a walk-on.
Even for Scott Wattigny — who played four varsity seasons at Holy Cross School in New Orleans, capped off by a senior season in 2004 when Louisiana Sports Magazine listed him as one of its top 25 defensive players in the state — getting to the next level has taken a considerable effort. But make no mistake about it, Wattigny (pronounced Watt-nee) is glad to be at Northwestern State.
"There’s no feeling like running out of that tunnel into a stadium, and to do it on 11 or 12 Saturdays, I can’t even describe how exciting that is," said Wattigny.
The 22-year-old senior defensive lineman has certainly paid his dues, having battled through injury-plagued freshman and sophomore seasons before putting together a bump-free season in 2008. Now, he is looking forward to making his senior season a memorable experience.
"I finally made it through an entire season (without injuries) and I’m grateful for that," said Wattigny, whose toughness kept him on the field even when he was battered and bruised in his first two years. "I was productive in all 12 games, but I know I can be more productive. I have some goals for my senior year, and you only have one senior year, so I’m ready to rock and roll.
"But you can only leave it up to God and roll with the punches. You just have to see what cards you’re dealt and then you have to play those cards and see where they take you. All you can do is put in the time and effort and see where the chips fall."
Likewise, first-year head coach Bradley Dale Peveto is glad to have Wattigny on the team.
"He's one of those guys who's walked on this football team, earned a scholarship and done a great job. He's done a great job on the football field, he's a great team leader and a great person," Peveto said.
THE TRANSITION
During his senior year at Holy Cross, Wattigny received recognition on The Times-Picayune’s All-District 10-5A Coaches Team and named to the WWL-TV all-district team, and also served as team captain for the Tigers.
"I’m the 10th member from both sides of my family to go to Holy Cross ... I was going to Holy Cross even before I was born," Wattigny said with a laugh.
Afterward, he considered a number of college options, including Kentucky, Tulane, Central Florida and Memphis. But when all was said and done, there were no scholarship offers on the table. However, there was an offer from then-coach Scott Stoker to come to NSU as a preferred walk-on.
"For whatever reason, Northwestern State was the only team to come forward with a solid offer," said Wattigny, who earned his scholarship during the spring of 2006. "I believe things happen for a reason and I believe this really has worked out for the best."
He has been through too much to feel otherwise. He battled through injuries to both shoulders as a freshman and sophomore, which was unfamiliar territory since he never missed a game in high school. Then again, Wattigny knew it was going to take a lot of work to play at the next level.
"It’s always a transition when you move from one level to the next," Wattigny said. "High school guys aren’t doing everything they’re doing in college, and college guys aren’t doing everything they’re doing in the pros. If you want to be a good athlete — to be a great athlete — you have to be willing to put the time in."
Another lesson learned at the college level is how much more sophisticated the game is. There’s the grind of daily practices from August through November, or December if all goes well. ... There’s additional preparation, watching endless hours of film to get ready for that next game, not to mention all the team meetings. ... There’s time in the training room, taping and physical therapy, just to be able to get on the field to play. ... And time during the day is required to be a student. It all adds up to a full-time job.
"There’s a misconception that football is a game of big guys running around hitting people. At least five days out of the week, you’re watching film trying to pick up tendencies of the next team you’re playing. You’re always trying to pick up something ... trying to pick up tendencies of the other team, trying to pick up on a read ... It’s like getting an edge before your strap it up and go out to play against the other guy.
"If you’ve prepared well enough during the week, you know you’re going to do well in the game. It’s like taking a class. If you study hard all week, you can expect to get an A when you take the test on Friday. And if you only started studying on Thursday, you know you’re probably not going to do so well."
THE PURPLE SWARM DEFENSE
Wattigny is excited to be part of the Demons' vaunted "Purple Swarm" defense that features a number of key returnees, including cornerback Kasey Brown, who came to NSU as a walk-on and has been named to the Consensus Draft Services prese ason All-America team for the Division I Football Championship Subdivision. This is a unit that constantly strives to live up to its name and a tradition that dates back to its origins in 1996, when Peveto was a first-year defensive coordinator under legendary NSU head coach Sam Goodwin. The philosophy then that led to the players creating the name "Purple Swarm" hasn't changed since then, even through coaching changes from Goodwin to Steve Roberts (2000-01), Stoker (2002-08) and now Peveto in charge.
"Swarm to the football and get 11 hats on the ball," Wattigny said of the philosophy. "The idea is to play with reckless control. We want relentless pursuit to the football, but we want to play under control and not make dumb mistakes."
It all comes down to a team concept.
"All positions are important. You have to be able to understand your role and execute, and when everybody understands their role, that’s when you have a complete team," Wattigny said. "You can’t win games unless you have 11 guys working together to accomplish a goal. Even when I make a good play, I know I might not have made it if not for the other 10 guys doing their jobs."
Wattigny’s role in the new 4-3 scheme isn’t completely defined since he's played at tackle and on the outside at end or possibly even linebacker. He weighed 235 pounds at the start of summer — down from 260 from a year ago — but has set a goal of bulking back up to 250 by the time camp starts in order to put himself in position to fill either role.
"It’s their (the coaches) call where I play," Wattigny said. "It doesn’t matter. I’ll play cornerback, if that’s where they need me. I’m just excited to have the opportunity to play."
That team attitude hasn't been overlooked by the coaching staff.
"If you had 100 guys like Scott Wattigny, you'd never lose a game. He's a team guy, a program guy, and we certainly appreciate him," Peveto said. "The only bad thing about Scott, we wish he was a freshman so we could have him around three more years."
Peveto saw that attitude when he met Wattigny in December while interviewing for the coaching position at NSU. Wattigny and fellow defensive lineman Al Smith were the player representatives on the interview committee. Being selected for that position on the interview committee says something for Wattigny's leadership.
"Oh, yeah," Peveto said, adding with a laugh ... "I'm glad he liked me."
THE UPCOMING SEASON
NSU finished its 2008 season 7-5 overall, 4-3 in the Southland Conference, one game short of reigning as co-champions and advancing to the playoffs. There’s a new look with the program because Peveto has taken over as head coach. Peveto previously coached at NSU and was an assistant four seasons at LSU (2005-2008, he was co-defensive coordinator in 2008 ... 2007 BCS champions). Before that, he was two seasons at Middle Tennessee State and four seasons at Houston (1999-2002) and three seasons at NSU (1996-98).
Stoker, close friends with Peveto for years, was responsible for bringing Wattigny to NSU in 2005.
"It’s been a great transition. I think coach Peveto is a great fit at Northwestern. He bleeds Purple and White and he is one of the founders of the Purple Swarm," Wattigny said of Peveto, who helped the Demons win back-to-back conference titles and I-AA playoff berths (the 1998 NSU team went 11-3, reached the I-AA semifinals, and was ranked No. 3 nationally).
"At the same time, I’m definitely going to miss coach Stoker; he's been an important part of my life the last three years and I wish him the best for the future. I owe coach Stoker a lot for giving me a chance to be here. I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t gotten this opportunity and I’m going to do my best to make the best of it."
Last year, the Demons were in position to advance to the postseason, however, a 24-17 loss at home against McNeese State in the next-to-last-week knocked them out of the driver’s seat. The Demons rebounded to beat Stephen F. Austin 34-24, only to miss out on the playoffs when Texas State beat Sam Houston State 48-45 in overtime.
"At one time we controlled our destiny, but we didn’t take it. The ball just didn’t bounce our way," Wattigny said. "Obviously, when you’re that close, you can taste it, so we know we have to do better."
Now, the Demons can hardly wait for their Sept. 5 season opener against Division I foe Houston.
"We’re ready to strap it up. The guys have been working extremely hard, the coaches have been working extremely hard, we have the chemistry ... we can’t wait to run out of that tunnel against the Houston Cougars," Wattigny said. "I’m excited. The entire team is excited and so is the entire community. I think everyone in Northwestern Louisiana is fired up for this coming season — I know we’re all gonna go out there and give everything we have to make it special."
LOOKING AHEAD
Looking ahead. The dream of playing at yet another higher level still flickers — "What little kid doesn't dream of that" — otherwise he is considering looking into education (perhaps coaching at his alma mater, Holy Cross) or becoming a personal trainer (he's spending this summer working with well-known speed and fitness coach David "Duke" Rousse).
In addition to the responsibilities of football, Wattigny has put in his time with the books and earned his way on to the Southland Conference Academic Honor Roll each of the last three seasons (3.0 for the 2008 fall semester).
"Football is a busy sport and school is busy," he said. "It is tough, but you know going in what you’ve got to do. If you don’t keep the grades up, if you don’t keep up a certain percentage, they’re not going to let you go out and compete on Saturdays, and there’s no getting around that," he said.
And in the end, Wattigny has one goal that ranks even higher than running out of the tunnel in any stadium.
"Education is the No. 1 thing," Wattigny said. "What you get out of college is a great experience. The No. 1 thing is to walk across the stage and get that diploma. That’s what’s going to make you successful and give you the opportunity to earn a living."
On the field, there isn’t a lot of notoriety associated with being a lineman. They’re blue collar workers who do the grunt work up front in the trenches. Especially the walk-on student/athletes — they play for the love of the game.
And that represents what football is all about.
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Trivia: Scott Wattigny’s grandfather, Lou Deutschmann, played fullback for Holy Cross and LSU then was drafted by the New York Giants in the 16th round of the 1957 NFL draft as a back out of LSU. The top six picks out of that draft were Paul Hornung, Jon Arnett, John Brodie, Ron Kramer, Len Dawson and Jim Brown.
Trivia - Scott Wattigny is not the first of his family to play for the Demons. A cousin, Bobby Wattigny, was a quarterback at Holy Cross who played his final college season at Northwestern in 1970.
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No. 52 Scott Wattigny, defensive lineman, Northwestern State
Born: February 7, 1987
Major: History (minor in business and social science)
Hometown: New Orleans
High school: Holy Cross (2005)
Height: 6-1
Weight: 235
