Northwestern senior tailback Venric Mark was supposed to be one of the most explosive players in the Big Ten this fall and a key performer for the Wildcats.
But he has played in just one game because of what the school calls a lower leg injury and the Wildcats haven't missed him, averaging 41.3 points and 483.3 yards per game.
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Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald said at his weekly news conference Monday that he feels good about Mark's progress, and if Mark (5-feet-8, 175 pounds) has a good week in practice, he'll be available in some capacity for Saturday's Big Ten matchup with Ohio State in Evanston.
Mark gives the Wildcats a home-run threat in the backfield and on returns. He rushed for 1,366 yards and 12 TDs last season, and he has three return touchdowns (two on punts, one on kickoffs) in his career. Mark also is a capable receiver.
He was injured in the opener against California.
Junior Treyvon Green and senior Mike Trumpy have received the majority of the carries in Mark's place. Green is averaging 101.0 yards per game and has scored five TDs. Trumpy, the nephew of former NFL tight end Bob Trumpy, is averaging 50.8 yards and has scored twice. Starting quarterback Kain Colter also is an accomplished runner.
While Northwestern is 4-0, this week's game is a big step up in competition. The Wildcats have beaten California, Syracuse, Western Michigan and FCS foe Maine.
Northwestern was off last week and Ohio State comes in off a physical victory over Wisconsin. Ohio State leads the series 59-14-1 and has won 28 of the past 29 meetings with the Wildcats, whose only win in that span came in 2004. The teams haven't met since 2008.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
