It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the ‘Cats this week.
Expectations were relatively elevated for Northwestern coming into Saturday’s matchup against the 4-2 Wisconsin Badgers. The ‘Cats – coming off a blowout win over Maryland – seemed to have the momentum necessary to keep their final 2024 game at Northwestern Medicine Field close. Instead, Wisconsin kept its hot streak going with a convincing 23-3 win. Here are five things we learned from Saturday’s tough home loss.
The passing game still needs work
It was certainly a blessing that Jack Lausch & Co. got to face a struggling Terrapin pass defense on October 11th. The ‘Cats took advantage in that game, with Lausch topping 200 passing yards on just 18 attempts. It was clear coming into Saturday’s game that the Badgers would represent a different type of test, but few expected Wisconsin’s defense to stifle Lausch to the extent that it did. Lausch threw for a disappointing 82 yards in the contest, and while he did have some magical moments with his legs, the Wildcats struggled mightily to maintain any type of offensive momentum, even when granted good field position by the defense and special teams units. The good news is that October 21 marks the one-month anniversary of Lausch’s most recent interception, with his only two on the season both coming against the Washington Huskies. On the flip side, though, the Badgers had no trouble preventing big plays from Northwestern’s air attack, an issue that the ‘Cats must fix in future weeks.
Lack of wide receiver depth is a major issue
Fans knew going into Saturday’s matchup that the Wildcats would need to rely on A.J. Henning and Bryce Kirtz to produce big gains. Indeed, once Henning was carted off due to an upper-body injury, Northwestern seemed unable to find a second option at wide receiver. In fact, for the first time all season, the Wildcats did not complete a pass to multiple wide receivers, as the only receptions all game went to Kirtz, RBs Cam Porter and Joseph Himon II, and TE Thomas Gordon. Henning and Kirtz, while talented, can’t create a passing attack all by themselves, and the issue of depth was magnified against Wisconsin’s defense backs, who routinely blanketed Northwestern receivers in coverage. Players such as Frank Covey IV or Calvin Johnson II will need to step up in a big way for the ‘Cats going forward, especially if Henning ends up missing additional time.
The defense can keep most games close
Considering the frustrating circumstances in which Wisconsin scored against NU (a strip-sack inside the five and a safety, to name two), the defense did a relatively good job holding its own. As expected, the Wildcats had some trouble containing Badger running back Tawee Walker (23 attempts for 126 yards), but it wasn’t a bad showing by the DBs, who made multiple turnover-worthy plays (including one interception from Coco Azema). They also held QB Braedyn Locke to 160 yards – his lowest yardage total in four starts this season. It truly did feel like Northwestern had chances to come back in this game – largely due to the play of the defense. Because of this, although the ‘Cats currently sit at 3-4, they are not yet out for the count. While their bowl hopes are becoming slimmer by the day, there should be multiple hotly-contested defensive slugfests down the stretch as NU tries to keep its aspirations alive.
Cam Porter must be reignited
Wisconsin’s stout secondary necessitated Porter’s involvement more than ever in Saturday’s contest, and first-year offensive coordinator Zach Lujan delivered on that front. Porter received 14 carries – his most since returning from his ankle injury. Although Porter only mustered 48 yards on the ground, his signature tough running style and acceleration were present throughout the game. It’s important that Northwestern continues to feature Porter as a main part of the offense, as doing so should help take some pressure off of both Lausch and the NU offensive line. Also, the speed of Joseph Himon is a nice complement to Porter’s between-the-tackles ability, so utilizing both to their maximum extent could represent an ideal lightning-and-thunder pairing for the ‘Cats.
Special teams may not be as consistent as we thought
As the reigning Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, Luke Akers continued to have a big role as both the starting kicker and punter for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, the Wisconsin game wasn’t as stellar. Akers went 1-for-3 kicking field goals, badly missing a 51-yarder and getting another attempt blocked. His six punts had mixed results, but the number of punts alone was certainly not ideal, instead being indicative of a sputtering ‘Cats offense. The Wildcats also gave up a 38-yard kickoff runback to Vinny Anthony II on the Badgers’ lone kick return. For Akers, there shouldn’t be much concern going forward, as his talent is clear. It’s also true that special teams performance naturally varies from week to week, so one tough game alone should not set off alarm bells in the minds of the coaches. However, the unit as a whole may need to improve against Iowa, as a solid performance could go a long way, especially in what projects to be a tight defensive battle.