The offensive woes that plagued the ‘Cats aren’t going away any time soon.
The ‘Cats headed to Seattle with high morale after an offensive showcase against Eastern Illinois last week. But those good vibes evaporated quickly, as Northwestern fell to Washington in a 24-5 drubbing. Much like in previous weeks, the ‘Cats rolled out a lethargic offensive attack that tanked their chances from the start. With that being said, here are five things we learned from a disappointing trip out west.
Lausch failed his first FBS test
The Huskies had Lausch figured out from the beginning. He finished his second career start with just 53 passing yards and two interceptions, completing just eight of his 27 attempts. And he didn’t fare much better with his legs, rushing for just 21 yards on 13 carries. Long story short, Lausch looked raw out there. He struggled to hit open receivers any deeper than 10 yards down the field. In the pocket, he was skittish and failed to feel the constant pressure that the Huskies’ defensive line applied.
What was most disconcerting was that Lausch was completely ineffective on the ground. The redshirt sophomore managed a measly 1.6 yards per carry — he was constantly scrambling to find breathing room amidst a suffocating Washington defense. Lausch is most dangerous with his legs, so if opponents are able to shut that down, the ‘Cats are good as dead.
You have to give it to Lausch: the kid is fearless. He dove for the end zone, ducked his head for extra yardage, and took plenty of shots from Huskies ‘backers. However, that reckless abandon simply isn’t sustainable. As poorly as he performed on Saturday, Lausch is the purple-and-white’s best chance at winning. This loss was a valuable lesson for a young quarterback who needs to strike a balance between aggression and self-preservation.
The secondary is a weak point
This entire section could be dedicated to Theran Johnson’s disastrous first half, but the Northwestern secondary as a whole struggled mightily. Starting with Johnson, he gave up a deep touchdown to Denzel Boston on Washington’s second drive of the game. Coco Azema was too late on the help, and the Huskies went up 7-0. One quarter later, Boston cooked Johnson again, this time on a slant route to put UW by 17.
The ignominy continued in the second half, when Huskies bellcow Jonah Coleman added to his highlight reel at the secondary’s expense. He hurdled Evan Smith for a first down in the third and slipped Devin Turner’s arm tackle for a touchdown to start the final quarter of action. It was just a messy game for LaMarcus Hicks’ unit, as his insistence to play off-man gave receivers like Boston way too much room to run. All of NU’s starting backs are under 6-foot-1, so they perform best when they press opposing receivers. Hicks needs to use this bye week to prepare his guys for a tough matchup in Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke.
NU’s offense needs Cam Porter
The ‘Cats sorely missed their captain on Saturday evening. Outside of Lausch, Northwestern rushed for just 38 yards on 13 carries. Porter hit that mark just halfway into the second quarter in last week’s win against Eastern Illinois. Besides a 15-yard dash in the third quarter, Joseph Himon II couldn’t gain any ground on NU’s drives. Caleb Komolafe wasn’t any better, as he gained just 14 yards on seven carries.
NU’s best gains came not from Lausch and company, but from Himon’s kickoff returns. In the second quarter, he started the ‘Cats off at Washington’s 45-yard line on a drive that ended in (you guessed it) a punt. Better yet, he broke off a 96-yard return in the fourth quarter to set up the offense six feet from the end zone. Even with that brilliant return, the purple-and-white couldn’t find any points after failing to convert on 4th-and-goal.
Porter has been the only constant on a volatile Northwestern offense this season, which is why his late scratch was such a gut punch. He’s averaging 5.3 yards per carry in three games this season and has put the team on his back throughout turmoil at the quarterback position. The ‘Cats will hope that he’s ready to go against Indiana in two weeks. Otherwise, the offense will be in for another long week.
Third-down conversions are still a problem
The offense was simply unable to stay on the field, in large part because it converted just two of its 13 third-down attempts. There were two glaring problems that contributed to this issue, the first being poor playcalling on early downs. Lausch refused to throw beyond the sticks, but Zach Lujan didn’t do his quarterback any favors by leaving him out to dry in the pocket. He needed to involve dynamic players like A.J. Henning in the run more often as opposed to leaving him as a checkdown option.
This lack of creativity contributed to the second issue: the ‘Cats had an average distance of 6.9 yards to go on third downs. Lausch didn’t stand a chance against a ravenous Huskies defense that frequently blitzed a weak and injured O-line. Every fruitless run up the middle sent the message that the ‘Cats had already given up. Lujan must ensure that his guys stay ahead of the chains if he wants to produce a better offensive attack.
A bowl game might not be in the cards this season
NU looked outmatched from the first drive at Husky Stadium, and such a feeble effort should raise questions of whether the ‘Cats will even finish above .500. Their two wins came against Miami (OH) — one of the worst offenses in the FBS — and Eastern Illinois. There was hope that adding Lujan to the staff would aid an offense that was 10th-worst in the FBS in yards per game last year. Instead, the ‘Cats sit at 14th-worst in 2024. I miss Ben Bryant.
The ‘Cats are now 2-2 on the season, and it doesn’t get any easier from here. The Hoosiers are coming to Martin Stadium with an offense that averages over 50 points per game. NU could steal a game against Wisconsin or Purdue (or both), but the purple-and-white are almost guaranteed to lose their last three games against Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois. Last year was a Cinderella story for Braun and his squad, but it seems like the clock could strike midnight early in the 2024 season.