Rapid Reaction: Northwestern flounders in Seattle, falls to Washington 24-5

NU’s defense makes it a game, but red zone troubles slash Northwestern’s offensive output

Northwestern’s first Big Ten game of the season was nothing short of disappointing. The Wildcats traveled to Seattle to face one of their newest conference foes in Washington. An inefficient offensive performance combined with several key mistakes led to Northwestern’s ultimate downfall in a 24-5 loss.

Jack Lausch had an overall sloppy performance at Husky Stadium, finishing just 8-of-27 for 53 yards alongside two interceptions. His rushing ability may have been his only redeeming quality, as he led the team with 21 yards. A.J. Henning was the only effective offensive option, racking up 41 yards on five receptions. Xander Mueller headed the defensive effort with eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

Will Rogers was solid on Washington’s end, tallying 223 yards through the air and two touchdowns. Denzel Boston was the clear star of the show, catching both of Rogers’ touchdown throws amidst a seven-reception, 121-yard night. Jonah Coleman shined as well, juking and hurdling defenders on his way to 67 yards and a score on 15 carries.

Things started slow in Seattle, as Northwestern and Washington traded the ball after both offenses were held to three-and-outs. Anto Saka registered a huge sack on a third-and-4, giving Lausch and the NU offense a reset starting at its own 34 yard-line.

But after a near-interception from Will Rogers, Washington broke the game open offensively with a six-play, 73-yard drive. Jonah Coleman was heavily involved early, getting three touches to get the offense flowing before Rogers unloaded a bomb to Denzel Boston for a 46-yard touchdown.

Washington’s dominance continued, with the Northwestern offense looking overmatched while the Huskies continued rolling behind a formidable one-two punch of Rogers and Coleman. After another Wildcat punt, UW marched into the red zone as the first quarter wound to a close.

Yet to open the second period, NU’s defense stayed strong, holding Washington to a 21-yard field goal. The defense had held. Now it was the offense’s turn to make some plays.

But for the scoring side of the ball, a bad start only got worse after yet another three-and-out and solid punt return gave Washington amazing field position. It didn’t take long for Rogers and company to capitalize, with a 13-yard strike to Boston pushing the lead to 17 just 20 minutes into the game.

After backing up the Huskies inside their own 10-yard line, the ‘Cats finally picked up some steam via a safety as Aidan Hubbard pressured Rogers into an intentional grounding in the end zone. After a 37-yard return from Joseph Himon II on the ensuing punt, the Wildcats found themselves in their best field position of the game yet. Yet another Husky sack stalled what was an otherwise promising drive.

NU made an effort to cut into the lead before halftime, but again was shut down when Lausch threw an ill-advised ball right into the hands of UW linebacker Carson Bruener. Heading into the half, Washington tried a 51-yard field goal but was unable to convert, leaving the score at 17-2.

The beginning of the second half looked similar to the beginning of the first, with back-to-back punts marking a slow start out of the break. But the tides finally turned in the Wildcats’ direction when Xander Mueller recovered a Rogers fumble inside the UW 33 yard-line.

The ‘Cats flipped a switch from there on out, with the offense driving down inside the two yard-line before settling for a field goal on fourth-and-2 to make the score 17-5.

Looking to respond to Northwestern’s score, Washington came out confident, driving into Wildcat territory despite an injury to Rogers. Backup quarterback Demond Williams Jr. filled in admirably, keeping the drive alive before Rogers returned and led the Huskies to another score, this time an 8-yard run by Coleman.

Now a three-score game, Northwestern responded in a big way with its backs against the wall, beginning with a 96-yard kickoff return from Himon. Once the ball came back into the offense’s hands, the problems continued. Starting at the two-yard line, NU came away with just one yard on four downs, handing the ball right back with nothing to show for it.

Adding injury to insult, Lausch threw an unfortunate interception, going in and out of the hands of Calvin Johnson’s hands before Khmori House snagged it out of the air. Washington milked nearly five minutes of clock, driving deep into the red zone before Coleman fell just short of the line to gain on fourth-and-1 from Northwestern’s 9-yard line.

After the ‘Cats went three-and-out, Washington drained the clock, sealing its first conference win as a member of the Big Ten.

With a bye week next week, Northwestern looks to return to the win column against Indiana at home on Oct. 5.