Not a lot of strong stock ups after this one.
Meeting the Huskies for the first time since 1984, Northwestern couldn’t find the program’s first win against Washington as Northwestern’s offense faltered and QB Will Rogers, WR Denzel Boston and RB Jonah Coleman sliced through Northwestern’s defense. Here’s who’s rising and falling after Northwestern’s 24-5 loss.
Stock Up
Punting
There wasn’t much positive to take away from the Wildcats’ performance against the Huskies, but one bright spot was the punting unit. Between Luke Akers and Hunter Renner, the duo combined for five punts in the first half, totaling nearly 250 yards. Renner’s lone punt pinned the Huskies inside their own 10-yard line, eventually helping the Wildcats’ defense put a safety on the scoreboard.
Outside of one poor punt, Akers was stellar throughout the night for the Wildcats, punting 7 times in total for 301 yards. Of course, it’s never a good sign when your most successful player in a game was the punter.
A.J. Henning
Henning finally had his breakout game of the 2024 season last week when the Michigan transfer eclipsed 100 yards for the first time in his Northwestern career during the Wildcats’ win against Eastern Illinois. Despite a slow second half, the wideout continued his momentum against the Huskies, recording five receptions for 41 yards in the game, as he quickly emerged as Jack Lausch’s favorite and most reliable target.
Henning also showcased his versatility in first-year coordinator Zach Lujan’s offense, starting off Northwestern’s first scoring drive with a nine-yard run. The wideout has proven his ability on the ground, despite rushing for negative yardage prior to the Wildcats’ game against the Huskies. The skilled wideout also returned three punts for 39 yards.
Xander Mueller
Northwestern’s standout linebacker was one of the few positives from Saturday’s contest. Mueller was sensational for coach David Braun’s defense, recording eight tackles with two tackles for loss, even recovering a fumble for the Wildcats. Besides his 11-tackle game against Duke, Mueller had been relatively quiet this season but finally found his stride tonight despite an overall lackluster effort from the Wildcats. The Wildcats need Mueller to continue this level of production as they enter full swing in conference play.
Honorable Mentions: Aidan Hubbard, Anto Saka, Joe Himon II kickoff returns
Stock Down
Fourth down offense
While Lujan tried to showcase his aggressiveness with his fourth-down play calling, the Wildcats were unable to convert a crucial one at the start of the fourth quarter when Lausch threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. On consecutive drives in the second half, Northwestern was able to matriculate all the way down to the Washington 1-yard line. The Wildcats ran nine plays from that distance, and gained just three points.
Beyond just fourth-down offense and play calling, the Wildcats will need to reassess their entire offensive strategy after a massive letdown against the Huskies. Northwestern tallied only 112 total yards on 53 plays, resulting in a putrid average of 2.1 yards per play. Only three Wildcat drives totaled over 20 yards.
Running back room
After Cam Porter was ruled out with a lower-body injury, Wildcats tailback Joe Himon got the starting nod but struggled significantly in the first half of his debut as the lead back. Himon scraped his way to -2 yards on two carries through the first half hour. While he did end the game with 15 yards on five carries, Porter’s understudy failed to step into the bell cow role that was expected of him. Additionally, Caleb Komolafe provided little production on the ground throughout the game (seven carries, 14 yards), unable to compensate for Himon’s lack of contribution in the rushing attack.
While Himon and Komolafe couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities in the backfield, the offense’s rushing attack was headlined by Lausch. However, No. 12 couldn’t make a difference for the Wildcats’ offensive attack as the quaterback rushed for a mere 21 yards on 13 attempts. In total, Northwestern rushed for only 59 yards on 26 attempts.
Jack Lausch
While Lausch turned heads in his starting debut last week against Eastern Illinois, throwing for 227 yards and two touchdowns while adding 62 yards on the ground, the signal-caller struggled mightily against Washington defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who had his number throughout the game.
Lausch, who was extremely effective on the ground last week, failed to carry that success into this week’s game, as he couldn’t find his rhythm carrying the football. Questions about Lausch’s arm also resurfaced, especially after he threw a head-scratching interception right before halftime, which killed a crucial drive for Braun’s team. Additionally, Lausch threw away another drive with a careless interception in the fourth quarter, which is likely to spark concerns about his football IQ. He closed the day with a stat line of 8-for-27, for only 53 yards passing. He also threw a pair of interceptions, and only completed one of his seven targets to Bryce Kirtz.
Honorable Mentions: Bryce Kirtz, Offensive playcalling, Pass defense, Red zone offense, Thomas Gordon