NU looks to get back over .500 in its final non-conference matchup of the season.
Coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils, Northwestern will look to get back on track this weekend against Eastern Illinois in its third straight home game on the lake. Both teams are 1-1 on the season, with the Panthers rolling into town riding high after a 27-20 victory over Indiana State. For Northwestern, the past two years have featured two tight games against FCS competition, meaning the fact Eastern Illinois is an FCS school should not be taken lightly. Two years ago was the shocking loss at the hands of Southern Illinois, and last year was the narrow victory against Howard. Here’s three things to watch as Northwestern tries to reverse the trend and come up with a convincing tally in the win column.
Jack Lausch
Ok, I know, duh. There is nothing more important to watch this weekend than Lausch’s debut as a starter. Coach David Braun announced that he was turning to the redshirt sophomore on Monday after Mike Wright struggled mightily against Duke. Lausch is important to keep an eye on of course because, if he plays well, he could be QB1 for the next couple of seasons. But the truth is that he’s also a player about whom we know very little—almost nothing if we’re being honest.
Lausch has been primarily a rushing option in his first two seasons in purple. He come into games to take hand-offs or sell a fake one, and that was it. After Ben Bryant graduated and Lausch’s strong spring camp pushed Brendan Sullivan’s exit, Lausch became the first guy on the depth chart, and many fans felt it was necessary to acquire someone in the portal. Mike Wright was that someone, but Lausch, somewhat surprisingly, pushed him all preseason, so much so that Braun didn’t announce the starting quarterback until just before the opening game.
Now, Lausch has a chance to prove his doubters wrong. There’s two main things to watch for from him on Saturday. First, he needs to prove that he actually is an effective running option. He’s always operated in that role, but he’s never been particularly flashy in it outside of a 53-yard performance against UTEP last year. Secondly, he needs to be accurate, especially with the coaching staff touting his development over the past year. I’m not expecting to see a huge, powerful arm on display, but I’d like to see a few less dropped (or completed) interceptions than I saw from the Duke defense.
Shutout Watch???
Yeah, this is a major writer’s jinx here, but Northwestern’s defense truly looks fantastic through two weeks. It just feels like it has quality starters at all three level, not to mention the run defense hasn’t allowed 100 total yards of rushing in a game yet. Two weeks ago against Miami of Ohio, another non-power conference opponent, the ‘Cats allowed just 40 rushing yards on 1.7 yards per carry. Those are pretty dominant numbers.
The pass rush is flying around, having racked up six sacks already. At linebacker, Xander Mueller had a somewhat pedestrian first game (for his standards), but exploded for 11 tackles and was flying all over the field against Duke. He’s so good at being in the right place at the right time, and he showed last week why he’s arguably the best player on this team. Plus, the secondary is playing well, creating turnovers and limiting big plays. There’s so much to like so far from this defensive unit, a unit that has been asked to do far too much in the first two games of the season. It might be good enough to completely shut down Eastern Illinois on Saturday, especially if the offense rebounds at all and is able to sustain drives under Lausch.
Zach Lujan’s playcalling
The Wildcats’ new offensive coordinator took some deserved heat last week for a head-scratching Mike Wright designed run on third-and-1 in double overtime. Cam Porter had been gashing the Blue Devils so far on the drive, and Wright got completely stuffed, losing eight on the play and setting the ‘Cats up with a tricky must-convert fourth down. They didn’t, and lost the game. That call was bad. But Lujan’s offense has also just not been productive through two games. In regulation, it’s scored thirteen points twice, and hasn’t looked as explosive or creative as most fans were hoping.
Now, it’s unfair to make a judgment on Lujan just yet, especially when his quarterback has been this erratic. But he needs to show something against Eastern Illinois. For all intents and purposes, this is the easiest remaining opponent on the schedule. Put Lausch in situations to succeed, put the ball in Cam Porter’s hands and flex some real offensive muscles in this game. If Lujan can do that, then some of these unfair whispers will settle down. If the offense looks putrid again with a new quarterback against an FCS team, they’ll continue to spread.