Will the Wildcats or the Terrapins get their first Big Ten Win of 2024?
Despite the loss, Week 6 was arguably the best performance for Northwestern all season. The offense finally showed something with Jack Lausch under center against a non-FCS opponent. The defense, however, wasn’t at its best.
On a short week, Northwestern is headed to College Park to take on Maryland fresh off a Week 6 bye after losing to Indiana in Week 5. Standing at 3-2 overall, the Terrapins are 0-2 in conference play this season, with losses to Michigan State and Indiana. They’re looking to get in the conference win column, as are the Wildcats. Here are three things to watch for on Friday night:
Northwestern’s Pass Defense
Northwestern just faced one of the best offenses in the country led by a quarterback that has been torching every defense he has faced. Kurtis Rourke continued to impress against the ‘Cats, and he made the defense look silly. Indiana receiver Elijah Sarrat was his favorite target as the James Madison transfer finished the day with seven catches for 135 yards. The ‘Cats also allowed a 52-yard catch and run by Ke’Shawn Williams; the longest play they’ve given up this season. Tackling as a whole was a problem against Indiana, but the Northwestern secondary couldn’t stop Rourke and his receivers at the point of the catch. While Billy Edwards Jr. and the Maryland offense aren’t as explosive all-around as Indiana, they still are averaging over 300 passing yards-per-game, which is good for second in the Big Ten. The ‘Cats secondary needs to play better than they did against the Hoosiers if they want a chance of winning. Even this past week they were only down three in the fourth quarter, but the secondary couldn’t hold. Stopping wide receiver Tai Felton will be key for Northwestern. If they can’t stop him, it could be a long night for this secondary.
Keeping the Offense Moving
Against Indiana, the ‘Cats offense finally looked competent. Lausch didn’t turn the ball over and looked more comfortable than he had against both Eastern Illinois and Washington. Against the Hoosiers, Lausch was 23-of-38 for 243 yards and two touchdowns, adding 34 yards on the ground as well. He also was only sacked twice, which is huge considering starting center Jack Bailey is done for the season and Indiana’s pass rush was one of the best in the country entering last Saturday. Beyond just the stats, Lausch was able to extend plays. He was more accurate with his passes, his pocket presence was better and he knew when to scramble. The Bye Week definitely seemed to help this offense, as not only did Lausch get on a roll, but Bryce Kirtz and A.J. Henning both stood out. Kirtz had over 100 yards receiving, while Henning had two touchdowns. Lausch also didn’t throw any interceptions like he did against Washington.
Indiana’s defense has been a very solid unit this season. Maryland’s defense is not as good. In both of their losses, the Terrapins allowed Aidan Chiles and Kurtis Rourke to throw for over 350 yards each. The ‘Cats offense needs to take advantage of this and try to continue their passing-game success in College Park. Maryland is also allowing over 100 rushing yards-per-game, which is one of the areas Northwestern can take advantage of with Cam Porter now healthy and Joseph Himon II starting to play better.
Win the Turnover Battle
In their Week 6 game, neither the ‘Cats or the Hoosiers gave the ball away. As David Braun said in Monday’s presser, “to play winning football at Northwestern, you have to win the turnover battle.” Maryland has won the turnover battle in all but one of its games, with the one exception coming in a victory over an FCS school. Even in the games in which the Terrapins have won the turnover battle, they’re still 2-2. UMD forced three turnovers against UConn and Michigan State (they lost to the Spartans and turned the ball over once themselves) and four against both Virginia and Indiana (they also lost this one). In three of the games for the ‘Cats, the turnover margin has been even. In those games, Northwestern is 1-2. Against Washington they lost the turnover battle, while against Eastern Illinois they won it. The Terrapins are a team that can force turnovers, so the ‘Cats need to either keep up or outdo them.
To help force turnovers, the front seven needs to get to quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. Edwards has been sacked eight times this year, five of those coming in Week 5 against Indiana. Edwards still had a solid game against the Hoosiers, but similar to when the ‘Cats played IU, the Terrapins couldn’t close out the game. If Northwestern is able to get into the backfield and make Edwards uncomfortable, there could be mistakes that the ‘Cats can capitalize on.