Will the ‘Cats grab their first conference victory of the year in Seattle?
After a somewhat underwhelming home victory against FCS opponent Eastern Illinois — at least for the first thirty minutes — Northwestern will be traveling away from home for the first time this fall. They’ll be matching up against Big Ten newcomer Washington on Saturday night, looking to start their conference slate off right. The Huskies sit at 2-1 now, recently coming off of a tough 24-19 loss to in-state rival Washington State. Now a season removed from a National Championship appearance, UW is looking to keep their winning ways going. Here are three things to focus on as Northwestern looks to earn its first win in program history against Washington:
Run Defense
The battle in the trenches will in all likelihood define this game for both teams. Three games into the season, Washington’s rushing attack has looked impressive (averaging 5.5 yards per carry), while Northwestern run defense has been very stout (only giving up 2.3 yards per rush). Despite the small sample size, both squads clearly have a respective advantage in the run game. Now butting heads, a battle between UW’s line and NU’s front seven is going to be very fun to watch.
Northwestern’s defense is filled with talent across the board, which includes arguably one of the deepest defensive lines in the conference. Headlining the front are Najee Story and Aidan Hubbard, though the rotation is noteworthy across the board. For all the mistakes the Wildcats have yet to clean up, getting pressure on the quarterback seems to be a defensive forte: the ‘Cats have already recorded 15 tackles for loss through three games, tied for sixth in the Big Ten.
Stopping the Huskies’ backfield will by no means be an easy task, however. Washington is currently averaging 171.7 rushing yards per game, led by Arizona transfer Jonah Coleman, who has already ran for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Northwestern currently sits at seventh in the country in rush yards allowed per game, giving up only 57.7 yards per contest. However, with their first true challenge this season, it will be critical to still how the defense holds up.
A Continuing Quarterback Battle
This storyline is nothing new, but what makes this game unique is just how much it can define the roles that each of Jack Lausch and Mike Wright play for head coach David Braun the rest of this season.
Now that both Lausch and Wright have a start under the belts, the competition for the starting job is as open as ever. With Lausch likely to get the nod this Saturday, the pressure will be on the Chicago native to deliver against the first FBS competition he’s seen in his three seasons with the Wildcats. Lausch performed admirably against EIU last week, posting 227 yards and two touchdowns on a 64.5% completion rate. But a road game against Washington is a whole different beast compared to a home game against the Panthers. Lausch’s performance this weekend is likely to determine Coach Braun’s ultimate decision on who’s job it will be, or if we may even see a dual quarterback system.
Third Down Offense
Speaking of offensive struggles, a big reason why the quarterback situation has been so up in the air is because the offense has been unable to string long drives together, in large part due to third down struggles. The ‘Cats have gone just 12-of-38 on third down tries this season — 11th-worst in the Power 4 — in large part due to the fact that they have consistently had to convert on third and long. NU has needed, on average, eight yards for a first down on third downs this season, putting the offense in a tough position time in and time out and often leading to stalled drives and subsequent punts.
For the offense to get moving, Northwestern will need to be much more efficient with their third down offense, which really means that first and second down need to be plus-yardage plays. It is sure to be a challenge against a Husky defense giving up first downs on just 30% of third down plays, but if the Wildcats can fix this offensive issue starting this weekend, it could rejuvenate what has been a lackluster offense up to this point.