It was a struggle early on, but the ‘Cats head into conference play with a newfound confidence

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The run game

As the aerial attack fell flat at times, Northwestern’s running game proved unstoppable. It was a collective effort for the ‘Cats, with Cam Porter, Joseph Himon and Jack Lausch all contributing to a dominant effort on the ground. The three combined for 173 yards in the first half, a number higher than NU’s complete game totals against both Miami (OH) and Duke. Cam Porter’s noticeable improvements in the first two games continued, with the team captain registering 77 yards and a touchdown whilst averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Porter likely would’ve notched another score in the first half if his foot hadn’t gotten caught on the turf, which would have added around 30 yards to his tally.

Beyond Porter’s strides, Joseph Himon II took off after a quiet start to the season. The junior only had four carries but made a massive impact by notching a 32-yard touchdown in the dying minutes of the first half, giving the ‘Cats a much-needed lead heading into the locker room. Jack Lausch also made his mark on the ground, which seems to be his most valuable asset as a quarterback, recording 62 yards. This combination could be deadly for the ‘Cats if it continues to dominate in conference play, and could make life much easier for Jack Lausch and give Northwestern’s defense much-needed relief.

Run defense

Even with Anto Saka out of this game, Northwestern’s defense continued to dominate in the trenches. It clearly won the battle over EIU’s offensive line, proving especially resilient against the Panthers’ ground game. The ‘Cats defense only allowed 46 yards to Eastern Illinois’ running backs, with bell cow MJ Flowers only recording 17 yards on seven carries. Collectively, Flowers, Jay Pearson and quarterback Pierce Holley rushed for 40 yards on 20 carries, giving EIU only 2 yards per carry on average.

This was a massive improvement for NU after allowing 93 yards to Duke last week, forcing Eastern Illinois to rely completely on its passing game to move the ball down the field. Clearly such reliance didn’t bode well for EIU, as Pierce Holley had to take matters into his own hands and only threw one touchdown pass to show for it. This ability to stop the run will prove crucial in conference play, and with a shaky offense could remain the reason why the Wildcats remain competitive in many of their upcoming games.

Offensive line

Northwestern may have struggled in the passing game, but little of that was the result of poor offensive line play. Bill O’Boyle’s unit was dominant in all phases, creating space for the running gain to flourish while also protecting Jack Lausch and giving him time to make plays and find open receivers. The running game’s dominance can partially be attributed to this space. They recorded over 200 yards on the ground, with very few runs resulting in negative yardage. Even though Jack Lausch’s performance wasn’t all positive, the O-line only allowed one sack all game long. Generally, the unit gave Lausch ample protection and plenty of time to maneuver and get the ball out of his hands, which certainly showed through his massive improvements in the second half.

Honorable mentions: Second-half Jack Lausch, Luke Akers, Aidan Hubbard, the lakefront atmosphere, student attendance

Stock down:

First-half Jack Lausch

It was a tale of two halves for Lausch in this game, but the woes of the first half are still certainly a concern even when considering Lausch’s later performance. Outside of the first half’s last drive, the passing game was completely nonexistent in the first thirty minutes, with Lausch completing 9-of-20 attempts for 64 yards. Three-quarters of those yards came on the final drive of the first half, as Lausch finally seemed to settle down a bit and find his groove in the offense. Many of Lausch’s passes were underthrown or completely off target, often falling to the ground yards short of his intended receiver, something that stalled the offense and its momentum early on.

To Lausch’s credit, he looked like a completely different quarterback in the second half, completely settling into the game and finding rhythm in Zach Lujan’s offense. While these improvements are encouraging for the ‘Cats moving forward, Lausch’s performance still leaves some question marks heading into conference play next week as a showdown against Washington looms.

Getting the ball to Bryce Kirtz

Kirtz only made two catches for 29 yards last week against the Blue Devils last week, and his stats didn’t get much better in Lausch’s first start. Kirtz finished with three catches for 18 yards against the Panthers, leaving him with only 47 yards in the past two weeks, a total just over half of his 93 yards from the Week 1 victory. Both NU quarterbacks have struggled to find Kirtz, an alarming trend for the offense if this continues going forward. Lausch took a deep shot at Kirtz toward the end zone in the first half, which fell a couple of yards short of No. 17’s reach. Lausch will need to find Kirtz more often for this offense to continue finding success in the coming weeks, as the ‘Cats will need an explosive pass attack to compete with many of its Big Ten foes.

Close games against FCS teams

In Northwestern’s past two matchups against FCS competition, the ‘Cats have struggled to pull away and notch convincing victories. Many FBS programs schedule opponents against these teams because they are meant to be easy victories, and it seems Northwestern finally figured out how to perform in such a manner against Eastern Illinois. The loss to Southern Illinois in 2022 was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the disastrous season Northwestern had, one where the team didn’t win a single game on American soil. In 2023, the 23-20 win over Howard was far too close for comfort, signaling the struggles this team faced with Brendan Sullivan at the helm while Ben Bryant was out with injury.

This time, matters felt eerily similar in the first half, with NU’s offensive struggles making the game feel too close for comfort against a team that should’ve posed little challenge to the Wildcats. However, the ‘Cats figured things out in the second half and regrouped on offense, something that should’ve been routine from the very start. Even with some early season struggles, Northwestern will be relieved to finally get a blowout victory against an FCS team, a performance that should give them confidence and momentum ahead of a challenging conference schedule.

Honorable mentions: Unnecessary penalties, a lack of passing touchdowns

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