Football: Offense strikes balance against Iowa defense despite slow start

Micah Sandy/Daily Senior Staffer

Senior wide receiver A.J. Henning is pushed out of bounds by an Iowa defender after catching a seven-yard pass from junior quarterback Brendan Sullivan in NU’s loss at Wrigley Field Saturday.

Elena Hubert, Arts & Entertainment Editor

November 6, 2023

Against a defensive juggernaut like Iowa, it was time to shine for Northwestern’s offense when the Wildcats arrived at Wrigley Field Saturday.

That time wouldn’t come until the fourth quarter, when junior quarterback Brendan Sullivan connected with sixth-year wide receiver Cam Johnson for a five-yard touchdown.

Until then, the ‘Cats offense was stifled by Hawkeye defenders through the air and on the ground. Quick to take down the recipients of Sullivan’s continued handoffs, NU (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) rushed on more than half of their plays, while the Davison, Michigan, native threw for only 81 yards compared to his career-high 265 against Maryland last week.

The ‘Cats conjured up only 29 total yards in the first half of their 10-7 loss — two of the offense’s six drives garnered a first down. By the end of the contest, the Hawkeyes garnered 65 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and five sacks.

But the ‘Cats reached their stride after halftime, at least in the fourth quarter, getting two solid shots at getting across the pylons.

“We’re starting to find ways to pick up some personality, some momentum, some rhythm,” coach David Braun said at a postgame conference. “(Sullivan) is starting to catch a rhythm.”

Their first chance came at the start of the fourth. A drive that nearly lasted 10 minutes, Iowa’s Cooper DeJean’s pass interference placed the ‘Cats two yards away from the endzone on first down. But as it had in the first half, the run game proved ineffective against a black-and-gold wall of defenders, unable to put NU on the board.

Still, Sullivan said this didn’t thwart the offense’s confidence in their ability.

“We drove the ball down there to get there,” the junior said. “Obviously, we’d really like to score a touchdown, but it didn’t dampen our mood at all. We were still very confident in our ability to get back in the endzone.”

With their momentum unmoved and the help of senior wideout A.J. Henning’s 23-yard punt return, Sullivan led the ‘Cats back into the red zone with less than six minutes left in the contest.

Through a six-yard pass to graduate wideout Bryce Kirtz and a seven-yard scramble by Sullivan, the drive set the stage for a score. Two plays later, Johnson, who was enwrapped by a defender, lept in the air to snag a catch mid-end zone to tie the game at seven apiece.

We are ALL TIED UP!@nufbfamily | #BigTenSaturday pic.twitter.com/x6dLdIemcd

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 4, 2023

Although a 52-yard field goal in the last minute spelled victory for the Hawkeyes, the ’Cats measured up offensively — netting 26 more passing yards and one more total yard.

Even though NU was outrushed by Iowa, Braun called his running back trio of senior Cam Porter, junior Anthony Tyus III and sophomore Joseph Himon II a “pretty special combination” of offensive options. For instance, while Himon caught one pass and had zero touches on Saturday, the sophomore still has the team’s fourth-most receiving yards with 203 this season.

Braun said the team “knew what (they) were getting into” against an Iowa defense ranked sixth nationally for fewest points allowed. Although they did not emerge victorious, Braun believes the team has a lot of wins left in them.

“Iowa has made a lot of really quality opponents punt the ball eight, nine, ten times,” Braun said. “We knew how we were going to have to keep battling, and I was really proud of the way our offense bought into that, stayed the course and started moving the ball really effectively at the end of the second half.”

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @elenahubert25