Long before he took a varsity-level snap at South Chicago’s Brother Rice High School, Jack Lausch sought out guidance from one of the area’s preeminent quarterback gurus. Jeff Christensen, the owner and quarterback coach at Throw It Deep, began working with Lausch when he was just 14.
Christensen, who has trained three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes since his rookie season with the Chiefs, said he could tell early on that Lausch “had the God-given gift.” He added that Lausch’s work ethic helped him develop into a Division I quarterback.
Now, Lausch stepped in to make his first career start, where he faced Christensen’s alma mater. Earlier in the week, Christensen made sure to reach out to his trainee with a few tips he said Lausch was surely aware of.
“The advice is real simple,” Christensen said. “Don’t turn the ball over. Use good sense until you know the game is slowing down for you visually. Take care of the ball, be a great leader and take what the defense gives you.”
While Lausch needed almost the entire first half to settle into the offense, he went a perfect 11-of-11 on second-half throws to help the Wildcats (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) storm past the Panthers (1-2, 0-0 Ohio Valley) in a 31-7 victory.
Lausch finished the night 20-of-31 for 227 yards and two passing touchdowns. He added another 62 yards on seven carries.
“Thank you to family, friends, people from home coming out — that was an unbelievable feeling knowing (I) had support from not only that, but from my teammates, my coaches and people in the building,” Lausch said. “I was really excited, I was really happy and I was just ready to go compete with these guys.”
With all the excitement and fanfare behind Lausch’s first career start, he nearly hit graduate student wide receiver Bryce Kirtz on a deep throw for what would’ve marked a dream opening-series score. Instead, the ball innocently struck the turf, and NU’s passing game subsequently sputtered.
Lausch completed just four of his first 13 throws, amassing 16 yards through the air.[RN] For much of the first half, the ’Cats were neck-and-neck with an FCS foe they were favored to dismantle by more than 20 points.
“The biggest thing was just taking a breath, slowing down my feet and just trusting my reads downfield,” Lausch said. “Early, my feet were a little crazy. I had guys open (that) I was passing up.”
Even with his early struggles, Lausch played turnover-free football — a key element coach David Braun stressed in making the switch from graduate student quarterback Mike Wright to Lausch.
Late in the third quarter, Lausch and graduate student wide receiver A.J. Henning carved up the Eastern Illinois secondary on a 45-yard connection. Soon after, the duo linked up again for a three-yard receiving touchdown — NU’s first passing touchdown of the season
After Henning torched the Panthers for a 46-yard reception on his team’s ensuing drive, Lausch tossed his second career touchdown pass to graduate student tight end Marshall Lang. With a 24-point lead in his back pocket, Braun rotated in his second-teamers, ending Lausch’s night just before the game’s closing minutes.
“He’s unfazed by what’s going on around him,” Braun said of Lausch. “That comes back to a sense of self-confidence. Not ego, not false confidence, but true self-confidence because of his preparation… The young man stayed ready. He got news back in August he didn’t want to hear, but he just continued to plug away.”
On what once seemed a night spiraling out of control for Lausch and first-year offensive coordinator Zach Lujan, Lausch developed a standout introductory tale — one which illuminates hope for plenty more chapters down the line.
Next Saturday, Lausch and the ’Cats will open Big Ten play against College Football Playoff finalists Washington. For Lausch, the matchup presents potential to build on his team’s nonconference progress.
“The great part about football is that there’s always something to get better at,” Lausch said. “We’re all about trying to get better ourselves. Just find ways to do that every day, and I think we’ll put ourselves in the best position possible.”
Just as Lausch displayed no regression after initially losing out in the summer quarterback battle, he once again grew through adversity Saturday night.
A constant drive for improvement fuels the young quarterback, according to his longtime trainer.
“He loves the art of getting better,” Christensen said. “He loves when the information you give him helps him be more reactionary as an athlete … Most importantly, he understands it’s all about competition.”
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