Big Ten play took on a new definition Saturday night in Seattle as Northwestern traveled west to take on Washington in Husky Stadium. More than 2,000 miles away from its temporary stadium on Lake Michigan, coach David Braun’s squad entered its conference opener and first road test of the year as a double-digit underdog.
The Wildcats’ (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) trip to the Pacific Northwest swiftly veered south, with the Huskies (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) winning the teams’ first meeting in 40 years 24-5.
After both teams stalled out on their opening drives, Washington quarterback Will Rogers dialed up a 46-yard touchdown pass to Denzel Boston, handing the hosts an early 7-0 lead. While NU’s offense struggled to find its footing, the Huskies continued to march down the field as they ended the first quarter with a one-score lead.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Washington kicker Grady Gross converted a 21-yard field goal to extend the Huskies’ lead to 10-0. Following a three-and-out from the ’Cats, Boston hauled in his second touchdown grab of the night, putting NU into a 17-point hole.
With the ’Cats sputtering on offense, Rogers was whistled for an intentional grounding in his own end zone, which gifted NU its first two points of the game on a safety.
Entering the second half down 17-2, the ’Cats turned defense to offense midway through the third quarter as redshirt junior kicker Jack Olsen nailed an 18-yard field goal, capitalizing on graduate student linebacker Xander Mueller’s fumble recovery inside enemy territory.
Braun’s questionable decision to kick from the 1-yard-line while down 15 points proved even more of a head scratcher, as the Huskies stretched their lead to 19 in the first minute of the final quarter — courtesy of Washington running back Jonah Coleman’s eight yard rush.
With a comfortable lead in their back pocket, the Huskies iced their first-ever Big Ten victory in dominant fashion.
Here’s five takeaways from NU’s conference opening loss to Washington.
1. Porter’s surprise injury status looms large
Several hours before kickoff, graduate student running back Cam Porter was reported as questionable for Saturday night’s game. ESPN’s Pete Thamel later reported Porter wouldn’t play, and the tailback wasn’t seen during warmups. Ultimately, Porter missed the matchup with the Huskies due to a lower-body injury.
Porter had proven a pivotal piece of first-year offensive coordinator Zach Lujan’s scheme, scoring three touchdowns during nonconference play. He also has a team-high 234 rushing yards on the season.
The ’Cats’ leading rusher’s inactive status paved the way for redshirt sophomore Joseph Himon II and redshirt freshman Caleb Komolafe to see elevated snap counts. NU will hope to have No. 1 back in the lineup as conference competition ramps up following the team’s Week 5 bye.
2. Lausch endures another slow start
In his first career start against Eastern Illinois last Saturday, redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Lausch struggled mightily in the opening half, completing just four of his first 13 passes for 16 yards. While he gained some traction on the ground, Lausch didn’t find his form through the air until the game’s latter two quarters.
Lausch told The Daily on Tuesday that he needed time to get settled, and it would be a huge boost to have a first start under his belt before hitting the road for Seattle.
Once again, Lausch’s legs proved a major asset from the opening drive, but the redshirt sophomore started cold in the passing game. This culminated in three punts on his team’s three first-quarter drives.
Lausch managed to scramble his way to 20 rushing yards on three carries during the opening frame, but he completed just 2-of-5 passes for three yards — good for 0.6 yards per attempt.
Unfortunately for the Chicago native, his aerial struggles continued long after the first frame. Lausch threw a pair of interceptions and never seemed comfortable inside Husky Stadium. He finished just 8-of-27 for 53 passing yards.
3. Rogers gashes secondary
The ’Cats have long embodied a bend, don’t break mantra, but Washington’s veteran signal caller needed little time to take control of Saturday night’s contest. Rogers shook off negative yardage on the opening drive to find a scalding hot run of form midway through the opening frame.
During his Monday press conference, Braun called the Huskies’ offense with Rogers under center a “scary operation.” Prospects quickly turned frightening for the NU defense in its conference opener.
Unlike Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy, who initially struggled against the ’Cats, Rogers — and his preferred target Boston — torched the NU secondary. With Rogers firing on all cylinders, the ’Cats fell into their largest deficit of the season early on.
4. Goal line offense pitters out
With Porter out of the lineup, the ’Cats lost their typical red zone rushing bellcow. The onus shifted to smaller backs and Lausch to punch the ball into the end zone, as well as Lujan to dial up a scheme to outduel Washington defensive coordinator Steve Belichick.
Instead, the offense appeared dismal deep inside enemy territory. During a crucial span in the third and fourth frame’s Lujan’s group had eight plays inside the Washington 4-yard-line. NU had zero scores to show for it.
5. The ’Cats look to recalibrate during bye week
NU will have an off-week before its first home conference game of 2024 against Indiana on Oct. 5. It’ll be a much-needed reprieve from the Big Ten gauntlet, especially with injuries piling up in the trenches and across several skill positions.
With the Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) off to a high-flying start under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, the ’Cats will certainly have their work cut out in Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
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