Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Lausch’s electrifying performance — the highest of highs — in a win over Eastern Illinois in Week 3 was followed up by the lowest of lows. Against Washington, Lausch completed just 8-of-27 passes for 53 yards as Northwestern fell into an early deficit that resulted in a 24-5 defeat.
The Wildcats (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) had a bye last week, allowing coach David Braun’s squad to regroup following the loss in Seattle. Meanwhile, Indiana enters Evanston on the heels of a 42-28 home win over Maryland.
The Hoosiers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) — led by first-year head coach Curt Cignetti — are amid a program renaissance. After three consecutive seasons failing to exceed four wins, Indiana is 5-0 for the first time since 1967.
The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. in NU’s first home Big Ten game along the lakefront at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. It is also the first home game where undergraduate students are back on campus.
As the ’Cats look to knock off a ranked team for the first time since 2020, here’s what to watch for.
1. Porter’s potential return
In his Monday press conference, Braun said he is hopeful to see graduate student running back Cam Porter lined up behind Lausch on Saturday, though he noted the staff will not know for certain if the star rusher will play until later in the week.
“Cam’s definitely trending in the right direction,” Braun said. “If there’s anyone that’s going to work their tails off to make sure they’re back, it’s Cam Porter.”
Against Washington, Porter was a late addition to the injury report with a lower-body injury. Without him, redshirt sophomore Joseph Himon II and redshirt freshman Caleb Komolafe mustered just a combined 29 yards on 12 carries.
Through three games, Porter has rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns. In each of his appearances this season, Porter has averaged at least 4.8 yards per carry.
The NU offense stalled in the game without Porter, scoring the fewest points in Braun’s tenure with the program. With the ball on the one yard line on first down and a goal against Washington, the ’Cats failed to walk away with points.
“We’re not playing at the level that we want to, but I think there’s a lot of areas that we’re excited about to see some breakthrough in,” Braun said. “Up until Washington, I thought we were doing a great job of establishing the run game.”
Having No. 1 in the backfield could help the NU rushing game return to form and be the engine to turn the tide for the upset-hungry ’Cats.
2. The Hoosiers’ explosive offense
Indiana’s offense, led by quarterback Kurtis Rourke, has been among the nation’s best, pouring in 48.8 points per game and 513 yards per game. Both figures rank top 10 nationally.
Rourke, the 2022 MAC Player of the Year for Ohio, is tied for the most passing touchdowns in the Big Ten with 11 and is second in passing yards with 1,372. Braun said Rourke has the potential to create immense issues for his defense given his talent level.
“We’ve seen some good quarterback play so far this year,” Braun said. “He has clearly impressed me more than anyone that I’ve watched on film so far this year. He’s doing a great job, and the guys around him are doing a great job of supporting him.”
The ’Cats struggled to slow down Washington quarterback Will Rogers last game as he completed 20-of-28 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns.
Rourke threw his lone two interceptions of the season last game against Maryland, giving Braun and his staff an idea of what they need to do to disrupt the sixth-year quarterback.
“They’re balanced, high-end quarterback play,” Braun said. “They do a great job in RPO. (They’re) very strategic and well thought out on their shot plays … We’re going to have to force (Rourke) to process post-snap, and we’re going to have to find ways to affect him in the pocket.”
3. NU’s defense needing improvement
With the bye week having come and gone, the ’Cats defense has had an extra week to prepare for the Indiana offense.
Washington’s offense gave NU fits, particularly in the first half where the Huskies scored 17 of its 24 points. It was defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle’s unit’s worst performance of the season by total yardage allowed.
“Our guys on the defensive side of the ball were not pleased with their performance, and it wasn’t up to the standard,” Braun said.
The ’Cats’ game against Washington marked the first time this season that the defense did not register an interception. Redshirt junior defensive back Theran Johnson allowed a 46-yard touchdown on the Huskies’ second drive of the game.
Despite the team’s defensive lapse less than two weeks ago, Braun said he has an inkling that his defense can bounce back at home.
“There’s certainly a level of confidence on that side of the ball with that group,” Braun said. “I think that group is itching to get back to game day.”
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