Northwestern ran onto SECU Stadium’s turf as double-digit underdogs Friday night. That didn’t stop coach David Braun’s squad from leaving College Park as 37-10 victors in its largest margin of victory this season.
“Really proud of our entire program,” Braun said in the postgame press conference Friday. “(I’m) proud of the way that our guys stayed the course and found a way to win a game.”
Now, the Wildcats (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) will host Wisconsin for this season’s final game at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium Saturday.
Similar to NU, the Badgers (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) will enter Saturday morning’s contest with a heap of momentum. During its two most recent outings, coach Luke Fickell’s unit dismantled Purdue and Rutgers with 52-6 and 42-7 victories.
Last year, the ’Cats entered Camp Randall Stadium and handed Wisconsin a 24-10 loss. NU hopes it can return to its locker room with wins in back-to-back years against the Badgers Saturday for the first time since the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Here are three things to watch out for as the ’Cats look to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
Wisconsin offense’s radiating rhythm
After Badger quarterback Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL against Alabama, quarterback Braedyn Locke stepped into the role. He completed only half of his passes and threw for just 125 yards as the Crimson Tide dismantled Wisconsin 42-10.
In his first Big Ten matchup, Locke completed half of his throws once again for under 200 yards in another loss. Then, the flip switched for the offense.
In its past two games, Saturday’s visitors have exceeded 40 points and 500 yards.
“Their quarterback play continues to trend in the right direction for them,” Braun said. “(Locke) came in against Alabama. That’s a tough situation to be thrust into, but you can tell that he continues to play with more and more confidence.”
Braun also highlighted the strength of the Badgers’ offensive line, which has allowed six sacks and 21 tackles for loss on the season. Both figures rank top four in the Big Ten and top 15 in the nation.
He noted that Wisconsin’s offense becomes tough to defend when factoring in the team’s run game. Running back Tawee Walker has rushed for 439 yards and nine touchdowns — the second most rushing scores in the Big Ten — this season.
“What you’re seeing out of Wisconsin these last two weeks is they get up in a football game, they remain incredibly balanced — and with that balance — (the team) becomes really difficult to defend,” Braun said.
Henning, Kirtz finding form
Against Washington on Sept. 21, graduate student wide receivers A.J. Henning and Bryce Kirtz combined for fewer than 50 receiving yards for the first time this season.
Since that game, which was redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Lausch’s Big Ten debut, the NU star receivers have shined, exceeding a combined 180 yards in back-to-back competitions.
“Bryce and A.J. are proven playmakers in the arena,” Braun said. “There’s no doubt that finding ways to get A.J. and Bryce the ball in their hands in critical situations and down the field is something we need to continue to do.”
Both Henning and Kirtz — with 391 and 357 receiving yards apiece — rank in the top 15 in receiving yards in the Big Ten.
During Friday’s postgame press conference, Kirtz alluded to the constant communication between him and Lausch for their increased success over the past two games.
Braun has praised Lausch for the success of Henning and Kirtz, as the young play-caller has gotten the ball in his star receivers’ hands while playing turnover-free for the last eight quarters of football.
“You can see when a quarterback is playing confident,” Braun said. “He’s not waiting for the wide receivers to become open. He’s throwing the ball to a spot and knowing where his wide receivers are going to be.”
The Badgers’ secondary poses a potential threat to the ’Cats’ passing game. Their defense is allowing the fifth-fewest passing yards per game to opposing offenses in the Big Ten and may put more defensive attention on Henning and Kirtz in an attempt to slow them down this weekend.
NU’s disruptive defense
In the ’Cats’ blowout victory against Maryland, the defense notched season-highs with 10 pass deflections and nine tackles for loss. It fueled NU’s 37-10 landslide victory and the fewest points allowed by the team’s defense in conference play this season.
“We did a good job Friday night of affecting Maryland’s quarterback early, and we’re going to have to find ways to do that on Saturday as well to not allow that offensive passing attack from Wisconsin to get into that rhythm,” Braun said.
In Wisconsin’s consecutive Big Ten blowouts, Locke has completed more than 65% of his passes for 599 yards and four passing touchdowns. However, he’s proven to be turnover-prone with three interceptions thrown in that span.
Braun stressed the importance of forcing Locke to feel uncomfortable in the pocket by forcing him to make decisions, a sentiment he said a week ago before the ’Cats win in Maryland.
Defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle’s unit put immense pressure on Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. Friday, and Edwards completed just 28-of-51 passes. The defensive line sacked Edwards three times, while redshirt junior defensive back Theran Johnson notched three pass breakups. Johnson now leads the Big Ten in passes defended with nine.
“The easy stat to look at is sacks, which are drive killers for an offense,” Braun said. “We want that trend to continue, but it’s also just pressures and making a quarterback uncomfortable. It’ll be absolutely critical.”
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Football: Northwestern’s turnover advantage fuels decisive 37-10 win over Maryland
— Football: Northwestern dominates Maryland 37-10 on the road to secure first Big Ten win
— Football: Northwestern’s Akers puts on special teams clinic in 37-10 victory over Maryland
