CHICAGO — On the 13th play of Northwestern’s second drive against No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday, offensive coordinator Zach Lujan dialed up a quarterback draw for redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Lausch, who scampered into the endzone for an eight-yard touchdown.
The score capped off a 13-play, 92-yard drive, tying the team’s longest drive of the season. The Wrigley Field hosts improbably scored the first points of the contest after entering as 29.5-point underdogs against a national title contender.
But the Wildcats (4-6, 2-5 Big Ten) did not score again. Their 7-0 lead lasted fewer than six minutes, as the Buckeyes (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) responded with a touchdown of their own midway through the second quarter.
Scores on its next five drives led Ohio State to a 31-7 victory as the NU offense failed to sustain its early production.
The ’Cats’ first two drives totaled 151 yards, while for the remainder of the game, the offense garnered just 117 yards.
“It’s rhythm and momentum,” coach David Braun said. “(I) saw some good things out of our offense. Unfortunately, (we) got out of rhythm there, especially in the second quarter.”
Of Lausch’s 201 passing yards in the Saturday matchup, 97 of them came in the game’s opening two drives . For graduate student wide receiver Bryce Kirtz, four catches for 58 yards of his eventual seven-reception, 92-yard output came within the initial two trips down the field.
On his first carry of the game, graduate student running back Cam Porter rushed for a 12-yard gain, his longest gain since Oct. 19 against Wisconsin. Then, Lausch found Kirtz — making his first appearance since the loss to the Badgers — for a 20-yard reception to advance the ’Cats past midfield.
“My receiver coach, specifically, he was talking about digs and how they’re going to be open,” Kirtz said. “He said (that) we got to win inside and then when they go zone, it’s going to be wide open, and then press man (coverage), I just go to win inside, and Jack’s just going to deliver the ball.”
As NU drove within the Buckeyes’ 20-yard line on its first possession, Lausch escaped a collapsing pocket, but after making a defender miss, the ball was poked out by defensive end Jack Sawyer. Ohio State recovered the loose ball, flipping the field.
When the hosts got the ball back, they were pinned within their own 10-yard line, a situation that the ’Cats have struggled in this season.
“Just one play at a time,” Lausch said the team’s mentality was entering the drive. “Do our job one play at a time, and if we keep doing that, we’ll eventually wind up in the endzone.”
NU did exactly that over the next 13 plays.
While running down the left sideline, Kirtz saw a ball heading his way and contorted his body for a 21-yard catch, moving NU outside of its own 20-yard line. Two plays later, Lausch threaded the needle 22 yards down the field to find graduate student wide receiver A.J. Henning, moving the ’Cats into Buckeye territory.
“(Jack’s) getting the ball out and up,” Braun said. “He’s allowing playmakers like A.J. Henning, Bryce Kirtz, C.J. Johnson to adjust the ball and go compete for it, and that wasn’t something that he was doing earlier in the season.”
On third and ten on the Ohio State 31-yard line, Lausch scrambled right and found Kirtz on an in route and a 12-yard gain moved the chains for NU, putting it in the redzone for the second time in as many drives.
An 11-yard run by Porter put the ’Cats on the eight-yard line, leading to Lausch’s rushing score.
But, NU soon fell into a flurry of inconsistency. While five drives were quick three-and-outs, the ’Cats had a pair of 13-play drives that ultimately resulted in turnovers on downs as Braun ramped up his aggressiveness while playing from behind.
Despite the Buckeye defense fettering NU for the game’s latter 42 minutes, Braun said he’s optimistic about Lausch’s performance in his eighth career start.
“To go up against the No. 2 team in the country that is stellar on defense and play the way that he did in stretches should be something for all of us to be really excited about,” Braun said. “The experience that Jack has gained this season has been invaluable.”
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