Early on in Northwestern’s Big Ten bout with No. 4 Oregon on Saturday, it looked like the hosts might give the national championship contenders a run for their money after forcing an opening drive punt and showing life on offense.
The Wildcats (1-2, 0-1 Big Ten) fired on all cylinders against the Ducks (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) until their quarterback misfired.
On third down from his own 48-yard line, graduate student quarterback Preston Stone targeted junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde, but placed the ball too high, leaving Wilde to tip the pass into the hands of a defender.
The first quarter turnover that led to an Oregon touchdown was the first of two interceptions from Stone on the day. Both helped the Ducks to a 34-14 victory.
“We didn’t win the turnover battle,” coach David Braun said postgame. “You can’t beat teams like Oregon when you don’t win the turnover battle. You’re not going to give yourself a shot.”
Stone’s two interceptions put him at six for the year, the worst in the Big Ten. Through three games this season, the quarterback has already matched his career high for interceptions in a season.
Stone has also had trouble holding onto the football before launching passes. During a second-quarter play action, Stone dropped the ball as he readied to throw. The former SMU quarterback landed on his fourth fumble of the season for a loss of 18 yards.
“We can’t turn the ball over,” Braun said in evaluating Stone’s performance. “And the ball can’t be on the ground.”
Lack of stability in the passing game is preventing NU from having a balanced offense, while the ground game excels. Last season, the ’Cats only rushed for 1,182 yards. Through only three games, Braun’s squad is close to halfway there with 535 yards.
NU was most effective against the Ducks when it ran the ball, as evidenced by its 178 yards on the ground.
Stone found some semblance of success through the air in the second half, but even then, it wasn’t pretty. The ’Cats’ longest pass play was a 40-yard connection from Stone to sophomore wide receiver Drew Wagner.
“Ultimately, (the) ball was a little bit underthrown, but that’s the thing is, every ball is not going to be perfect,” Braun said. “In those situations, Preston has to trust that his wide receiver is going to outcompete a DB for the ball, and that’s what Drew Wagner did.”
Stone distributes the ball in a way that demonstrates trust in his receivers, even when they don’t clutch up in critical moments.
One such play came on a 4th and 9 in the third quarter. With pressure coming, Stone fired to an open redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ricky Ahumaraeze and hit him in the hands, but the receiver could not make the grab.
Earlier on that same drive, though, Stone missed high on a pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Frank Covey IV, and the chance for an interception slipped right through Oregon’s hands.
Stone has shown flashes of promise, especially through his early connection with Wilde, but the time to clean up mistakes is running out.
“I think you can evaluate some plays and say, ‘You know what kid, good job.’ And you can look at some plays like, ‘Man, this can’t happen,” Braun said.
Email: [email protected]
X: @adub_sports
Related Stories:
— Rapid Recap: No. 4 Oregon 34, Northwestern 14
— Football: FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff to tape on Lakefill ahead of No. 4 Oregon matchup
— Football: Caleb Komolafe braces for a larger running back role following Cam Porter’s injury
