For the first time this century, Northwestern has had a 300 yard passer, 100 yard rusher and multiple 100 yard receivers in one game.
The Wildcats’ (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) reached the historic milestone in their Wrigley Field matchup against Minnesota. In the 38-35 victory, graduate student quarterback Preston Stone threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns, while redshirt sophomore running back Caleb Komolafe and redshirt junior running back Joesph Himon ll both reached the endzone on the ground.
“It speaks to not only the culture of this football program, but specifically, that O-Line room,” coach David Braun said in his weekly press conference Monday. “And it all starts with our captain, (graduate student offensive lineman) Caleb Tiernan.”
Tiernan was named captain for the first time this season, after playing all five years of his collegiate career at NU, an increasingly rare feat in today’s transfer-heavy college football world.
Tiernan has blossomed into a star for the ’Cats. He earned national PFF Team of the Week honors against an Oregon defensive line that included NFL prospect Matayo Uiagalelei, and Tiernan’s draft stock has risen substantially over the past few seasons with some experts projecting him to fall somewhere in the first or second round.
He is equally effective beyond the field, making an impact on the players around him.
“Not only is he a great leader by example, but he’s become more of a vocal leader too,” offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle told The Daily following a Tuesday practice. “He’s really good with the young guys, and that’s something he’s really evolved with since I’ve been here.”
Tiernan and the offensive line allowed just one sack on Saturday, as the offense consistently got downfield movement on run plays and Stone had significant time in the pocket on pass plays.
“We don’t get a lot of the recognition, but that’s part of being on the offensive line,” Tiernan said. “We’re all there for a reason. We all have a purpose. We all enjoy doing it together.”
When O’Boyle arrived at NU last season, his impact was felt throughout the team. By the end of the 2024 season, the offensive line allowed 27 fewer sacks than the season prior.
Heading into the Minnesota game, O’Boyle made maintaining mental sharpness a point of emphasis late into the season. He emphasized the importance of good “technique” as a contributor to a successful offense.
“We knew they were a heavy pressure team, so we worked a lot of footwork drills,” O’Boyle said. “Every week we have to constantly go back and do the little things that we started in fall camp. We have to concentrate.”
Now, entering the final game of the regular season, the offensive line’s eyes shift focus to Illinois’ front seven.
The Fighting Illini’s group is headlined by outside linebacker Gabe Jacas, a familiar foe for Tiernan. Jacas has racked up nine sacks on the season, tied for third place in the Big Ten.
“I believe this is our third or fourth matchup together,” Tiernan said. “He’s got great speed, great strength when it comes to blocking him. I’m just gonna keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
Illinois got the best of NU in the 2024 battle for the Land of Lincoln Trophy. Suffering a 38-28 loss, the ’Cats mustered up a solid offensive performance, but not enough to beat the No. 22 ranked team in the nation.
There are similarities going into this year’s matchup, with Illinois returning multiple defensive players. The Fighting Illini look to bring the same energy on defense as last year, highlighted by 73 total tackles as a unit and two sacks from linebacker Malachi Hood.
“We should have done a better job last year,” O’Boyle said. “We left one out there. We know that. The guys are hungry, and we need to keep competing and keep getting better every day.”
NU is riding the wave of momentum from clinching a bowl game berth, aiming for a win in the rivalry game this time around. O’Boyle said that practices have been great as of late and that his unit is prepared for revenge Saturday.
In addition, Illinois is coming off an upset loss to unranked Wisconsin. It wasn’t close, either: the Illini lost by 17 and were completely shutout in the fourth quarter in Camp Randall Stadium. With a chance to bring the trophy back to Evanston, the message in the meeting room this week is clear.
“Be who we are,” Tiernan said. “We’ve been saying that since the beginning of the year. Obviously, this is a trophy game, and that means a lot, but we know what our game is about and we’re focused on just being us.”
The ’Cats are going to have to put up another dominant performance if they want to match Illinois’ powerful offense captained by senior quarterback Luke Altmeyer. Altmeyer is fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards, complemented by wide receiver Hank Beatty, who is fourth in the Big Ten in receiving yards.
Fortunately for NU, the offense seems to have regained its spark. For the ’Cats to find offensive success again, the offensive line will have to do its job once more, so that the other six guys on the field with them are set up for success. And for Braun, that success will have to start with the O-Line, and their captain, Tiernan.
“We’re looking to be physical, whether that’s in the pass game or the run game,” Tiernan said. “We’re looking to do our jobs, get to our man and play fast.”
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