Facing the Huskies for the first time since 1984, Northwestern fell short of the team’s first win over Washington as Northwestern’s offense faltered and QB Will Rogers, WR Denzel Boston and RB Jonah Coleman broke through Northwestern’s defense. Here’s who’s moving up and down after Northwestern’s 24-5 loss.

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Staking

There wasn’t much positive to say about the Wildcats’ performance against the Huskies, but one bright spot was the punting unit. Luke Akers and Hunter Renner combined for five punts in the first half for a total of nearly 250 yards. Renner’s lone punt held the Huskies to their own 10-yard line and eventually helped the Wildcats’ defense put a safety on the scoreboard.

Aside from one bad punt, Akers was excellent for the Wildcats all night, punting a total of 7 times for 301 yards. Of course, it’s never a good sign when your most successful player in a game is the punter.

AJ Henning

Henning finally had his breakout game of the 2024 season last week, as the Michigan transfer eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the first time in his Northwestern career in the Wildcats’ win over Eastern Illinois. Despite a slow second half, the wideout continued his momentum against the Huskies, recording five pass catches for 41 yards in the game, quickly becoming Jack Lausch’s favorite and most reliable target.

Henning also showed his versatility in new coordinator Zach Lujan’s offense, starting Northwestern’s first offensive drive with a nine-yard run. The wideout has shown his ability on the ground despite rushing for few yards prior to the Wildcats’ game against the Huskies. The talented wideout also had three punt returns for 39 yards.

Xander Mueller

Northwestern’s standout linebacker was one of the few positives from Saturday’s game. Mueller was sensational for coach David Braun’s defense, recording eight tackles with two tackles for loss and even recovering a fumble for the Wildcats. Aside from his 11-tackle game against Duke, Mueller has been relatively quiet this season but finally found his rhythm tonight despite an overall lackluster performance from the Wildcats. The Wildcats need Mueller to maintain that level of performance as they enter conference play with full momentum.

Honorable Mentions: The Kickoff of Aidan Hubbard, Anto Saka and Joe Himon II returns

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Fourth attack

While Lujan tried to show his aggressiveness with his fourth down plays, the Wildcats were unable to execute a crucial play early in the fourth quarter when Lausch threw an incomplete pass on fourth and goal from the 1-yard line. On consecutive drives in the second half, Northwestern was able to get as far as Washington’s 1-yard line. The Wildcats ran nine plays from that distance and scored just three points.

Beyond fourth down attack and play, the Wildcats need to rethink their entire offensive strategy after the huge disappointment against the Huskies. Northwestern managed just 112 yards on 53 plays, which is a miserable average of 2.1 yards per play. Only three of the Wildcats’ drives went over 20 yards.

Running Back Room

With Cam Porter out with a lower-body injury, Wildcats tailback Joe Himon got the nod, but struggled considerably in the first half of his debut as lead back. Himon managed -2 ​​yards on two carries in the first half hour. Although he finished the game with 15 yards on five carries, Porter’s backup was unable to fill the role he was expected to play as a lead. In addition, Caleb Komolafe provided little groundwork (seven carries, 14 yards) throughout the game and was unable to compensate for Himon’s lack of contribution to the running attack.

While Himon and Komolafe were unable to capitalize on their opportunities in the backfield, the offense’s running attack was led by Lausch. However, number 12 was unable to make a difference in the Wildcats’ offense, as the quarterback only rushed for 21 yards on 13 attempts. In total, Northwestern only rushed for 59 yards on 26 attempts.

Jack Lausch

While Lausch made a splash in his debut in the starting lineup last week against Eastern Illinois, throwing for 227 yards and two touchdowns and an additional 62 yards on the ground, the signal-caller struggled against Washington defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who had him under control throughout the game.

Lausch, who was extremely effective on the ground last week, was unable to carry that success into this week’s game as he couldn’t find his rhythm carrying the football. Questions about Lausch’s arm also resurfaced, especially after he threw a puzzling interception just before halftime that squandered a crucial drive by Braun’s team. In addition, Lausch squandered another drive with a careless interception in the fourth quarter, likely raising questions about his football IQ. He finished the day 8-of-27 passing for just 53 yards. He also threw two interceptions and completed just one of his seven passes to Bryce Kirtz.

Honorable Mentions: Bryce Kirtz, Offensive Plays, Pass Defense, Red Zone Offense, Thomas Gordon