Wind back the clock four years: Northwestern falls 41-3 against Illinois at the old Ryan Field. With the loss, the ’Cats finish their 2022 campaign 1-11, their lowest win total since 1989, when the team went 0-11 under Francis Peay and somehow decided not to make a leadership change at the end of the season.
Two years later, with construction of the new Ryan Field underway, NU closes out its 2024 season getting outscored 119-41 against Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois, finishing the year with a 4-8
record.
And now, somehow, some way, to the disbelief of even the most diehard purple-clothed fans — that watched in horror as the ‘Cats got drudged through the mud year after year by the Big Ten’s best — the ‘Cats have come alive. A brand-new, top-of-the-line stadium and a 21-point victory over Penn State, one of the perennial powerhouses of the Big Ten. All in one night.
“You could tell in our guys’ eyes they knew it was going to be something special,” said David Braun in his postgame interview. “They had no clue it was going to be this special.”
And neither did we.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s breakout performance as one of the Big Ten’s best:
1. Chip Kelly’s still got it
As Coach Dan Casey put it on X, in a tweet that saw nearly one million views, the Wing-T is alive and well.
Equipped with the tools that have always defined his offenses — a good offensive line, elite running backs and a mobile quarterback — Chip Kelly continues to innovate as a signal-caller and currently has NU averaging 437.8 yards per game, its highest mark since the high-flying 2005 team that averaged 500.3 yards per game.
Against Penn State, Kelly reached into his “bag” and pulled out the Wing-T, a run-heavy offensive scheme that leans on backfield misdirection and front line movement to create big holes for ball carriers.
Check out this play, a 47-yard rush up the gut by Joseph Himon II, that set the ‘Cats up for their first ever touchdown in the new Ryan Field.
LOOK AT THE MOVEMENT FROM THOSE LINEMEN! Kelly moves the center to seal Penn State’s left-side interior linemen and pulls the left and right guards to wipe out the right side Nittany Lion linemen, while pushing the left and right tackles downhill to sandwich Penn State’s left-side linebacker (No. 8 in white). The movement gives the ‘Cats’ blockers a couple steps of momentum and the ideal blocking angles, allowing for the 0-line to carve out a big opening for Himon II.
A problem with these plays can be that the pulling of the front linemen gives the o-line more time to respond to the play before getting blocked. However, Kelly sets a receiver in motion to create deception in the backfield, causing indecision in PSU’s defenders and giving the play time to develop. In this case, Penn State’s right side linebacker and safety were actually fooled into thinking the swinging receiver was the ball carrier and rushed down on the right side, taking themselves out of the play.
Chip used variations of the Wing-T all game long and the Nittany Lions were never able to solve the puzzle. A masterful performance from one of college football’s best ever offensive minds.
2. This team is built in the trenches
However, Kelly’s Wing-T scheme wouldn’t have had the success it had without a powerful performance in the trenches from NU’s linemen.
Last week, Northwestern’s offensive and defensive lines struggled against then-No. 5 Indiana, who is touted for having some of the best front lines in college football this season.
In its 29-23 loss, NU’s offensive line allowed four sacks and seven tackles for loss, while getting absolutely stifled in the run game. The ‘Cats gained just 32 yards, averaging 1.2 yards per carry, its lowest totals of the year by a grand margin. Meanwhile, though the defensive line was able to track down IU quarterback Josh Hoover for two sacks, the ‘Cats got blasted on the ground, surrendering 271 rushing yards on 6.8 yards per carry.
This week, the Wildcat big men proved that this is still a team built up front.
Offensively, Northwestern o-line was clinical, fueling what may have been, in context, the program’s best rushing game of all time. The ‘Cats ran for 413 yards. 413 YARDS. Four hundred and thirteen.
Behind a masterful scheme from Chip Kelly (discussed above), the ‘Cats’ offensive front demonstrated quickness and strength, getting quickly off the ball to execute downfield blocks and open up big holes for Joseph Himon II and Caleb Komolafe.
Meanwhile, NU’s defensive front also had one of its best games so far this season, getting after PSU quarterback Rocco Becht for a sack and silencing the Nittany Lions run game. The all-white jerseys, which are known for year after year having one of the best rushing attacks in college football, were limited to just 2.2 yards per carry and 48 total yards.
A BIG performance from NU’s big boys.
3. Top three running back room in the Big Ten?
Yeah, this whole article is just going to be about NU’s run game.
With a bounce back from its measly performance against IU, Northwestern’s 413-yard rushing day against the Nittany Lions means its time to have a serious conversation about the ‘Cats’ running back room.
NU’s ball carriers exploded on Friday, with Caleb Komolafe totaling 188 yards on 25 carries (7.5 yards per carry) and Himon II averaging an insane 16.2 yards per carry, gaining 162 yards on 10 attempts. The ‘Cats’ running backs combined for three touchdowns and each notched long runs of over 30 yards.
Joseph Himon II takes it 38 yards to the house 🙌 @NUFBFamily
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 3, 2026
Watch on FOX pic.twitter.com/amvO1BRsp2
After its big night, NU is now averaging 212.8 yards per game on the ground, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten behind UCLA (281.5), Indiana (252.6) and Nebraska (231.0). Moreover, both Komolafe and Himon II represent one of the three Big Ten running back duos that both rank top 15 in the conference in individual rushing yards — No. 13 and No. 15, respectively.
Undoubtedly, one of the other dual top 15 running back tandem — Indiana’s Lee Beebe Jr. and Turbo Richard, who rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the conference in rushing yards — is the best running back room in the conference. That, currently, is incontestable.
But after that group, I don’t think it’s crazy to say that I would consider taking NU’s backs next. Sure, UCLA has Wayne Knight, Ohio State has Bo Jackson and USC has King Miller, but the ‘Cats have both Caleb Komolafe, who finished the 2025 season eighth in the Big Ten in rushing yards with 941, and Joseph Himon II, who is currently the Big Ten’s second most efficient running back, averaging an unreal 13.8 yards per carry.
My final Big Ten running back room rankings: No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Northwestern.
