The Northwestern Wildcats (2-2, 1-1 B1G) dug their claws into a 17-point lead Saturday afternoon to outlast UCLA (0-4, 0-1 B1G) 17-14. After acknowledging the victory over a conference opponent, one troubling truth looms over Northwestern’s temporary success:
Bowl game eligibility is just as elusive for the ‘Cats on Sunday as on Friday.
True, the ‘Cats only need four more wins to secure a 13th game. True, UCLA is Big Ten competition. However, entering a must-win game against a weaker opponent, the team
showed numerous signs of weakness. Northwestern squandered multiple opportunities to put the game out of reach.
“Those things can’t happen,” Northwestern head coach David Braun said after the game.
As the ‘Cats have increasingly difficult opponents on the docket, let’s look at what they need to continue and cut out if they want to perpetuate the prospect of postseason play.
The ‘Cats live and die on the ground
The backfield tandem of redshirt-sophomore Caleb Komolafe and redshirt-junior Joseph Himon II combined for 181 rushing yards on Saturday. Komolafe took the lion’s – or Wildcat’s? – share with 27 carries, 123 yards and a touchdown. The duo’s biggest impact came in the first half, as they combined for 10 rushes of five or more yards.
The running backs cannot take all the credit, as the offensive line was opening holes like Stanley Yelnats early in the game. With five minutes to play in the first half, the front five dominated the Bruins’ defense, allowing Himon to run clean down the sideline for a 20-yard gain. Another of these blocking clinics came less than two minutes into the second quarter as the O-line kept Komolafe almost completely untouched on a 9-yard touchdown run.
Northwestern has not lost the ground game battle to any of its opponents this year. In its wins against the Leathernecks and the Bruins, Northwestern outrushed its opponents by 210 and 68 yards, respectively. In their losses, however, the ‘Cats averaged a rushing output that was only 5.5 yards higher. Northwestern’s best chance at competing with its Big Ten rivals is to pound the rock, even with team captain Cam Porter sustaining a season-ending injury for a second time.
The scoreboard cannot affect focus
Through one half of football, Northwestern’s defense appeared impenetrable. The ‘Cats forced two punts and a turnover on the Bruins’ first three possessions, only conceding a field goal at the end of the half.
But football is a 60-minute game. With a chance to end UCLA’s first drive of the second half, Northwestern gave up a 32-yard quarterback scramble to Nico Iamaleava on third-and-long. The Bruins earned a field goal. Midway through the fourth quarter, Northwestern allowed four consecutive plays of 10+ yards, which resulted in the Bruins’ only touchdown of the outing and the lead falling to just three.
The ‘Cats nearly blowing a 17-point advantage against a highly vulnerable Bruins squad suggests a high possibility of future late-game disasters. Postgame, one of the first things that Braun noted was the team’s second-half inadequacies.
“We had an opportunity in the second half,” he said, “to really pull away from a team and close out a football game. We didn’t do that.”
Obviously, there is much to celebrate defensively as the ‘Cats only gave up 14 total points. Particularly impressive were the efforts of graduate defensive back Ore Adeyi, who forced two critical incompletions in his first start of the year. The first pass breakup came on third-and-goal late in the third quarter to keep UCLA out of the endzone. The second play ended the Bruins’ second-to-last drive of the game prematurely.
However, should Northwestern face stingier defenses in the coming weeks – and they will with No. 7 Penn State, Nebraska, No. 20 Michigan and Minnesota on the schedule – even two touchdowns may be too many.
Safe throws are the best throws
Preston Stone has undoubtedly been disappointing this year.
Through three games, Stone had been responsible for seven turnovers, six of which were through the air. However, he did exactly what the ‘Cats needed to get the win on Saturday: He kept possession of the ball. Even with a severely reduced passing output (115 yards) over the weekend, Stone showed a commitment to keep the ball away from UCLA’s defense.
After Saturday, Northwestern is 2-0 when Stone does not throw an interception. Admittedly, many of the passing windows were as wide as the running lanes were for Northwestern, but Stone stayed composed in the pocket and did not panic when the O-line collapsed.
Much of the success of the passing attack originated with the run game. The ‘Cats ran the ball 42 times against UCLA, outpacing the Bruins by 13 attempts. Stone’s best completions, unsurprisingly, came on play action against an unprepared secondary.
The presence of one receiver strengthens Stone’s composure more than the rest. Junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde (a fellow transfer) tallied seven receptions, 98 receiving yards and a touchdown (all career-highs at Northwestern). With the season now 33% through, Wilde has led Northwestern in receptions and receiving yards every game, accumulating at least four receptions and 55 yards each outing.
The ‘Cats will complete a four-game home stretch Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. when they take on Louisiana Monroe for homecoming.
