Northwestern’s 42-7 homecoming win over Louisiana-Monroe displayed all the makings of an improved team. Say what you want about the level of opponent, but it’s clear that the Wildcats’ squad that stepped on the field Saturday isn’t the same one that got blown out by Tulane to open the season.
Aside from the game’s first drive, where the Warhawks scored a touchdown off a bunch of explosive run plays and a 34-yard pass, homecoming was all Northwestern. Despite ULM having a few more opportunities to score,
NU’s defense made stops when it mattered most. Meanwhile, the Wildcat offense punted on just two drives, both of which were in garbage time.
“The first series didn’t go right, but we’re proud of the way that Coach [Tim] McGargle settled in, the team settled in,” Northwestern head coach David Braun said. “ULM is a team that, if they’re in a one-score game, or if they have the lead, they’re in their comfort zone. But as we started to really separate — two-score lead, three-score lead, that makes a team like ULM really uncomfortable and gets them out of their rhythm.”
The most obvious improvement was in the receiver room. Prior to Saturday, Griffin Wilde shouldered 247 of Northwestern’s 387 receiving yards (or 63.8%) in total. Wilde still leads in that statistical category by a considerable margin, but it wasn’t the story on Saturday, where the Wildcats’ WR1 didn’t catch a pass until the third quarter. Meanwhile, Drew Wagner and Hayden Eligon both got in on the action with 60+ yards and a touchdown apiece, with the former being career-highs.
In both his media availability the previous Monday and in his postgame press conference, Braun cited injuries as a reason why Wilde was Northwestern’s only consistent receiver prior to Saturday. However, now that those other receivers have more reps and experience under their belt (both Eligon and Wagner are sophomores), the effects are beginning to show.
“Griffin has been the most consistent participant in practice, dating all the way back to spring,” Braun said. “I think what we’re starting to see, as those guys have come back and started to create a certain level of rhythm and timing with Preston [Stone], there’s just a comfort level that continues to rise.”
Quarterback Preston Stone posted his best game of the season. He threw 20-for-31 with 262 yards and three touchdowns, as Braun praised the passer’s improving ability to not shoulder the burden of an entire team on his shoulders. Caleb Komolafe continues to grow into his role as Northwestern’s main running back with two touchdowns, while freshman Dashun Reeder made his mark by rushing for a team-high 79 yards.
Northwestern’s offensive line, which took several lashings to begin the season, did not allow a sack all game — a performance that Braun credits to the improving chemistry of the unit, held together under the leadership of graduate student Caleb Tiernan. Stone, who was never known for being the most mobile quarterback, rushed for a single-game career-high of 49 yards.
“Preston’s a dog,” Komolafe said when asked about his quarterback’s run game. “We’ve been saying this, so [I] feel like the world is just gonna see week by week that he’s truly that dog that we say he is.”
Is it reasonable to wait until Big Ten play to make judgements about Northwestern’s “true” level? Yes. But a major measuring stick of improvement can be traced back to the team’s early-season win against FCS Western Illinois with the same scoreline. Although the Leathernecks were a worse team, Northwestern’s offense made several mistakes, including several of Stone’s passes that were nearly picked off and a second quarter where the ‘Cats were forced to punt three times. None of these issues presided on Saturday, where ’Cats fans witnessed an offense that (perhaps for the first time this year) didn’t have any blaring miscues.
Northwestern’s defense may have allowed ULM to make one-too-many big gains, but like mentioned above, it held down the fort when it mattered the most. This included a sack on Warhawks quarterback Aidan Armenta on third-and-10 in the red zone, which prevented ULM from making it a one-score game headed into halftime. In the second half, ULM only had one drive where it earned more than 30 yards (and that was in garbage time when the ‘Cats had subs in).
Next week, Northwestern will face an entirely different plane of competition when it heads to Happy Valley to play No. 7 Penn State, which will certainly be out of revenge after suffering a disastrous loss to UCLA (which Northwestern previously beat). But if there’s one thing that’s certain after homecoming, it’s that this Wildcats team is getting better with each weekend.
“This football team is the best football team I’ve ever been around in terms of how intentional they are in their preparation,” Braun said. “But we have to carry over the agenda, communicate on an exceptional level that leads to execution.”
