Let’s go back to third-and-12, with 9:18 left in the fourth quarter. Northwestern is on Nebraska’s 36-yard line, with all the momentum on its side after coming back down 21-6 to tie the game. Mac Uhlein intercepted Cornhusker quarterback Dylan Raiola on the previous drive, and the ‘Cats had a chance to take the lead for the first time all game.
Instead, Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone, intending to throw up the middle to wide receiver Griffin Wilde, places the ball in the hands of Nebraska
linebacker Javin Wright. With possession, the ‘Huskers would then go on to score the game-winning touchdown.
Most Northwestern fans will point to Stone’s interception as the play that could have changed the game’s outcome had it gone differently, and rightfully so, given the weight of the moment. But across 60 minutes, any of the Wildcats’ mistakes could have been the culprit.
It could have been Kenneth Williams’ 95-yard kickoff return touchdown that opened up scoring for Nebraska in the second half. It could have been Huskers running back Emmett Johnson, who broke a litany of Northwestern tackles in his team’s first offensive drive, creating a game-wide trend of the Wildcats struggling to stop their opponents on the ground. It could have been NU failing to prevent two Nebraska fourth-and-1s in the first half, or two of the ‘Cats scoring drives being field goals instead of touchdowns.
Even in the drive after the Wright pick, Nebraska had four third downs (three of them being third and long). Northwestern could have forced it off the field in any of those situations, but the Cornhuskers found a way on every single play. For NU head coach David Braun, that’s unacceptable.
“Those are scenarios as a defense that we expect and have to get off the field if we’re going to play winning football,” Braun said postgame of stopping third and longs.
Indeed, Saturday’s game was partially influenced by officiating in crucial moments. Before Stone’s fourth-quarter interception, offensive lineman Martes Lewis was called for a holding penalty, turning third-and-4 into third-and-12. Wilde missed Stone’s pass near the end zone on Northwestern’s final offensive drive, a play that the FS1 commentary team argued could have been a holding call on Nebraska’s Wright.
But blaming Northwestern’s outcome on the referees wouldn’t address all the other aspects that the team did have in its control, but couldn’t capitalize on.
“It is what it is, it’s a next-play mentality,” Northwestern running back Caleb Komolafe said of Lewis’s holding penalty. “It’s part of the game. That’s not in our hands; it goes back to what Coach Braun teaches us every day in the locker room, what he preaches in meetings, the next-play mentality.”
Of course, the loss shouldn’t discount that the Wildcats came into Lincoln as 7.5-point underdogs, punching above their weight all game to nearly come back in front of 86,401 opposing fans. Northwestern improved with time and went from being down by over two touchdowns with 17 minutes left to creating a tie game with serious upset potential just eight minutes later.
Komolafe was the star of the show on Northwestern’s offense, rushing for a career-high 125 yards and the team’s two touchdowns — including a 56-yard game-tying run that was arguably the play of the game for NU. He was backed by a strong offensive line, which also made some big plays like Evan Beernsten’s fumble recovery. On defense, Robert Fitzgerald led the way with nine tackles, while Aidan Hubbard made a big-time sack on Raiola for a loss of nine yards on NU’s 24-yard line.
And despite not playing his best game, going 15-for-29 with 159 yards and two interceptions, Braun continues to have unwavering faith in Stone.
“We evaluate him as a winner, a competitor. I love Ryan Boe, I love our quarterback room, I’m excited about the future of that room, but ultimately, we are not 5-3 right now without Preston Stone, period.” Braun said.
Many lessons can be learned from Northwestern’s up-and-down contest in Lincoln, which highlighted the team’s strengths and costly mistakes. But the Wildcats will need to be extra vigilant from now on, as it’s only going to get harder from here.
Sitting on the precipice of a postseason bowl game berth, Northwestern has USC, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois left on its schedule. None of those aforementioned contests are true home games (technically, Wrigley Field is NU’s “home” venue, but its Big Ten opponents tend to travel well to Chicago) and the Wildcats will be considerable underdogs in each one. These games can be winnable for Northwestern, but only if mistakes like Saturday’s become the rare exception and not the norm.
And Northwestern knows that. Despite a career day, Komolafe doesn’t think he played his best game because of the team’s loss, attributing it to his “winning mentality” postgame. Braun made it clear in his Oct. 20 press conference that the Wildcats had goals well beyond making a bowl game or beating the next team on their schedule. The next step will be executing this mindset when NU next takes the field on Nov. 7 at USC.
“As a program, we’re gonna have to respond. This one’s gonna sting for a while, or has the potential to sting for a while going in a bye week, and we can’t allow that to happen,” Braun said. “Focus on the things we can control, daily improvement and position ourselves to be at our best for a road matchup with USC.”
