Northwestern Football prepares to play at Iowa

On October 11, Northwestern entered SECU Stadium and defeated Maryland in a stunning 37-10 victory. The almost 40,000 fans in attendance did not seem to affect coach David Braun’s squad.

The Wildcats (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) now head to Iowa City for a conference road test against Iowa on Saturday. In his press conference Monday, Braun acknowledged the “hostile environment” that awaits NU.

Coach Kirk Ferentz is in his 26th season at the helm of the Hawkeyes (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten), who lost 32-20 to Michigan State last time out.

Both teams will be looking to avoid a two-game losing streak midway through the season. Last season, Iowa prevailed in a defensive battle at Wrigley Field, where a game-winning kick doomed the Cats.

Here are three questions NU must answer to win as a double-digit underdog for the second time this season.

Can the Cats slow down Kaleb Johnson?

On Saturday, NU allowed a 100-yard rusher for the first time this season, with Wisconsin’s Tawee Walker recording 126 rushing yards.

Last weekend’s action also marked the first time the Cats allowed an opponent to gain more than 150 rushing yards in a game, while the Badgers posted 199 yards on the ground.

“We didn’t have our best duel game,” said Braun. “I think that will always be a focus, but this week more than ever it will be crucial that we play with good leverage and tackle well.”

NU now prepares to face the second-leading rushing running back in the country, Kaleb Johnson, who leads the Big Ten in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns with 1,035 and 13, respectively.

The Cats’ run defense remained in the top half of the conference on Saturday. Braun confirmed that graduate student linebacker Xander Mueller’s status is uncertain for now, meaning NU may have to adopt its “next man up” mentality to slow Johnson down.

“It’s going to take more than one to take Kaleb down,” Braun said.

What form will the NU offense take?

The Cats’ offense was an oddity in the era of redshirt sophomore Jack Lausch. Some halves look like masterclasses, while others leave a lot to be desired.

The lack of consistency on offense leads to performances like NU’s against Wisconsin, where the team didn’t score a touchdown and only converted one of three field goal attempts.

“Jack also knows that the performance he caught on tape on Saturday was not his best,” Braun said. “He will be the first to tell you he is keen to get back into training and improve, but it depends on a lot of things.”

In his first five starts, Lausch failed to surpass 100 yards rushing twice. However, the Chicago native also had three 200-yard games, two of which led the Cats to dominant wins over Eastern Illinois and Maryland.

Braun has seen his signal caller play football at a high level and said he’s confident he can bounce back after his 9-of-24, 82 pass completion performance against Wisconsin.

“(He) just has to continue to trust himself,” Braun said. “When he’s at his best, he gets the ball out on time. On long throws, he gets the ball out early and trusts his wide receivers to hit the ball. The encouraging thing is that we saw these things with Jack.”

On Monday, Braun did not confirm whether or not graduate student wide receiver AJ Henning, who suffered an upper-body injury in the first quarter against Wisconsin, will take the field at Iowa. Henning leads the team with 34 receptions and three receiving touchdowns this season.

Will the Cats be able to restore the running game?

When Braun was asked how Lausch could play more consistent football, he immediately pointed to a part of NU’s identity that has faltered in recent weeks.

“An established running game always helps,” he said.

Through the first three games of the season, the Cats rushed for more than 130 yards in each appearance, including 203 yards against Eastern Illinois. Since Big Ten play began, NU has failed to reach the 130-yard mark.

However, the Cats posted their best Big Ten performance in the running game (127 yards), and graduate student running back Cam Porter’s 48 yards were his best since returning to the lineup. Braun also praised Lausch’s ability to recognize pressure and interference as an aspect that helps NU on the floor.

“When you look back at the rushing attack against Wisconsin and even Maryland, positive things stand out,” Braun said. “There are certainly things on which you can build positive impulses.”

Playing against one of the Big Ten’s top rushers, the ‘Cats’ backfield trio of Porter, redshirt sophomore Joseph Himon II and redshirt freshman Caleb Komolafe must do their best to help the team beat the Hawkeyes as an outsider with 13.5 points.

“There is no doubt that we want to do our best offensively. We have to find the balance and play football consistently,” said Braun.

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