Northwestern Football prepares for Iowa’s fast-paced game

Northwestern has had its hands full with Wisconsin senior running back Tawee Walker, but he faces another big challenge on Saturday.

The Wildcats will face Iowa at Kinnick Stadium, and the Hawkeyes have a premier rusher in their backfield.

Junior running back Kaleb Johnson has emerged as one of the best runners in the country this season. Johnson’s 1,035 rushing yards rank second nationally behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and first in the Big Ten. He also posted a Big Ten-best 13 rushing touchdowns.

Last Saturday, Johnson scored a 75-yard rushing touchdown, his longest run of the season, in Iowa’s 32-20 loss to Michigan State.

The running back poses a serious threat to any team he faces, but the Cats are confident they can remain strong on defense.

“Everyone is just doing their job on our defense,” redshirt junior defensive lineman Najee Story said. “There are no selfish players. When we are in our gap, the defense works. (Defensive coordinator) Tim McGarigle has called great defense all year.”

NU’s rushing defense ranks 17th nationally and the Cats are currently allowing just 103.4 rushing yards per game. Until its matchup against Wisconsin, NU had not allowed a 100-yard rusher.

However, on Saturday, Walker rushed for 126 yards against the Cats. NU also allowed a season-high 199 rushing yards, including 68 in the fourth quarter.

“I think they just wore us out a little bit at the end,” redshirt junior defensive lineman Aidan Hubbard said. “They had the ball for almost the entire second half.”

For Story, defensive errors allowed Walker to capitalize on his chances at Martin Stadium.

“We did a poor job tackling,” Story said. “There was a big run they had that caught us in poor defense, but other than that we just have to tackle better.”

Walker and Wisconsin’s running game found holes in the defense. However, Hubbard said he was proud of the way the defense held up.

Hubbard added that the defense’s performance contributes to a “bend, don’t break” mentality.

“We didn’t give up any points (in the fourth quarter), which we’re proud of,” Hubbard said. “We’re not too worried about how many yards we give up as long as we keep the points off the board.”

Despite the difficult week defensively, Wildcat defensemen said they will stick to what they do best.

If the Cats want to limit the abilities of Johnson and Iowa’s rush offense, Story says they need to focus on what’s important.

“Especially this week, footwork is going to play a big role just because of the offense that Iowa runs,” he said.

NU is certainly aware of the threat Johnson poses on the ground, but Hubbard said his position group’s overall approach doesn’t change from game to game.

According to Hubbard, the “Cats just need to play their defensive football.”

“It’s just a matter of being ourselves and not getting involved with the opponent and trusting what we’re doing,” Hubbard said. “We’ll be able to do what we do and come out of it with a win.”

Hubbard recorded a team-high three and a half tackles and a team-high three sacks. The defensive lineman’s ability to disrupt opposing backfields can play a big role in how the defense performs against the Hawkeyes.

He said a big part of his success — especially after a breakthrough redshirt sophomore campaign in 2023 — depends on staying present in the moment.

“Stay focused and keep going day by day. That’s what I’ve done so far,” Hubbard said. “That will be crucial this weekend.”

In a hostile environment where NU will once again be double-digit underdogs, the defense will rely on itself and its preparation – regardless of the star power on the other side of the battle line.

“If we just play our defense and be in our gaps, (with) the plays that Coach McGarigle is running [cq] “If you call, everything will be OK,” Story said. “If we tackle well, wrap ourselves up and run with our feet, we will be in a good position on Saturday evening.”

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